Bitumen Quality

TRANSCRIPT: As global demand for roads grows, so does the importance of the material that holds them together: bitumen.  However, once a consistent, locally sourced byproduct of oil refining, bitumen quality has become increasingly unpredictable. Why? Because modern refineries now prioritize extracting other outputs, resulting in bitumen of varying, often lower quality.  Bitumen [...]

With variable bitumen quality from changes in binder sourcing impacting global asphalt producers, more engineers are moving toward balanced mix design (BMD). Rather than relying on the binder specifications alone, BMD enables producers to focus on performance testing for the final mix inclusive of aggregate, binder, modifiers, and additives.     This shift from reliance on volumetric properties alone for [...]

Modern crude oil refining and bitumen production technologies are having a global impact on bitumen quality, consistency, and functionality. As a result, the industry is shifting to a new mentality of developing clear, attainable performance criteria to design quality mixes without relying on suppliers to dictate quality.   Here, we will take a closer look at bitumen quality and [...]