Bitumen are characterised according to their performance grade thereof corresponding to the thermal range inside which the bitumen may be employed. This grade is based on the bitumen’s rheological performance determined empirically by tests, and is not intrinsically linked to the chemical composition of bitumen. As the bitumen is a natural resource, its chemical composition varies depending on the source of crude oil and its manufacturing process. This variation in chemical composition affects the rheological characteristics of the bitumen, and this is not currently.
The objective of this research program is to evaluate the impact of the chemical composition of the crude oil on mechanical and rheological characteristics of bitumen, with the aim of understanding the influence of the choice of crude oil on the concrete formulation and the characteristics of bitumen.
Two bitumen with the same performance grade PG 58-28 but from different sources were used for the purpose of varying the chemical composition of crude. Various oxidative aging protocols, based on standardized protocols RTFO and PAV tests, were applied to both bitumen to observe the effect of the chemical composition of crude on the oxidative aging.
The rheological characterization of two bitumen was then carried through DSR and BBR tests. Thereafter these bitumen were characterized chemically by means of infrared spectroscopic analysis (FTIR) as well as through TGA / DSC and EGA tests. Finally, a correlations research between these two characterizations had been performed.
| Date | 7 Mar 2017 |
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| Original language | French |
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| Awarding Institution | - École de technologie supérieure
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| Supervisor | Alan Carter (Supervisor) & Daniel Perraton (Co-supervisor) |
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Rogeaux, A. (Author),
Carter (Supervisor) &
Perraton (Co-supervisor),
7 Mar 2017Student thesis: Master's thesis › Master in Engineering: Mechanical Engineering