Bitumen

Bitumen is secondary hydrocarbon products which is a by-product of crude oil. It is composed of complex hydrocarbons and contains elements like calcium, iron, sulfur, and oxygen. Bitumen is known for its waterproofing and adhesive properties and is commonly used in the construction. Bituminous materials have been widely used in the building industry for many years mainly for roads and highways. Production occurs through distillation, which removes lighter crude oil components like gasoline and diesel, leaving the heavier bitumen behind. The quality of material and ease of production depends on the source and type of crude oil from which it is derived. The bitumen properties depend on the ratio of these components: heavy-weight fractions such as asphaltenes impart visco-elastic properties to bitumen at ambient temperatures (10–40° C); light-weight fractions such as oils act as a carrier for the asphaltenes and resins. Bitumen comes in different grades such as Penetration (10-20, 30-40, 40-50, 60-70, 80-100, 120-150, 200-300), VG (10, 30, 40), PG and etc.

Penetration grade is mainly used in road surfacing. Bitumen with lower penetration grade is used in the regions with warm climate while higher penetration grade is used in colder weather. This grade of bitumen is specified in terms of penetration value. For example, 30/40 grade bitumen indicates the penetration value of the bitumen in the range of 30 to 40 at standard test conditions. Notably, bitumen is graded based on absolute viscosity at 60 C or kinematic viscosity at 135 C. Pure bitumen is graded based on AASHTO-M226 and ASTM-D3381 standards.

VG grade is short for Viscosity Grade in which higher the grade, stiffer the bitumen is. The penetration at 25 C, which is annual average pavement temperature, is also retained. VG grades have various applications. For example VG 30 is primarily used to construct extra heavy duty Bitumen pavements that need to endure substantial traffic loads. It can be used in lieu of 60/70 Penetration grade. while, VG-40 is used in highly stressed areas such as intersections, near toll booths and truck parking lots in lieu of old 30/40 Penetration grade. Due to its higher viscosity, stiffer Bitumen mixes can be produced to improve resistance to shoving and other problems associated with higher temperature and heavy traffic loads.

Finally, a PG is defined for polymer modified bitumen and pure bitumen according to environmental conditions and temperature. A wider PG range means higher resistance and more favorable specifications. WE Company has the capacity to supply all these grades. WE Company offers bitumen in various packaging including bulk, new steel drum and jumbo bag with 300 Kg and 1 MT to meet client’s requirements.