Chemical and mechanical analysis of field and laboratory aged bitumen

To predict the performance of bituminous products during their service life, an accurate simulation of the aging behaviour is required. Several laboratory methods are available, yet the correlation to field aging is mostly missing. In this study, an unmodified bitumen was exposed to laboratory aging with the Pressure Aging Vessel (PAV) using one to five aging cycles and the Viennese Binder Aging (VBA) method, followed by a comparison to a field sample of the same base binder. Measurements with the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) and Fourier-transform-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy showed that the field aging level could not be reached neither with VBA nor with multiple PAV cycles, but a better approximation compared to the standard aging procedure was achieved. The FTIR spectra displayed a high degree of correlation between the VBA and field aged sample, especially regarding carbonyl formation in the aromatic fraction and the intensity of the sulphoxide band in the resin and asphaltene fractions. Additionally, the VBA sample showed more similarities to the field sample regarding fluorescence excitation-emission maps. Although both laboratory aging methods are an improvement to the standard procedure, the VBA method allowed for a better qualitative simulation of the chemical properties of the investigated field sample.

Automated summary

An accurate simulation of aging behavior is crucial for predicting the performance of bituminous products. This study compared the Pressure Aging Vessel (PAV) and Viennese Binder Aging (VBA) methods to field aging, and found that neither method could fully replicate the aging level, but a better approximation was achieved compared to the standard procedure. Spectroscopic analysis showed a high correlation between VBA and field aged samples, indicating that VBA method provided a better qualitative simulation of the chemical properties of the field sample.