Bitumen is a black, sticky, viscous, and highly thick liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons and other compounds that is typically found in natural deposits, such as oil sands and oil shales. Bitumen is also known as asphalt, although asphalt is generally used to describe the material produced by mixing bitumen with aggregate and other additives to form a paving material used for roads and other construction projects. Bitumen has a variety of uses, including in the production of asphalt for road surfacing, as a waterproofing agent, and in the manufacturing of roofing materials and some types of plastics

What is bitumen by grade ?




Bitumen grade refers to the classification of bitumen based on its physical properties and characteristics. The most common bitumen grading systems are based on the penetration test and the viscosity test. The penetration test measures the hardness or softness of bitumen by measuring the depth (in tenths of a millimeter) to which a standard needle will penetrate the bitumen sample under specific conditions of temperature and loading. The viscosity test measures the flow resistance of bitumen by determining the time taken for a fixed volume of bitumen to flow through a standard orifice at a specified temperature.

The different grades of bitumen are used for various applications, such as road construction, waterproofing, roofing, and industrial uses. The higher the grade, the harder and less viscous the bitumen is, and the lower the grade, the softer and more viscous it is. For example, penetration grade bitumen is classified into different grades based on the penetration value, such as 40/50, 60/70, 80/100, and 160/220, with the lower numbers indicating harder and more viscous bitumen. Similarly, viscosity grade bitumen is classified into different grades based on the kinematic viscosity, such as
VG-10
VG-20
VG-30
VG-40
and VG-50, with the higher numbers indicating softer and more viscous bitumen.

Bitumen IS Codes.

Bitumen IS Codes refer to the Indian Standards codes related to the various properties and specifications of bitumen. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is a national standard-setting body in India that develops and publishes these codes to ensure quality and safety in the use of bitumen in construction and other applications.

Some of the important Bitumen IS Codes are:

IS 73: Bitumen for road and building construction
IS 702: Methods of test for bitumen and bituminous products
IS 1195: Specification for bitumen emulsion for road and bridge works
IS 217: Methods of sampling and test for tar and its products
IS 8887: Modified Bitumen for Road Construction

IS:1201-Determination of bitumen sampling
IS:1202-Determination of specific gravity of Bitumen
IS1203-Determination of pentration test of bitumen
IS:1204- Determination of reside of specificed Pentration test of bitumen
IS1205- Determination of softining point test of  bitumen
IS:1206
part1   industrial  viscositytest
Part2  absolute viscosity test
part 3-kinematic viscosity  test

IS:1207 Determination of Equiviscosity temperature  test of bitumen
IS:1208 Determination of Ductility test of bitumen
IS:1209-Determination of flash point and fire point
IS:1210 -Determination of float test of bitumen
IS:1211 -D. of Water content test by  dean and Stark method
IS:1212- Determination of  loss on heating  test of bitumen
IS 1213 -Determination of Distillation test of bitumen
IS:1214  not available
IS:1215 -Determination of matter insoluble in toluene
IS:1216 -Determination of solubility in carbon disulphide
IS:1217 -Determination of mineral matter( ash)
IS:1218 -Determination of phenols
IS:1219 -Determination ofnaphthalene
IS: 1220 -Determination of Volatle  matter content
These codes provide guidelines for the selection, testing, and use of bitumen in various applications. Compliance with these standards helps ensure that the quality of bitumen used in construction projects meets the required standards and specifications.