Co-Authored By:
Asked by: Tim Sol
home and garden indoor environmental qualityWhat happens to bitumen asphalt when temperature increases?
The properties of bitumen as asphaltbinder are dependent on temperature. At hightemperatures, the asphalt softens enabling permanentdeformation of the pavement. At the low temperatures,the bitumen become stiff and inflexible and can crack as aresult of strain and thermal condition. (Kjosavik,2013).
Similarly one may ask, how does temperature affect asphalt?
The viscosity of asphalt will be affected by theHMA temperature. When HMA temperature decreases, theasphalt cement binder will become more resistant todeformation because it will become more viscous. Basically,temperature – specifically heat – will affectasphalt in a number of ways.
Beside this, what happens to asphalt when it gets hot?
Heat can cause cracks as well, which can resultin water seeping in. The water may not damage the asphalt inthe same way that it can if it freezes due to cold temperatures,but it can damage the asphalt by eroding the sub-surfacelayers. This results in an air gap forming within thepavement.
The temperature depends on how much pureasphalt is present, but I'd say it begins to be a problemwhen the air temperature is around 90 degrees Fahrenheit andthe temperature of the road is around 110.