I. What is Petroleum Asphalt
Petroleum asphalt is a product in the crude oil processing process. At room temperature, it is a viscous liquid, semi-solid or solid that is black or dark brown in color. It mainly contains hydrocarbons and non-hydrocarbon derivatives that are soluble in trichloroethylene. Its properties and composition vary depending on the source of the crude oil and the production method.
II. Classification of Petroleum Asphalt
There are numerous types of petroleum asphalt, which can be classified into different types according to different classification methods:
Classification by production method
Straight-run asphalt, solvent-deoiled asphalt, oxidized asphalt, blended asphalt, emulsified asphalt, modified asphalt, etc.
Classification by appearance
Liquid asphalt, solid asphalt, diluent, emulsion, modified form, etc.
Classification by use
Road asphalt, building asphalt, waterproof and moisture-proof asphalt, various special asphalts named according to their uses or functions, etc.
III. Uses of Petroleum Asphalt
Road engineering: Petroleum asphalt is mainly used in projects such as road surfaces or workshop floors. Generally, it is used in the preparation of asphalt concrete, asphalt mixture or asphalt mortar, etc. Road petroleum asphalt can be used as sealing materials, adhesives and asphalt coatings.
Construction engineering: Petroleum asphalt has a relatively high viscosity and good heat resistance, but its plasticity is relatively small. It is mainly used for manufacturing asphalt felt, asphalt paper, waterproof coatings and asphalt mastic. The vast majority of them are used in projects such as roof and underground waterproofing, trench waterproofing, corrosion prevention and pipeline anticorrosion.
Waterproof engineering: Petroleum asphalt has good temperature stability and is particularly suitable as a coating material for asphalt felt and as a bonding material for building roofs and underground waterproofing.
It should be noted that ordinary petroleum asphalt contains a relatively large amount of wax, usually with a content of more than 5%, and in some cases, it can be as high as more than 20% (referred to as wax-rich petroleum asphalt). Therefore, it has a high temperature sensitivity and is not suitable for use alone in engineering. It needs to be blended with other types of petroleum asphalt.
IV. What are the Grades of Road Petroleum Asphalt
The petroleum asphalt used for highways and urban roads is called road petroleum asphalt, which is also the main application field of petroleum asphalt. There are various grades of road petroleum asphalt.
The grades of petroleum asphalt are distinguished by the penetration of the asphalt. The penetration of the asphalt indicates the softness and consistency of the asphalt, as well as its ability to resist shear failure, and it is an index that reflects the relative viscosity of the asphalt under certain conditions. According to the provisions of the "Technical Specification for Construction of Highway Asphalt Pavement", road petroleum asphalt mainly has seven grades: 160, 130, 110, 90, 70, 50, and 30.
