Influence of bitumen emulsion on the curing behaviour of standardised cold bitumen emulsion mortars

Abstract

This research was part of the RILEM TC 280-CBE interlaboratory testing aiming to characterise the role of mortars as mesoscale model systems and establish a link between the properties of bitumen emulsions and the performance of cold bitumen emulsion-based mixtures for structural layers. The objective of this specific work was to investigate the curing behaviour of such mortars with the reference volumetric composition prepared with different types of emulsions and sands. This approach enabled the preparation of specimens that could be successfully demoulded immediately after compaction and tested by indirect tension. The curing was characterised by comparing the evolution of water content and indirect tensile strength. The results showed that the estimated long-term indirect tensile strength at 5 °C of the mortars was in the range from 1.14 to 1.52 MPa. They also highlighted the importance of intrinsic properties of cationic emulsions and of their compatibility with sand particles.

KEYWORDS:

• Bitumen emulsion
• mortar
• volumetric composition
• curing
• residual water
• indirect tensile strength

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the support of Valli Zabban S.p.A who supplied the three commercial bitumen emulsions as well as the support of HeidelbergCement AG who supplied the ordinary Portland cement used in this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).