1. Why was tar replaced by bitumen for flexible road construction?

Bitumen is a mixture of organic liquids that are highly viscous, black, sticky, entirely soluble in
carbon disulfide, and composed primarily of highly condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Bitumen is the residual (bottom) fraction obtained by fractional distillation of crude oil. It is the
heaviest fraction and the one with the highest boiling point.
Tar is a viscous black liquid derived from the destructive distillation of organic matter. Most tar is
produced from coal as a byproduct of coke production, but it can also be produced from
petroleum, peat or wood.
In British English, the word 'asphalt' refers to a mixture of mineral aggregate and bitumen (or
tarmac in common parlance). The word 'tar' refers to the black viscous material obtained from the
destructive distillation of coal and is chemically distinct from bitumen. In American English,
bitumen is referred to as 'asphalt' or 'asphalt cement' in engineering jargon. In Australian English,
bitumen is sometimes used as the generic term for road surfaces.
Most bitumens contain sulphur and several heavy metals such as nickel, vanadium, lead,
chromium, mercury and also arsenic, selenium and other toxic elements. Bitumens can provide
good preservation of plants and animal fossils.
tar - obtained by destructive distillation of coal , it is less viscous as it is boiled with

volatile fluids like kerosene

bitumen - obtained by fractional distillation of crude oil , has more viscosity than tar ,
soluble in carbon disulphide and has higher B.P than tar
2. How is the load transmitted through i) asphalt Load transmitted through
mortar
ii) macadam structures Load transmitted through aggregate structure
3. Why is it necessary to preheat the aggregate during the continuous mixing of
bituminous mixes?
4. Give three acute health and safety concerns of bituminous mixes.
High temperature (150C) burns
Flammable vapours dont smoke
Hot bitumen doesnt mix with water!
5. How does the composition of bitumen affect its structure? (i.e. when does
bitumen have a sol-like structure and when does it have a gel-like structure?)
How does this change upon heating?