16 August 2017

Subject: Kandhal Q and A Series on Asphalt in India (Part 1) Confusion from

Overlapping Viscosity Ranges of VG-30 and VG-40 Bitumen

Dear Highway Colleagues:

About 5 months ago I had solicited questions from you on Asphalt in India so that I can
attempt to answer them. I have received some questions which I am now answering in parts. This
is Part 1 of this Q and A Series. You are always welcome to ask more questions (name of the
questioners will not be published).

Question No. 1
Why there is a significant overlap between the viscosity ranges of VG-30 Bitumen and VG-
40 Bitumen? It is creating a lot of confusion/conflicts in binder selection and asphalt
pavement thickness design in India.

Answer
This is a good, timely question. We must go back to the history of viscosity grading of bitumen
in the US as well as India. Like India, US was primarily using 60/70 penetration bitumen before
viscosity grading was introduced during the 1970s. This was done because some 60/70 bitumen
had rutting and/or construction (tender mix) problems whereas the other ones did not, primarily
based on the crude source and/or method of refining. I experienced this change over in grading
system while working as Chief Asphalt Road Engineer of the Pennsylvania Department of
Transportation, which has the fourth largest highway network in the US.
Viscosity grades AC-5, AC-10, AC-20, and AC-40 were proposed by ASTM and AASHTO. AC
means asphalt cement which is called bitumen in India. The equivalent grades in India are VG-5,
VG-10, VG-20, and VG-40, which will be used hereinafter. There was no overlap in viscosity as
shown in the Table. Overlaps cause confusion/conflicts and therefore are not desirable. That is
why; there is no overlap in penetration grades such as 40/50, 60/70, and 85/100.
Viscosity Specified Viscosity at 60 C, Viscosity Range,
Grade poises poises
(+/- 20 percent)
VG-5 500 +/- 100 400 - 600
VG-10 1000 +/- 200 800 1200
VG-20 2000 +/- 400 1600 2400
VG-40 4000 +/- 800 3200 - 4800
VG-20 grade was adopted across most of the US. However, some states in the south-eastern US
with hot climate insisted that VG-20 was too soft for them (may cause rutting) and VG-40 was
too hard for them (may cause fatigue cracking). Therefore, these states adopted VG-30 grade
with a viscosity of 3000 +/- 600 (range of 2400 3600 poises). This resulted in a significant
overlap between VG-30 and VG-40. Since VG-40 was not used at all by any state, this overlap
did not cause any confusion/conflicts in the US.
When I returned to India from the US in 2002, I observed that some 60/70 penetration bitumen
were causing bleeding and/or rutting problems on national highways whereas others were
performing well situation similar to the US prior to 1970s. Actually, the viscosity grade for
60/70 bitumen being used in India ranged from VG-10 to VG-30. Obviously, those with low
viscosity at 60 C such as VG-10 were causing the bleeding/rutting problems. I made several
presentations to MORTH, CRRI, NHAI, Indian Roads Congress (Bangalore Session), IITs,
Bitumen Suppliers, etc. about the urgent need for adopting viscosity grading in India. A technical
paper was also published in IRC Indian Highways magazine. Most people said it is a good idea
but nobody wanted to take any initiative.
Finally, I was lucky to come in contact with an advisor to Madam Sonia Gandhi (10 Jan Path) in
2005 to whom I complained that nobody in India was listening to an NRI who wants to bring
about a positive change to improve the performance of our highways. They immediately called
Mr. Dhanendra Kumar, the then Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
(MORTH). Mr. Kumar personally called me in Jaipur requesting to make a presentation on
viscosity grading to all stakeholders (MORTH, CRRI, NHAI, Indian Roads Congress, BRO,
Bitumen Suppliers, etc.). That meeting was held in Delhi on 18 July 2005 in MORTH Office.
Although some bitumen suppliers resisted, MORTH went ahead and requested the Bureau of
Indian Standards (BIS) to adopt specification for viscosity graded paving bitumen in lieu of
penetration graded bitumen.
The BIS asked me to make a presentation at the PCD 6 Committee and finally IS:73 was revised
in 2005 to include VG grades. Revised IS:73 was then published in 2006. About a years time
was given to refineries to change over from penetration grades to VG grades. I had
recommended in IS:73:2006 and later in IRC: 111 (Specification for Dense Graded Bituminous
Mixes drafted by me) to adopt VG-30 grade across most of India because of hot climate similar
to the south-eastern US. I did not recommend VG-40 because there was no performance history
of this grade in the US.
There was no overlapping issue in India until IRC:37 (Guidelines for Designing Flexible
Pavements) was revised in 2012 and VG-40 was promoted therein as the panacea to solve rutting
problem and to reduce the asphalt pavement thickness. Despite a significant overlap between
viscosity range of VG-30 and VG-40 as mentioned earlier, the following resilient modulus (Mr)
values were assigned to design the asphalt pavement thickness in IRC:37-2012.
Mix containing VG-30: 1700 MPa
Mix containing VG-40: 3000 MPa
Prior to 2012, only one value of 1700 MPa was used for all types of bitumen binder. These new
Mr values are fundamentally incorrect because (a) they are based on viscosity of bitumen alone
whereas Mr of bituminous mix is also significantly dependent on its bitumen content, air voids,
and gradation (especially the amount of 0.075 mm fines) based on Witczaks famous equation,
and (b) even if we wrongfully consider viscosity alone to influence Mr, due to overlapping a
VG-30 bitumen can potentially have viscosity higher than VG-40 bitumen. In fact, Bharat
Petroleum has produced and sold bitumen which met both VG-30 and VG-40 specifications. In
that case, which Mr value one should use rationally? That is really confusing!
Since IRC:37-2012 allowed the contractors to reduce asphalt pavement thickness by using VG-
40 (with an increased Mr value of 3000 MPa), all of sudden there was a demand for VG-40. We
should have alerted the refineries about this expected demand at least one year prior to
publishing IRC:37 in 2012. This caused production of the so-called jugad VG-40 (sometimes
of dubious quality) by some fly-by-night third parties. This was despite the fact that all VG
grades should be manufactured in refineries as per IS:73: 2006.
So, we can see that this overlap between VG-30 and VG-40 is now haunting us in India. I had
proposed to NHAI in May 2016 to issue a circular to use a Mr value of 1700 MPa for all bitumen
binders including VG-30 and VG-40 until the Mr values are sorted out by IITs through research
during the next 2 years or so. This is what we were doing prior to 2012. Besides, there are only 3
or 4 laboratories in India who can truly conduct the complex, sophisticated Mr Test.
Now that we have constructed some asphalt pavements in India using VG-40 bitumen, we should
evaluate them. If the performance is found to be satisfactory, we should consider the use of VG-
40 in lieu of VG-30 across most of India. Better yet, we should consider moving forward to
adopting Superpave Performance Grading (PG) System for all paving bitumen. Just recently, I
have submitted to the BIS a draft PG Specification for Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) based
on performance based tests. It is likely to be adopted soon. That would pave the way for
extending it to unmodified bitumen like VG-30 and VG-40 in the near future.
[Note: If you would like to learn more about different bitumen grading systems including
Superpave PG System and design of flexible pavement including Witczak Equation for
determining Mr, please consult the textbook cum reference book, Bituminous Road
Construction in India authored by me and published by Prentice Hall of India (PHI). This book
is priced Rs. 525 only. Contact PHI at customerservice@phindia.com or call them at 011-4303
1100. You can also order it on www.amazon.in
Regards,
Prof. Prithvi Singh Kandhal
Jaipur

American roads are good not because America is rich, but America is rich because
American roads are good. - John F. Kennedy
About the Writer
Prof. Prithvi Singh Kandhal is Associate Director Emeritus of the National Center for Asphalt
Technology (NCAT) based at Auburn University, Alabama, U.S.A. NCAT is the largest asphalt
(bitumen) road technology center in the world.

Prior to joining NCAT in 1988, Prof. Kandhal served as Chief Asphalt Road Engineer of the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for 17 years. He is the first person born outside
North America, who has held the following three national and international very prestigious
positions in the asphalt road technology area:

President, Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists (with members from all

continents in the world)
Chairman, American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International Committee
on Road Paving Standards (responsible for over 200 standards used worldwide)
Chairman, US Transportation Research Board Committee on Asphalt Roads

Prof. Kandhal has published over 120 technical papers and has co-authored the first ever
textbook on asphalt road technology, which is used by more than 25 universities in the U.S. He
has travelled to various countries in Europe, South America, Middle East, China, Vietnam,
Japan, Singapore, and Australia to provide training and consulting services in asphalt (bitumen)
technology.

Prof. Kandhal has been a practicing highway engineer in India for over 20 years and in the US
for 30 years. Recently he has drafted many standards for the Indian Roads Congress including
specifications for dense graded bituminous mixes, stone matrix asphalt and readymade pothole
patching mix. He was also instrumental single-handedly in introducing viscosity grading of
bitumen in India in lieu of penetration grading in 2005. He has now published in July 2016 the
first ever textbook cum reference book, Bituminous Road Construction in India.

In August 2011, Prof. Kandhal was inducted on the Wall of Honour established at the largest
asphalt road research center in the United States. In April 2012, he received the Lifetime
Achievement Award in Asphalt Road Technology from the International Association of Asphalt
Paving Technologists during their annual banquet held in Austin, Texas, USA.