Characterization of Bitumen Binders on the Basis of Their Thermo-Viscous Properties

Abstract Bitumen is one of the basic building materials that is mainly used in road construction. Nowadays, we can observe increased requirements for the quality of bituminous binders, which are due to increased traffic loads, changing climate conditions, and decreasing crude oil stocks. Besides “traditional” (empirical) tests (softening point, penetration), new types of tests have been developed that can better describe the quality and behavior of bitumen binders. Their composition can also be a significant part of the properties themselves. Therefore, the elemental and group composition of bitumen must also be observed. The use of the viscosity temperature susceptibility (VTS) test appears to be well suited to evaluate the properties of bitumen binders. The VTS parameter is directly dependent on the viscosity of bitumen, but it is necessary to say that VTS can be significantly affected by the composition of the bitumen. The paper is focused on determining the dependencies between the VTS and the bitumen’s composition, respectively, to find out how the composition influences the VTS.