Fig.: Open porous asphalt under reflected light

It is the approach of asphalt petrology to use specific preparation techniques, tailored to the needs of asphalt and IT-based image analysis. By these means the asphalt petrology is able to gain more detailed insights into asphalt than the methods known up to now.
This young branch of road construction uses, in addition to the known methods of asphalt analysis, the experiences of the petrology, the science of rocks, to explore the structure of asphalt, its components and the processes of change across the entire usage cycle.

The methods of asphalt petrology will expand our knowledge of the structure and behavior of asphalt. Moreover, they are a valuable research instrument.
So further, up to now unknown causes of asphalt failure will be uncovered and thus may lead to avoiding the repetition of mistakes.

Ultimately, these findings enable road owners and operators of other trafficked areas (airports, seaports, logistics companies, etc.) to reduce costs over long term aspects, offer surfaces of higher quality, as well as to improve the recipes of asphalt mixtures.

The means of asphalt petrology allow a more accurate insight into the inner structure of asphalt. They thus form the basis for the research for and the development of new, improved asphalt. mixes, for the analysis of existing traffic areas as well as for damage explorations.

Asphalt petrology is expected to give new findings on the following questions and issues:
 

• Spatial positions of asphalt components
• Changes in asphalt structure as a result of
   compaction and load effects

• Surface properties
• Mechanical behavior
• Durability of porous asphalts
• Function and effects of fillers
• chemical and physical reactions between the
   components

• Segregation of polymerified bitumen
• Aging processes