©BRIGHSTARS 2024/2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Asphalt Exam Questions With Correct
Answers.
Difference between Asphalt and Tar - Answer✔Asphalt is soluble in petroleum, tar is not.
Asphalt has bitumens, tar has low bitumens
Two Different Distillation Process to Produce Asphalt - Answer✔1. Fractional Distillation:
Crude oil is heated, lighter oils vaporize and are drawn off, leaving behind asphalt cement
2. Destructive Distillation: crude oil heated under pressure to higher temperatures than fractional
distillation
Penetration test - Answer✔-Test hardness and consistency
Viscosity test - Answer✔Tests resistance to flow
Superpave binder - Answer✔Another name for asphalt
Asphalt is selected based on... - Answer✔1. Climate
2. Traffic
3. Location
Flash Point Test - Answer✔-Asphalt cements are heated before use in construction
-Must understand what the max temp the material can be heated to safely
-Flash point = temp at which an instantaneous flash occurs
Thin-film oven test - Answer✔-Used to simulate the aging that takes place during the production
of hot mix and during 1st year of pavement's life
Ductility test - Answer✔Workability
Solubility - Answer✔-Determines the purity of the asphalt cement
-The Asphalt cement will soluble in a particular solvent
1|Page
, ©BRIGHSTARS 2024/2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
RAP - Answer✔Recycled Asphalt Pavement
-Milling (grinding) removal of old asphalt pavements and reused in new hot mic asphalt
pavements
Asphalt can be modified into liquid form known as ___ or ____ - Answer✔Cutback Asphalt or
an Emulsion
Saybolt Furol Viscosity Test - Answer✔Measures anionic and cationic emulsions
Distillation test - Answer✔Used to determine the relative proportions of asphalt cement and
water in the asphalt emulsion
Settlement test - Answer✔Detects the tendency of asphalt globules to "settle out" during storage
of emulsified asphalt
Sieve test - Answer✔Determine quantitatively the percentage of asphalt cement present in the
form of pieces, strings, or relatively large globules
Cationic - Answer✔Positively charged Emulsion
Anionic - Answer✔Negatively charged Emulsion
Basic requirements for an asphalt pavement - Answer✔1. Have sufficient total thickness and
internal strength to carry expected traffic loads
2. Prevent penetration or internal accumulation of moisture.
3. Have top surface that's smooth and resistant to wear, distortion, skidding, and deterioration by
weather and de-icing chemicals
Courses of Asphalt Pavement (Top to Bottom) - Answer✔1. Surface Course
2. Binder Course
3. Base Course
4. Sub-base course
5. Subgrade
Factors that determine asphalt pavement thickness - Answer✔1. Traffic
2. Subgrade strength
3. Strength and other influencing characteristics of the material available or chose for the layers
or courses in the total asphalt pavement structure
2|Page
Asphalt Exam Questions With Correct
Answers.
Difference between Asphalt and Tar - Answer✔Asphalt is soluble in petroleum, tar is not.
Asphalt has bitumens, tar has low bitumens
Two Different Distillation Process to Produce Asphalt - Answer✔1. Fractional Distillation:
Crude oil is heated, lighter oils vaporize and are drawn off, leaving behind asphalt cement
2. Destructive Distillation: crude oil heated under pressure to higher temperatures than fractional
distillation
Penetration test - Answer✔-Test hardness and consistency
Viscosity test - Answer✔Tests resistance to flow
Superpave binder - Answer✔Another name for asphalt
Asphalt is selected based on... - Answer✔1. Climate
2. Traffic
3. Location
Flash Point Test - Answer✔-Asphalt cements are heated before use in construction
-Must understand what the max temp the material can be heated to safely
-Flash point = temp at which an instantaneous flash occurs
Thin-film oven test - Answer✔-Used to simulate the aging that takes place during the production
of hot mix and during 1st year of pavement's life
Ductility test - Answer✔Workability
Solubility - Answer✔-Determines the purity of the asphalt cement
-The Asphalt cement will soluble in a particular solvent
1|Page
, ©BRIGHSTARS 2024/2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
RAP - Answer✔Recycled Asphalt Pavement
-Milling (grinding) removal of old asphalt pavements and reused in new hot mic asphalt
pavements
Asphalt can be modified into liquid form known as ___ or ____ - Answer✔Cutback Asphalt or
an Emulsion
Saybolt Furol Viscosity Test - Answer✔Measures anionic and cationic emulsions
Distillation test - Answer✔Used to determine the relative proportions of asphalt cement and
water in the asphalt emulsion
Settlement test - Answer✔Detects the tendency of asphalt globules to "settle out" during storage
of emulsified asphalt
Sieve test - Answer✔Determine quantitatively the percentage of asphalt cement present in the
form of pieces, strings, or relatively large globules
Cationic - Answer✔Positively charged Emulsion
Anionic - Answer✔Negatively charged Emulsion
Basic requirements for an asphalt pavement - Answer✔1. Have sufficient total thickness and
internal strength to carry expected traffic loads
2. Prevent penetration or internal accumulation of moisture.
3. Have top surface that's smooth and resistant to wear, distortion, skidding, and deterioration by
weather and de-icing chemicals
Courses of Asphalt Pavement (Top to Bottom) - Answer✔1. Surface Course
2. Binder Course
3. Base Course
4. Sub-base course
5. Subgrade
Factors that determine asphalt pavement thickness - Answer✔1. Traffic
2. Subgrade strength
3. Strength and other influencing characteristics of the material available or chose for the layers
or courses in the total asphalt pavement structure
2|Page
