SELECTION AND BLENDING OF FEEDS FOR ASPHALT MANUFACTURE

摘要

Methods are provided for predicting the properties of an asphalt fraction that contains two or more asphalt components based on measurements of the viscosity versus temperature profile for the components of the asphalt fraction. The viscosity versus temperature profile for each component can be used to determine characteristic (such as limiting) values for the viscosity and temperature for a components. Examples of characteristic values for an asphalt component are the asymptotic values of viscosity at infinite temperature (&eegr;inf) and the finite temperature at which the viscosity diverges (T0). Once these characteristic values are determined, the characteristic values for each component can be combined in a weighted average to determine &eegr;inf and T0 for the asphalt blend. Based on this ability to determine characteristic values for an asphalt blend based on the properties of individual blend components, appropriate blends of asphalts can be selected in order to arrive at an asphalt blend with desired properties.