Bulk Specific Gravity

Overview
The bulk specific gravity test is used to determine the specific gravity of a compacted HMA sample
by determining the ratio of its weight to the weight of an equal volume of water.

The bulk specific gravity test measures a HMA samples weight under three different conditions
(Figure 1):

Dry (no water in sample).

Saturated surface dry (SSD, water fills the HMA air voids).

Submerged in water (underwater).

Using these three weights and their relationships, a samples apparent specific gravity, bulk specific
gravity and bulk SSD specific gravity as well as absorption can be calculated.

HMA bulk specific gravity is needed to determine weight-volume relationships and to calculate
various volume-related quantities such as air voids and voids in mineral aggregate (VMA).

The standard bulk specific gravity test is:

AASHTO T 166: Bulk Specific Gravity of Compacted Bituminous Mixtures Using Saturated Surface-
Dry Specimens

ASTM D 2726: Bulk Specific Gravity and Density of Non-Absorptive Compacted Bituminous Mixtures

Figure 1. HMA samples in three conditions.

Background
Specific gravity is a measure of a materials density (mass per unit volume) as compared to the
density of water at 73.4F (23C). Therefore, by definition, water at 73.4F (23C) has a specific
gravity of 1.

Bulk Specific Gravity Use

Superpave mix design is a volumetric process; key properties are expressed in terms of volume.
However, direct volume measurements are difficult, therefore weight measurements are usually
made and then converted to a volume based on material specific gravities. Bulk specific gravity is
involved in most key mix design calculations including air voids, VMA and, indirectly, VFA. Correct
and accurate bulk specific gravity determinations are vital to proper mix design. An incorrect bulk
specific gravity value will result in incorrectly calculated air voids, VMA, VFA and ultimately result in
an incorrect mix design.

Methods of Determining Bulk Specific Gravity

Although the Test Description section describes the standard AASHTO T 166 saturated surface dry
(SSD) water displacement method, there are a number of other methods available. Each one uses a
slightly different way to determine specimen volume and may result in different bulk specific gravity
values.

Water Displacement Methods

These methods, based on Archimedes Principle, calculate specimen volume by weighing the
specimen (1) in a water bath and (2) out of the water bath. The difference in weights can then be
used to calculate the weight of water displaced, which can be converted to a volume using the
specific gravity of water.

Saturated Surface Dry (SSD)

The most common method (and the one described in the Test Description section), calculates the
specimen volume by subtracting the mass of the specimen in water (Figure 2) from the mass of a
SSD specimen. SSD is defined as the specimen condition when the internal air voids are filled with
water and the surface (including air voids connected to the surface) is dry. This SSD condition allows
for internal air voids to be counted as part of the specimen volume and is achieved by soaking the
specimen in a water bath for 4 minutes then removing it and quickly blotting it dry with a damp towel.
 Figure 2. SSD Method.
WARNING
One critical problem with this method is that if a specimens air voids are high, and thus potentially
interconnected (for dense-graded HMA this occurs at about 8 to 10 percent air voids), water quickly
drains out of them as the specimen is removed from its water bath, which results in an erroneously
low HMA sample volume measurement and thus an erroneously high bulk specific gravity.
Paraffin

This method determines volume similarly to the water displacement method but uses a melted
paraffin wax instead of water to fill a specimens internal air voids (Figure 3). Therefore, after the wax
sets there is no possibility of it draining out and, theoretically, a more accurate volume can be
calculated. In practice, the paraffin is difficult to correctly apply and test results are somewhat
inconsistent.
 Figure 3. Parafin-covered HMA sample.
Parafilm

In this method the specimen is wrapped in a thin paraffin film (Figure 4) and then weighed in and out
of water. Since the specimen is completely wrapped when it is submerged, no water can get into it
and a more accurate volume measurement is theoretically possible. However, in practice the paraffin
film application is quite difficult and test results are inconsistent.

Figure 4: Covering a HMA sample with Parafilm.

CoreLok

This method calculates specimen volume like the parafilm method but uses a vacuum chamber
(Figure 5) to shrink-wrap the specimen in a high-quality plastic bag (Figure 6) rather than cover it in
a paraffin film (Video 1). This method has shown promise in both accuracy and precision.
 Figure 5: CoreLok vacuum chamber with sample inside. Figure 6: CoreLok sample vacuum sealed in a plastic bag.
Video 1: CoreLok device.
Dimensional
This method, the simplest, calculates the volume based on height and diameter/width
measurements. Although it avoids problems associated with the SSD condition, it is often inaccurate
because it assumes a perfectly smooth surface, thereby ignoring surface irregularities (i.e., the
rough surface texture of a typical specimen).

Gamma Ray
The gamma ray method is based on the scattering and absorption properties of gamma rays with
matter. When a gamma ray source of primary energy in the Compton range is placed near a
material, and an energy selective gamma ray detector is used for gamma ray counting, the scattered
and unscattered gamma rays with energies in the Compton range can be counted exclusively. With
proper calibration, the gamma ray count is directly converted to the density or bulk specific gravity of
the material (Troxler, 2001[1]). Figure 7 shows the Troxler device.
 Figure 7: Troxler Model 3660 CoreReader.

Test Description
The following description is a brief summary of the test. It is not a complete procedure and should
not be used to perform the test. The complete procedure can be found in:

AASHTO T 166: Bulk Specific Gravity of Compacted Asphalt Mixtures Using Saturated Surface-Dry
Specimens

ASTM D 2726: Bulk Specific Gravity and Density of Non-Absorptive Compacted Bituminous Mixtures

Other standard tests available to determine bulk specific gravity that are not described in this section
are:

AASHTO T 275: Bulk Specific Gravity of Compacted Bituminous Mixtures Using Paraffin-Coated
Specimens

AASHTO TP 69: Bulk Specific Gravity and Density of Compacted Asphalt Mixtures Using Automatic
Vacuum Sealing Method

Summary
A compacted HMA sample (usually a SGC compacted laboratory sample or a field-obtained HMA
core) is weighed dry, saturated surface dry (SSD) and submerged (Figure 1). These weights are
used to calculate specific gravity and the percentage of water absorbed by the sample.

Approximate Test Time

Each test takes approximately 7 minutes to conduct excluding preparation time. When several
samples are tested the test time per sample can be reduced. Considerable preparation time may be
necessary if contamination must be removed from the bottom of the sample.

Basic Procedure
1. Dry specimen to a constant mass and cool to room temperature.

NOTE
Laboratory samples are typically dry at the beginning of the test; however, field samples will typically
be damp.

2. Record the dry mass (Figure 8).

Figure 8: Sample weighing.

3. Submerge sample in 77F (25C) water for 4 minutes and record the submerged mass . This can
be done with a water-filled container on top of a scale or with a basket suspended in water under
a scale (Figure 2).

4. Quickly blot the sample with a damp towel and record the surface dry mass.

WARNING
Any water that escapes from the sample during weighing is considered part of the saturated
specimen. If this water is not weighed, significant error can result.

Results
Parameters Measured
Bulk specific gravity (Gmb) and the percentage of water absorbed by volume.

Specifications
There is no specification for bulk specific gravity, but it is used to calculate other specified
parameters such as air voids, VMA and VFA.

Typical Values
Typical values for bulk specific gravity range from 2.200 to 2.500 depending upon the bulk specific
gravity of the aggregate, the asphalt binder content, and the amount of compaction.

Absorption should typically be below 2 percent. If more than 2 percent water by volume is absorbed
by the sample then this method is not appropriate. In this case, use AASHTO T 275, Bulk Specific
Gravity of Compacted Bituminous Mixtures Using Paraffin-Coated Specimens or AASHTO TP 69,
Bulk Specific Gravity and Density of Compacted Asphalt Mixtures Using Automatic Vacuum Sealing
Method.

Calculations (Interactive Equation)

Three different masses are recorded during the test. Their common symbols are:

A = mass of sample in air (g)

B = mass of SSD sample in air (g)
C = mass of sample in water (g)

These masses are used to calculate bulk specific gravity and water absorption using the following
equations:
 WARNING
Certainly, the accuracy of all measurements is important. However, of specific concern is the mass
of the SSD sample. As mentioned in the background section, if a specimens air voids are high, and
thus potentially interconnected (for dense-graded HMA this occurs at about 8 to 10 percent air
voids), water quickly drains out of them as the specimen is removed from its water bath, which
results in an erroneously low SSD weight, which leads to an erroneously low HMA sample volume
measurement and thus an erroneously high bulk specific gravity.

Footnotes ( returns to text)

1. Troxler Electronic Laboratories, Inc. (Troxler). (March 2001). Measuring Bulk Specific Gravity of Compacted Specimens
Using The Troxler Model 3660 CoreReader. Web page on the Troxler web site. Troxler Electronic Laboratories,
Inc. Research Triangle Park, NC. http://www.troxlerlabs.com/3660app.html. Accessed 1 July 2002.