Development of a rapid test method for asphalt concrete content determination in hot-mix paving mixtures

A rapid test method was developed for the determination of asphalt cement content in hot-mix bituminous paving mixtures. It is based on the extraction of asphalt cement from mixtures with trichloroethylene and subsequent measurement of the transmittance of light through the extracted solution. A good correlation was found between the results obtained using the rapid test and those obtained using the standard test (ASTM D-2172, Method E1) for samples tested in the field at asphalt mix plants. The test uses a portable spectrophotometer and a metal can for extraction. The asphalt content can be determined in less than ten minutes. The possibility of using the rapid test on materials containing emulsified asphalt, slag aggregate, unusually high amounts of fine material and recycled material was also studied.