Analysers improve bitumen testing for Lafarge
Tests to determine the bitumen content of asphalt are being carried out at a rate of over 2,000 a year without the use of solvents at Lafarge Aggregates’ Mountsorrel Quarry in Leicestershire.
The quarry laboratory, which also tests material from two other Lafarge plants, is now performing binder-content analysis in two Carbolite ABA analysers, using the loss-on-ignition method instead of the binder-directly-determined (Aliquot) method previously used.
According to Stephen Mee, laboratory manager, the Carbolite equipment has simplified the test procedure and also greatly reduced the time spent by staff on each test. The Aliquot method involved a number of separate operations and could take up to 2h, with a technician being involved most of the time. For safety, the methylene chloride used also required special equipment and procedures.
Using the ABA analysers, a technician weighs the sample, puts it into the furnace, keys in the weight of the sample and tray, enters a calibration factor for the type of material and then starts the program. The whole process is then automatic, with a display on the furnace showing the progress of the test. At the end of the program a full printout is automatically produced. Total test times range from 25min to 50min depending on the product type.
