Characterizing Stability of Asphalt Emulsions Using Electrokinetic Techniques

Abstract

This paper presents the findings from a study conducted to develop a simple quantitative test method to characterize the stability of asphalt emulsions. The proposed method uses electrokinetic techniques to determine the rate at which an asphalt emulsion breaks when subjected to an electric field. The test method was used with different types of emulsion as well as emulsions that were modified by further dilution or mechanical agitation. Results demonstrate that the parameters obtained from these tests were repeatable and different for different types of asphalt emulsions. Results also demonstrate that for a given type of emulsion the test method is sensitive to factors such as water content and partial breaking due to mechanical agitation. The proposed electrokinetics-based method and concomitant parameters provide a repeatable, rapid, and quantitative method by which to characterize asphalt emulsions.