Rolling bottle test method

In the rolling bottle test method, the affinity is determined visually by recording the degree of the bitumen coverage of the aggregate particles after hand mixing and rotating the loose bituminous mixture in the presence of water. 

The rolling bottle test is a simple but subjective test, suitable for routine testing. This test is not appropriate for highly abrasive aggregates. 

The loose bituminous mixture is split into three equal parts and placed into specific glass bottles, which are filled to the middle with distilled water. After sealing the bottles with a screw cap, the bottles are placed on a rolling machine for 6 h 15 min. The rotation speed is proportional to the hardness of the bitumen used. The temperature during rolling is the ambient temperature, namely, 15 C to 25 C. 

After rolling is finished, the water is removed and the content is transferred into a bowl or flat surface, where the percentage of bitumen coverage on aggregates is estimated (to the nearest 5%) by one or two skilled operators (in case of two estimations, the average value is recorded). 

The aggregate particles are left for 6 1 h and 24 1 h and returned to the bottles filled with fresh distilled water for further rolling (6 h 15 min rolling time). Optionally, 48 h or even 72 h resting periods may be used. 

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The tests that belong to the first category are (a) the rolling bottle method, (b) the static method and (c) the boiling water stripping method. These tests are described in EN 12697-11 (2012). 

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