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CPEE Support of Standards Australia is Helping Sustain the Pavement Industry
One of the ways that CPEE helps sustain the pavements industry is through in-kind support of Standards Australia, the leading independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit standards organisation in Australia.
CPEE Executive Manager Professional Development, Dr Kym Neaylon holds the volunteer role of Independent Chair for the Standards Australia Committee CH-025 ‘Bitumen and Related Products (for Roadmaking)’, a position he held long before joining CPEE. The role of Independent Chair requires maintaining the respect of the bitumen producers, manufacturers, contactors, and state government users, who, at times, have competing agendas.
The committee consists of recognised experts within the bituminous pavements field in Australia and New Zealand. They currently have two projects in operation and recently met in Melbourne to progress work.
- Update of aged bitumen test methods using an adoption by reference approach. This involves three standards: Determination of kinematic viscosity by flow through a capillary tube; Determination of penetration; and Determination of softening point (ring and ball method). These three standards are 15 years old. They need to be to be updated in accordance with the laboratory equipment and materials now available and known available improvements in procedure. All have been checked against equivalent ASTMs where significant similarities were found, and adoption by reference of equivalent ASTM is legally required.
- Revision of aged bitumen standards. This involves five standards, some of which are 16 and 26 years old. For one, the standard reference stone used to calibrate the results is no longer available, for another, Austroads has recently completed some research which now needs to be fed into the Australian Standard, and for the remainder updates are needed in accordance with the laboratory equipment and materials now available and known available improvements in procedure, including: allowing electronic thermometers in addition to glass in mercury; electronic timekeeping in addition to stopwatches; allowing automated equipment; updating for current laboratory practices, and inclusion of outcomes from recent research.
- Update of aged bitumen test methods using an adoption by reference approach. This involves three standards: Determination of kinematic viscosity by flow through a capillary tube; Determination of penetration; and Determination of softening point (ring and ball method). These three standards are 15 years old. They need to be to be updated in accordance with the laboratory equipment and materials now available and known available improvements in procedure. All have been checked against equivalent ASTMs where significant similarities were found, and adoption by reference of equivalent ASTM is legally required.
CPEE is pleased to be able to continue to support Kym’s time involvement in this important national position.
Pic: CPEE Executive Manager Professional Development, Dr Kym Neaylon holds the volunteer role of Independent Chair for the Standards Australia Committee CH-025 ‘Bitumen and Related Products (for Roadmaking)’