Processing The Indirect Tensile Strength Test of Qayyarah Bitumen

Bitumen plays a significant role in our daily lives, primarily used in road construction. The main source of bitumen is oil refineries, and bitumen from Qayyarah is considered an important resource in Mosul. The oil from Qayyarah is a heavy crude with an aromatic origin, and the high-productivity bitumen can be extracted from it, reaching up to 48% and more than a thousand tons daily. However, it fails the indirect tensile strength tests of the asphalt mixtures used in road paving. We attempted to improve its engineering properties, particularly by increasing the indirect tensile strength, using three treatment methods for Qayyarah bitumen, so it remains competitive in the Iraqi market by utilizing cheap and readily available materials like elemental sulfur, low-density polyethylene waste, and C9 petroleum resin, each mixed in two different ratios for processing to reduce industrial operation costs. Our goal was to help Qayyarah bitumen succeed in the engineering mixtures, with the added ratios being 1% and 2% for elemental sulfur, low-density polyethylene, and petroleum resin C9. The results were excellent, showing a clear improvement in the indirect tensile strength test of the asphalt mixtures, an increase in their load-bearing capacity (Marshall test), and homogeneity in Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images. The prepared samples did not suffer from phase separation and were within the allowable range.