EN 12593:2015

Bitumen and bituminous binders - Determination of the Fraass breaking point

This European Standard specifies a method for determining the Fraass breaking point which measures the brittleness of bitumen and bituminous binders at low temperatures.
WARNING — Use of this European Standard can involve hazardous materials, operations and equipment. This European Standard does not purport to address all of the safety problems associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this European Standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

Bitumen und bitumenhaltige Bindemittel - Bestimmung des Brechpunktes nach Fraaß

Diese Europäische Norm legt ein Verfahren zur Bestimmung des Brechpunktes nach Fraaß fest, der ein Maß für die Sprödigkeit von Bitumen und bitumenhaltigen Bindemitteln bei niedrigen Temperaturen darstellt.
WARNUNG — Die Anwendung dieser Europäischen Norm kann den Umgang mit gefährlichen Substanzen und Ausrüstungsteilen und die Ausführung gefährlicher Arbeitsgänge einschließen. Diese Europäische Norm erhebt nicht den Anspruch, alle mit ihrer Anwendung verbundenen Sicherheitsprobleme anzusprechen. Es liegt in der Verantwortung des Anwenders dieser Europäischen Norm, geeignete Verhaltensregeln für den Arbeits- und Gesundheitsschutz festzulegen und vor der Anwendung zu klären, ob einschränkende Vorschriften zu berücksichtigen sind.

Bitumes et liants bitumineux - Détermination du point de fragilité Fraass

La présente Norme européenne spécifie une méthode de détermination du point de fragilité Fraass qui fournit une mesure de la fragilité des bitumes et des liants bitumineux à basse température.
AVERTISSEMENT — L’utilisation de la présente Norme européenne peut impliquer le recours à des produits, des opérations et des équipements à caractères dangereux. La présente Norme européenne n’est pas censée aborder tous les problèmes de sécurité concernés par son usage. Il est de la responsabilité de l’utilisateur de la présente Norme européenne d’établir des règles de sécurité et d’hygiène appropriées et de déterminer l’applicabilité des restrictions réglementaires avant utilisation.

Bitumen in bitumenska veziva - Določanje pretrgališča po Fraassu

Ta evropski standard določa metodo za določanje pretrgališča po Fraassu, ki meri krhkost bitumna in bitumenskih veziv pri nizkih temperaturah.
OPOZORILO: Pri uporabi tega evropskega standarda so lahko prisotni nevarni materiali, postopki in oprema. Ta evropski standard ne obravnava vseh varnostnih težav, ki se nanašajo na njegovo uporabo. Za vzpostavitev ustreznih varnostnih in zdravstvenih praks ter za določitev uporabnosti regulativnih omejitev pred uporabo je odgovoren uporabnik tega evropskega standarda.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 30-Jun-2015
• ICS: 75.140 - Waxes, bituminous materials and other petroleum products
• ICS: 91.100.50 - Binders. Sealing materials
• Technical Committee: CEN/TC 336 - Bituminous binders
• Drafting Committee: CEN/TC 336/WG 1 - Bituminous binders for paving
• Current Stage: 9093 - Decision to confirm - Review Enquiry
• Start Date: 18-Nov-2020
• Completion Date: 23-Sep-2025
• Ref Project: SIST EN 12593:2015 - Bitumen and bituminous binders - Determination of the Fraass breaking point

Relations

• Replaces: EN 12593:2007 - Bitumen and bituminous binders - Determination of the Fraass breaking point
• Effective Date: 08-Jul-2015

Overview

EN 12593:2015 - published by CEN - specifies a laboratory method to determine the Fraass breaking point of bitumen and bituminous binders. The Fraass breaking point is the temperature at which a uniform thin film of binder becomes brittle and first cracks under defined flexing conditions, providing a measure of low‑temperature brittleness and cold performance of binders used in paving and waterproofing.

WARNING: Use of this standard can involve hazardous materials and operations. Users must adopt appropriate safety and health practices and comply with regulatory limits.

Key Topics

• Scope and purpose: Method for measuring brittleness of bitumen/bituminous binders at low temperatures.
• Principle: A controlled‑thickness binder film on a steel plate is cooled at a fixed rate and flexed repeatedly until the first crack appears; that temperature is recorded as the Fraass breaking point.
• Apparatus requirements:
  • Tempered spring steel plates: 41.00 ± 0.05 mm × 20.0 ± 0.2 mm × 0.15 ± 0.02 mm.
  • Magnet block and heated metal support for plate coating.
  • Bending mechanism (manual, semi‑automatic or automatic) with defined stroke: 11 crank rotations reduce clip distance by 3.5 ± 0.1 mm.
  • Cooling assembly (Dewar or tube system) and a drying agent in the cylinder.
  • Temperature measuring device: range at least −40 °C to 40 °C, readable to 0.5 °C, accuracy ±0.5 °C; sensors (e.g., platinum resistance) are acceptable.
• Sample preparation: Follow EN 58 (sampling) and EN 12594 (sample preparation); coat plates with 410 ± 10 mg of binder, prepare at least three plates, and ensure uniform film thickness. Maximum plate preparation time: 10 minutes.
• Test procedure and conditions: Test 30–240 minutes after coating; cool at 1 °C/min; bend the plate once per °C starting 8–12 °C above anticipated breaking point. Measurement can be manual, semi‑automatic, or fully automatic provided test conditions are met.
• Results and quality control: The standard provides expression of results and precision information (repeatability and reproducibility); calibration and periodic verification of equipment are required.

Applications

EN 12593:2015 is used by:

• Bitumen manufacturers for product characterization and quality control.
• Construction materials laboratories and independent testing labs for specification testing.
• Pavement engineers and specifiers to assess low‑temperature performance and select binders for cold climates.
• Standards bodies and procurement teams when defining acceptance criteria in contracts.

This test is essential where low‑temperature brittleness, cold cracking risk, or suitability of polymer‑modified binders must be assessed.

Related Standards

• EN 58 - Sampling bituminous binders
• EN 12594 - Preparation of test samples
• EN 1425 - Characterization of perceptible properties
• EN 1427 - Ring and Ball softening point method
• EN 14023 - Polymer modified bitumen guidance

Keywords: EN 12593:2015, Fraass breaking point, bitumen, bituminous binders, low‑temperature brittleness, CEN test method, laboratory test, pavement materials.

Standards Content (Sample)

2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.Bitumen und bitumenhaltige Bindemittel - Bestimmung des Brechpunktes nach FraaßBitumes et liants bitumineux - Détermination du point de fragilité FraassBitumen and bituminous binders - Determination of the Fraass breaking point91.100.50Veziva. Tesnilni materialiBinders. Sealing materials75.140Voski, bitumni in drugi naftni proizvodiWaxes, bituminous materials and other petroleum productsICS:Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z:EN 12593:2015SIST EN 12593:2015en,fr,de01-september-2015SIST EN 12593:2015SLOVENSKI
STANDARDSIST EN 12593:20071DGRPHãþD

EUROPEAN STANDARD NORME EUROPÉENNE EUROPÄISCHE NORM
EN 12593
July 2015 ICS 75.140; 91.100.50 Supersedes EN 12593:2007English Version
Bitumen and bituminous binders - Determination of the Fraass breaking point
Bitumes et liants bitumineux - Détermination du point de fragilité Fraass
Bitumen und bitumenhaltige Bindemittel - Bestimmung des Brechpunktes nach Fraaß This European Standard was approved by CEN on 27 May 2015.
CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre:
Avenue Marnix 17,
B-1000 Brussels © 2015 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CEN national Members. Ref. No. EN 12593:2015 ESIST EN 12593:2015

Characteristics of the thermometer . 15 Annex B (informative)
Examples . 16
— the standard has been revised due to a normative reference to mercury thermometers. The changes involve mainly the text in 5.3.3 and the present Annex A is now informative; — regarding sample preparation the procedure for press-application of sample has been deleted, and the maximum sample preparation time of 10 min has been moved from an informative note to the normative text; — the explanation for determination of Fraass breaking point in the former 7.3 and 7.4 have been editorial changed into the present 7.3 and a flow diagram in a new Figure 7. According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom. SIST EN 12593:2015

(20,0 ± 0,2) mm wide and (0,15 ± 0,02) mm thick. The plates shall be kept flat and protected from corrosion when not in use. Any plate that becomes visibly curved or corroded shall be discarded. 5.2
Plate preparation equipment, used for application of the melted sample, and including: 5.2.1
Magnet block with a flat and smooth surface (Figure 1) holding one to three plates with a suitable cover (Figure 2). SIST EN 12593:2015

Metal support with two distinct zones: one temperature regulated and controlled, the other one cooled by water circulation. The support shall be horizontal and include an air bubble level and level adjustment screws. 5.3
Fraass breaking apparatus, as shown in Figure 3, consisting of the parts described in 5.3.1 to 5.3.3. NOTE Manual apparatus can be replaced by semi-automatic or automatic apparatus reproducing the same conditions. 5.3.1
Bending apparatus, as shown in Figure 4. The clearance between the two tubes, when assembled so that one can move longitudinally within the other, shall not exceed 1 mm. The tubes shall be made of a material that is of low thermal expansion (linear expansion coefficient: < 40 × 10-6 1/K ) and a poor conductor of heat (thermal conductivity: < 0,3 W/K · m). The plate shall be held by two steel clips as shown in Figure 5, the upper clip being attached to the bottom end of the outer tube, and the lower clip being attached to the inner tube by means of a metal connecting piece. The clips shall be coplanar, parallel to the axis of the tube, and secured against twisting. The thermometer shall be mounted in such a way that the connecting piece does not act as a shield between the thermometer bulb and ambient temperature and that the reservoir of the thermometer is the same distance between the wall of the inner tube and the middle of the pre-bended test plate when at rest. By rotating the crank handle (see Figure 3), which operates a mechanism consisting of a cone of hardened metal, as shown in Figure 6, and a setting screw, the inner tube may be moved up and down relative to the outer tube. Eleven rotations of the handle shall permit the initial distance between the upper and lower clip of (40,0 ± 0,1) mm to be steadily reduced by (3,5 ± 0,1) mm. A steel strut may be used to fix the initial bending of the steel test plate. The height of the strut is such that, when in place, the initial distance between the upper and the lower clips is (40,0 ± 0,1) mm. Use of a semi automatic bending apparatus, from which the raising and lowering of the inner tube is controlled, for example, by a motor-driven cam disc, or of fully automatic apparatus, in which the reduction in temperature is controlled and the breaking point is automatically indicated, is permitted, provided that the test conditions specified in this standard are complied with. 5.3.2
Cooling apparatus, as shown in Figure 3, and comprising the inner test tube (5), the outer test tube (4) and the glass cylinder (1). The bungs (6), (7) and (8) shall be made of either rubber or cork. The bore (9) in the bung (7) may be used for introducing solid carbon dioxide. The cylinder (1) and the inner test tube (5) shall contain a small amount of drying agent. A transparent Dewar vessel having an inside diameter of (75 ± 5) mm may be substituted for the outer test tube (4) and the cylinder (1). Care is to be taken to ensure that all elements of the apparatus are vertical. NOTE Suitable bath liquids for the Dewar vessel are alcohols like ethanol, 1-propanol or 2-propanol. 5.3.3
Temperature measuring device or thermometer, solid stem, as specified in Annex A. A temperature measuring device (combining sensor and reading unit) shall: • have a range from at least -40 °C to 40 °C • be readable to 0,5 °C or less and • have an accuracy of 0,5 °C or better. Sensors based on platinum resistance thermometers have been found suitable but other principles are also allowed. The thermal response time of the sensor shall be comparable with the former used reference (see Annex A). The temperature measuring device shall be calibrated regularly. SIST EN 12593:2015
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