Item 1: New Asphalt Content Furnace 1. Asphalt Content Furnace shall comply with section 5 of AASTHO T 380. a. Oven shall heat the specimens by either the convection or direct IR irradiation method. b. The convection-type furnace must be capable of maintaining a temperature of 538 ± 5°C (1000 ± 9°F). c. The furnace chamber dimensions shall be adequate to accommodate a specimen size of 3500 g. d. The furnace door shall be equipped so that the door cannot be opened during the ignition test. e. A method for reducing furnace emissions shall be provided. f. The furnace shall be vented into a hood or to the outside and, when set up properly, shall have no noticeable odors escaping into the laboratory. The furnace shall have a fan capable of pulling air through the furnace to expedite the test and reduce the escape of smoke into the laboratory. g. The furnace fan shall be able to operate at the normal operating temperatures of the furnace as indicated above. h. The ignition furnace shall be capable of operation at the temperatures required, between at least 530 and 545°C (986 and 1013°F) and have a temperature control accurate within +/-5°C (+/-9°F) as corrected, if necessary, by standardization. i. The furnace shall also have an internal balance thermally isolated from the furnace chamber and accurate to 0.1 g. j. The balance shall be capable of weighing a 3500-g specimen in addition to the specimen baskets. A data collection system will be included so that the mass can be automatically determined and displayed during the test. k. The furnace shall have a built-in computer program to calculate the change in mass of the specimen baskets and provide for the input of a correction factor for aggregate loss. l. The furnace shall provide a printed ticket with the initial specimen mass, specimen mass loss, temperature compensation, correction factor, corrected asphalt binder content (percent), test time, and test temperature. m. The furnace shall provide an audible alarm and indicator light when the specimen mass loss does not exceed 0.01 percent of the total specimen mass for three consecutive minutes. n. The furnace shall also allow the operator to change the ending mass loss percentage to 0.02 percent. o. An operator’s manual shall be provided. p. A full parts list shall be provided. q. A manufacturer’s warranty of not less than 2 years shall be provided.
