Determination of Climate Zones for Bitumen Performance Grading Distribution Map in Laos

Classification of bitumen according to the performance grade (PG) presents many advantages and is widely applied in the United States, Canada, Korea… The principle of selecting bitumen according to performance grade is to match the asphalt characteristics with the geographical and climate conditions, traffic level and traffic speed of each project. Therefore, the selection of bitumen grade will promote the performance of the asphalt binder in the mixture and increase the service life of the asphalt pavement. The PG asphalt classification has been studied for a long time for North America (United States and Canada). Laos has differences in natural conditions, climate, temperature, driving conditions and economic conditions compared to the US. In this paper, research is carried out to gradually apply PG asphalt classification in Laos. The data of 41 MERRA2 stations were collected and analyzed. Based on the analysis of obtained results, bitumen performance grading distribution map in Laos according to climate zones is established.