Kinematic Viscosity
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The kinematic viscosity of a liquid is the absolute (or dynamic) viscosity divided by the density of the liquid at the temperature of measurement. The 135° C (275° F) measurement temperature was chosen to simulate the mixing and laydown temperatures typically encountered in HMA pavement construction.
The basic kinematic viscosity test measures the time it takes for a fixed volume of asphalt binder to flow through a capillary viscometer under closely controlled conditions of head and temperature (ASTM, 2001).
Standard Test Methods
AASHTO T 201 and ASTM D 2170: Kinematic Viscosity of Asphalts (Bitumens)
Teaching this? Figures and worked examples are free to use with credit. Course reading lists
Cite this page
APA
Pavement Interactive. (2026, November 1). Kinematic viscosity. HeadLight. Retrieved [the date you read it], from https://pavementinteractive.org/reference-desk/testing/asphalt-tests/kinematic-viscosity/
ASCE
Pavement Interactive. (2026). “Kinematic Viscosity.” HeadLight, <https://pavementinteractive.org/reference-desk/testing/asphalt-tests/kinematic-viscosity/> ([the date you read it]).
BibTeX
@misc{pavint-kinematic-viscosity,
author = {{Pavement Interactive}},
title = {Kinematic Viscosity},
year = {2026},
publisher = {HeadLight},
howpublished = {\url{https://pavementinteractive.org/reference-desk/testing/asphalt-tests/kinematic-viscosity/}},
note = {Accessed [date]}
}