Asphalt vs Bitumen

The terms asphalt and bitumen are often mistakenly used to define the same thing. Asphalt is a mixture of aggregates, sand and bitumen,while bitumen acts as a liquid binding material that holds the asphalt together. To simplify things, we can relatively say that asphalt is concrete (mix), whereas bitumen is cement (binder) for pavements. The surface of the pavement sealed only with bitumen is also common, by the installation of a layer of bitumen and topping with aggregates. This process is then repeated to form two coated seals.

The differences between an asphalt and bitumen are given as:

Asphalt	Bitumen
Asphalt pavements are durable; with a layer depth of 25-40 mm and life span of 20 years or more.	Bitumen pavements are less durable; with a layer depth of 10-20 mm and lifespan of about 5-10 years.
Surface made of asphalt is smoother and more skid-resistant, ensuring the driver’s safety and minimal noise problems.	The loose fragments on bitumen pavements make the driving experience noisier and can wear down tires, consequently causes safety issues.
Reduced friction between tire and car; meaning better fuel economy and minimization of carbon dioxide emission gases.	Higher frictional resistance of a bitumen pavement means less efficiency in energy utilization process.
Asphalt is an impermeable material, thus the pavements do not leach. Thus, they have a lesser chance of infiltrating and polluting the groundwater.	Exposure to bitumen leaching can cause deterioration of soil and groundwater quality.
Less sensitive to temperature compared to bitumen pavements. Negative impacts are seen only in extremely higher or low temperature.	Pavements are susceptible to higher temperature, which can make it slick and soft.
Installations are comparatively costlier.	Cheap in installing compared to asphalt.
Cost effective. An asphalt surface does not  require regular maintenance like bitumen surface, rather a routine check periodically is enough.	They require regular maintenance, especially when resurfacing a pavement with greater traffic volumes. So they are not cost effective in the long run.

For Testing:

Slump cone test, Silt content, Water absorption, Bulking of sand
Compaction factor test of concrete
Los Angeles Abrasion test on Aggregates
Determination of maximum dry density and optimum moisture content of soil