Mastering bitumen for better roads and innovative applications (Coursera)

Mastering bitumen for better roads and innovative applications (Coursera)

During the four coming weeks, best experts in bitumen will bring you their knowledge and experience to build a strong understanding of today’s realities and new perspectives on the future of bitumen. Total is the European leader on bitumen markets. Innovation has always been the key to sustainability and durability in the products they develop. Their main objective here is to share technical knowledge and experience to insure bitumen are being used in the most effective and efficient ways for their different applications in road works.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Ecole des Ponts, France oldest engineering school, remains very much in the present, as it has always been, in training engineers in order to meet the needs of our society and citizens in key areas such as transport housing and urban services, but also in fields like energy, environment, climate sciences, land-use planning and sustainable development.
Nineteen world recognized experts on bitumen are contributing to this MOOC.
The idea is to provide the broadest prism on this topic area with speakers coming from research, industry and end users.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Bitumen market, generalities, the manufacture of bitumen, transport, uses of bitumen, main developments and alternatives
Origins, history, definition, terminology | market per geographical areas, figures of consumption, main producers, capacities of production, ranking, main flows between areas | global development of motorised transport - cars, airplane - was one of the single most development of 20-21st centuries | global development of buidings, roofing and other applications of bitumen | difference between bitumen, cement and tar coal. Advantages and drawback of each | different ways of transport of bitumen and present the supply chain diagram and restrictions. ADR Regulation | sampling, handling and safety principles. Hazard from handling hot bitumen is thermal burns.

WEEK 2
Constitution, structure and characterization of bitumen - specifications-rheology
Schematic constitution and structure of bitumen, relationship between structure and rheology | Performance tests | Bitumen 3 states | Penetration test EN 1426 & Softening Point EN 142 | viscosity measurement EN 12596, EN 12595, Explanation of breaking point Fraass measurement EN 12593 | testing Binder after RTFOT, after RTFOT and PAV | Euopean specifications and process of revision | Viscosity based standards (ASTM D3381 | Deformation and flow. Elasticity, plasticity, visoc-elasticity. Newtonian, Non-Newtonian behaviour. Stress-strain response, shear modulus and phase angle. | Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR) and Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) | Superpave specifications.

WEEK 3
Modifications of bitumen and applications (roads, roofing,…)
Modifications using polymers. Performance of PmB. Elastic recovery test. | of types of modifications of bitumen: CRMB, warm mix asphalt, temperature reduction | Bitumen emulsions, their components, manufacture, storage, handling, properties, classification, uses | surface treatments | design of pavements and types of aggregates | fundamental tests, the simulative tests (fatigue test, rutting test, giratory compactor,…) | interest of full scale testing of asphalt mix: example of IFSTTAR carousel | Hot mix plants, transport, laying and compaction of asphalt mix | physical characteristics and industrial applications for sealing.

WEEK 4
Health, Safety, Environment & Quality concerns regarding bitumen, and examples of research & innovation actions
Dangers and risks involved with road-building bitumens | Dangers and risks involved with industrial bitumens. | Innovation in the frame of safety with bitumen | Research and Innovation applied for recycling of asphalt pavement, of the use of waste asphalt pavement containing bitumen and not tar, for manufacturing new product.| Research and Innovation applied for bio bitumen Algoroute program and other origins of bitumen | Research and Innovation applied for environmental issues and life cycle inventory (LCI | Key areas for the Research and Innovation applied for bitumen new tests methods | Road of the future:: 5th generation road.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Introduction to Physical Chemistry (Coursera) Coursera
University of Manchester

Introduction to Physical Chemistry (Coursera)

Chemical reactions underpin the production of pretty much everything in our modern world. But, what is the driving force behind reactions? Why do some reactions occur over geological time scales whilst others are so fast that we need femtosecond-pulsed lasers to study them? Ultimately, what is going on at the atomic level? Discover the answers to such fundamental questions and more on this course in introductory physical chemistry.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Design Thinking for the Greater Good: Innovation in the Social Sector (Coursera) Coursera
University of Virginia

Design Thinking for the Greater Good: Innovation in the Social Sector (Coursera)

Do you work for a nonprofit or in the social sector? Are you struggling to solve the problems and meet the needs of the people you serve? Come learn more about how design thinking, a human-centered approach to problem solving, can help you truly understand an issue, generate ideas worth testing and iterate to find solutions that make a real difference. Through global stories from areas as diverse as government, health care, and education, we’ll show you the tools, techniques and mindset needed to use design thinking to uncover new and creative solutions in the social sector.

Nov 23rd 2026
4 Weeks
Introduction to Thermodynamics: Transferring Energy from Here to There (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Introduction to Thermodynamics: Transferring Energy from Here to There (Coursera)

This course provides an introduction to the most powerful engineering principles you will ever learn - Thermodynamics: the science of transferring energy from one place or form to another place or form. We will introduce the tools you need to analyze energy systems from solar panels, to engines, to insulated coffee mugs. More specifically, we will cover the topics of mass and energy conservation principles; first law analysis of control mass and control volume systems; properties and behavior of pure substances; and applications to thermodynamic systems operating at steady state conditions.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Photovoltaic solar energy (Coursera) Coursera
École Polytechnique

Photovoltaic solar energy (Coursera)

The course is an introduction to the photovoltaic (PV) applications in the general mix energetic context dominated by climate warming mitigation. The various uses of solar energy are firstly presented before a short description of the principle of the direct solar photon conversion into electricity (PV). The various PV technologies are reviewed in the current context dominated by crystalline silicon cells. The perspectives of the various technologies are then analysed in terms of R&D investments.

Nov 23rd 2026
3 Weeks
Innovation Management: Winning in the Age of Disruption (Coursera) Coursera
University of Leeds

Innovation Management: Winning in the Age of Disruption (Coursera)

Not all organisations innovate, and those that do often find it difficult to initiate, develop, and deliver innovation consistently. Innovation management is crucial in leading valuable change and profits for companies of all sizes. This course will give you the skills for successful strategic innovation by exploring how the world’s most successful businesses use systematic processes to harness its power. You will learn about disruptive innovation and how businesses need to have an innovation strategy in place to stay ahead of the competition.

Nov 23rd 2026
2 Weeks
Planet Earth ... and You! (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Planet Earth ... and You! (Coursera)

Earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain building, ice ages, landslides, floods, life evolution, plate motions—all of these phenomena have interacted over the vast expanses of deep time to sculpt the dynamic planet that we live on today. Planet Earth presents an overview of several aspects of our home, from a geological perspective. We begin with earthquakes—what they are, what causes them, what effects they have, and what we can do about them. We will emphasize that plate tectonics—the grand unifying theory of geology—explains how the map of our planet's surface has changed radically over geologic time, and why present-day geologic activity—including a variety of devastating natural disasters such as earthquakes—occur where they do. We consider volcanoes, types of eruptions, and typical rocks found there.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
El desafío de Innovar en la Educación Superior (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad de Chile

El desafío de Innovar en la Educación Superior (Coursera)

El propósito del curso es incentivarte a que en tu labor docente replantees tu práctica, desde perspectivas innovadoras con miras a mejorar la calidad de los aprendizajes con todos tus estudiantes. Además, este curso promueve que vincules la formación de tus estudiantes con desafíos sociales, profesionales y laborales, propiciando la excelencia en el aula y la inclusión de la diversidad, proponiendo enfoques de enseñanza participativos centrados en el esfuerzo cognitivo de tus aprendices.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Global Warming I: The Science and Modeling of Climate Change (Coursera) Coursera
University of Chicago

Global Warming I: The Science and Modeling of Climate Change (Coursera)

This class describes the science of global warming and the forecast for humans’ impact on Earth’s climate. Intended for an audience without much scientific background but a healthy sense of curiosity, the class brings together insights and perspectives from physics, chemistry, biology, earth and atmospheric sciences, and even some economics—all based on a foundation of simple mathematics (algebra).

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Greening the Economy: Sustainable Cities (Coursera) Coursera
Lund University

Greening the Economy: Sustainable Cities (Coursera)

How can we shape urban development towards sustainable and prosperous futures? This course will explore sustainable cities as engines for greening the economy. We place cities in the context of sustainable urban transformation and climate change. Sustainable urban transformation refers to structural transformation processes – multi-dimensional and radical change – that can effectively direct urban development towards ambitious sustainability and climate goals. We will connect the key trends of urbanization, decarbonisation and sustainability.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Curanderismo: Traditional Healing of the Mind, Energy & Spirit (Coursera) Coursera
University of New Mexico

Curanderismo: Traditional Healing of the Mind, Energy & Spirit (Coursera)

As the third of four courses on Curanderismo, the art of Hispanic/Latino traditional medicine, this course focuses specifically on traditional healing of mind, energy and spirit. As an educational and cultural platform, this course will share a number of traditional body therapies. Trained traditional healers will share their knowledge of cleansings from different cultures such as spiritual, energetic and Tonalli Cleansing.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Introduction to Sustainability (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Introduction to Sustainability (Coursera)

This course introduces the academic approach of Sustainability and explores how today’s human societies can endure in the face of global change, ecosystem degradation and resource limitations. The course focuses on key knowledge areas of sustainability theory and practice, including population, ecosystems, global change, energy, agriculture, water, environmental economics and policy, ethics, and cultural history.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Comprendre l'écologie, pour une économie innovante (Coursera) Coursera
ESCP Europe

Comprendre l'écologie, pour une économie innovante (Coursera)

Conçu conjointement par le think-tank Ecolo-Ethik et ESCP Europe, ce MOOC se propose de vous aider à dépasser les idées reçues sur l’écologie, dans le souci d’une démarche ouverte et multiple. A ce titre, de grands experts reconnus interviendront pour illustrer, approfondir et enrichir les différentes thématiques.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks