Transportation Engineering - II

Taxiway Geometric Design

Dr. Indrajit Ghosh

Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee

Lecture Outline

Taxiway Requirements

Length, Width of Taxiway

Transverse and Longitudinal Grade

Sight Distance

Design of Turning Radius

Separation Distance

Taxiway

Paths on airport surface for taxiing of aircraft

Intended to provide linkage between one part of

airport and another

Aircraft movement on taxiways are essentially

ground movements

Relatively slow

Taxiway

Factors controlling layout

Minimum interference between just-landed aircraft

and ready to take-off aircraft

At busy airports, provision of taxiways at various

locations along runway to assist landing aircrafts
leave and clear runway ASAP

Exit taxiway

Facilitate aircrafts leave runway at higher speeds

Reduce runway occupancy time and increase airport

capacity

Taxiway

Factors controlling layout

Avoid intersection of taxiway and active runway

Shortest possible distance between terminal

building/apron and end of take-off runway

Taxiway Geometric

Length

Width of taxiway

Width of shoulder

Transverse gradient

Longitudinal gradient

Rate of change of longitudinal gradient

Sight distance
Turning radius
Separation clearance

Taxiway Geometric

Length

No specifications has been suggested by any

organization

Should be as short as possible

Saves fuel

Taxiway Geometric

Width of taxiway

Lesser than runway

Aircraft is not airborne

Speeds are lower

There is not much variability in maneuverability of

aircraft

Nose of aircraft follows taxiway centerline

Standard need not be so rigorous as in case of runway

Varies between 7.5 m and 23 m

Taxiway Geometric

Width of taxiway (ICAO)

Airport Code

Taxiway width

7.5 m

10.5 m

15 m {if taxiway is used by aircraft with

a wheel base less than 18 m}

18 m {if used by aircraft with an outer

main gear wheel span of less than 9 m,
otherwise 23 m)

23 m

Taxiway Geometric

Width of shoulder

Should extend beyond pavement of taxiway on

either side

Ordinary aircrafts (before advent of jets)

Shoulders were of ordinary soil protected by low

growing vegetations

Sometimes stabilized soil was used to prevent

erosion of shoulder material due to high speed of
propellers

Taxiway Geometric

Width of shoulder

Jet aircrafts

Hot blasts coming out at high speed needs a paved

surface on shoulder

A bituminous pavement which provides an

impervious, smooth and resistant shoulder is
provided up to 7.5 m adjacent to taxiway edge

Taxiway Geometric

Transverse gradient

Required for quick disposal of rain water

Adopted same as recommended for runways
ICAO recommended maximum pavement
transverse gradients of 2 percent for A and B

1.5 percent for airports with code C, D and E type of

airport

No min. value is specified

Min. gradient is taken as 0.5 percent for rigid pavement case

and 1 percent for other cases

For drainage

Taxiway Geometric

Transverse gradient

ICAO does not recommend any slope for

shoulders

FAA specification

For taxiway shoulders

Max. 5 percent for first 3 meters

2 percent thereafter

4 cm drop from paved surface to graded shoulder

surface

Taxiway Geometric

Longitudinal gradient

Level taxiways are operationally more desirable

If gradient is steep it affects fuel consumption

As per ICAO, maximum longitudinal gradient

3 percent for A and B type of airports

1.5 percent for C, D and E type of airport

Taxiway Geometric

Rate of change of longitudinal gradient

Grade changes are done through vertical curves

For airports A and B

ICAO recommended length of vertical curve as 25 m for

each 1 percent grade change

For airports C, D and E

ICAO recommended length of vertical curve as 30 m for

each 1 percent grade change

Taxiway Geometric

Rate of change of longitudinal gradient

Available sight distance on the pavement is

affected by the rate of change of longitudinal
gradient.

Maximum change in pavement longitudinal

gradient as per ICAO

4 percent for A and B category of airports

3.33 percent for C, D and E category of airports

Taxiway Geometric

Rate of change of longitudinal gradient

FAA recommended distance between points of

grade change

30 |(A + B)| m

where, A and B are the percent grade changes at

the two points of grade changes along the
centerline of taxiway

Taxiway Geometric

Sight distance

Speed of aircraft on taxiway is lower than the

speed on runway

Smaller value of sight distance will be sufficient on the

taxiway

ICAO recommended that the surface of taxiway

must be visible at least up to a distance of X from
any point at a height of Y above the taxiway
surface.

Taxiway Geometric

Sight distance
Airport code
A
B
C,D and E

Y
1.5 m
2m
3m

X
150 m
200 m
300 m

Taxiway Geometric

Turning Radius

Change in aircraft path is done by providing a

horizontal curve

Design should be such that the aircraft can

negotiate the curve without significantly reducing
the speed

Recommended radii corresponding to taxing

speeds of small, subsonic and supersonic
aircrafts are 60 m, 135 m and 240 m, respectively.

Absolute min. turning radius

Taxiway Geometric

Turning Radius

Relationship between exit speed and radius of

curve (turning radius)
Radius = V2/125f (m)
where, V is in kmph
f is coefficient of friction between aircraft wheel tyre
and taxiway pavement and is equal to 0.13

Taxiway Geometric

Turning Radius

In case of supersonic jets

Because of long wheel base (30-35 m) the midpoint

of main gear goes off centerline of taxiway

Taxiway Geometric

Turning
Radius

Taxiway Geometric

Turning Radius

According to Prof. R. Horonjeff for supersonic

aircraft

The radius of curve should be such that a minimum

distance of 6 m is maintained between oleo strut of
the nearby main gear and the edge of pavement
R = 0.388W 2/(0.5T S),

Taxiway Geometric

Turning Radius

According to Prof. R. Horonjeff for supersonic

aircraft
R = Radius of taxiway (m)

W = Wheel base of aircraft (m)

T = Width of taxiway pavement (m)
S = Distance between midpoint of the main
gears and edge of taxiway pavement (m)
= 6 + (Wheel tread of main gear/2)

Taxiway Geometric

Turning Radius

Determine radius of a taxiway for a supersonic

transport whose wheel base is 35 m and tread
of main gear is 7.2 m. The design turning
speed is 60 kmph.

Taxiway Geometric

Fillets

This is the extra wide area provided at the curves

and traffic lane intersections so that rear wheel
does not go off the pavement edge

Minimum radii of fillet is dependent on

Angle of intersection of traffic lanes

Wheel base of turning aircraft

Taxiway Geometric

Fillets

The radius is not specified for wheel base greater

than 20 m

To be determined graphically using the path of nose

gear

Taxiway Geometric

Fillets
Angle of
Radii of fillet (in meters)
Intersection
Small airport Large airport
0 450
7.50
22.50
450 - 1350
15.00
30.00
> 1350
60.00
60.00
The radii of fillet should not be less than the width of
taxiway

Taxiway Geometric

Fillets

For Small Airports

Taxiway Geometric

Fillets For Large Airports

Taxiway Geometric

Separation Clearance

For safety, min. separation and clearance

standards for taxiways have been estimated
through field test

As per FAA, separation clearance is based on

wing span (W)

Taxiway centre line to

taxiway center line

1.25W + 2.1 m

Taxiway centre line to obstacle 0.75W + 2.1 m

Taxiway Geometric

Separation Clearance

As per ICAO, minimum separation between parallel

taxiway centerline is given by

STT = W + 2 U1 +C1

W = Wing span of most demanding aircraft

U1 = Min. clearance between edge of each taxiway

and outer main gear wheels
= Taxiway edge safety margin

C1 = Min. wing tip clearance

Taxiway Geometric

Separation Clearance

As per ICAO, required separation between a taxiway

centerline and a fixed or moveable object

STO = 0.5W + U1 + C2

C2 = Required clearance between wing tip and object

Taxiway Geometric

Separation Clearance

As per ICAO, in meters

Minimum Separation

Aerodrome Code

Edge safety margin

1.5

2.25

3*

4.5

4.5

Min wing tip clearance

4.5

7.5

7.5

Min. clearance bet wing

4.5

5.25

7.5

12

12

tip and object

* 4.5 m if intended to be used by the airplane with a wheel
base equal to or greater than 18 m