CE 452

Design of Airfield Pavement I

Slides based on materials prepared by Prof Jie Han, University of Kansas, USA
2
Outline
Introduction
Basic principles
Rigid pavement design
FAA method
Airfield vs. Highway Pavements
Repetition of load
Distribution of traffic
Geometry of the pavement
Affected by pavement width and type of aircraft
Plan View of Basic
Types of Wheel
Configuration
a) single trailer-truck unit
b) tricycle landing gear with
single tires
c) twin-tandem landing gear
d) double twin-tandem gear
Several Typical Aircrafts
Effect of Standard Deviation of Aircraft
Wander on Pavement Damage
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Rigid Airport Pavement Design
PCA method
Corps of Engineering method
FAA method: based on the Westergaard
analysis of edge loaded slabs
FAA Pavement Design Principles
FAA Airport Pavement Design
Aircraft Considerations
Load (95% main landing gear, 5% nose gear)
Landing gear type and geometry
Single gear aircraft
Dual gear aircraft
Dual tandem gear aircraft
Wide body aircraft B-747, B-767, DC-10, L-1011
Tire pressure: 75 to 200 psi (515 to 1,380 kPa)
Traffic volume
AC 150/5320-6D
Equivalent Single Wheel Load (ESWL)
Design Procedure
Forecast annual departures
Select design aircraft that requires the thickest pavement
Transform other aircrafts to equivalent departures of
design aircraft
Determination of Design Aircraft
The required pavement thickness for each aircraft type
should be checked using the appropriate design curve
and the forecast number of annual departures for that
aircraft
The design aircraft is the aircraft type that produces the
greatest pavement thickness
The design aircraft is not necessarily be the heaviest
aircraft in the forecast
Factors for Converting Annual
Departures by Aircraft to Equivalent
Annual Departures by Design Aircraft
Conversion of Equivalent Annual
Departure of Design Aircraft
R
1
equivalent annual departures of the design aircraft
R
2
annual departures expressed in design aircraft landing
gear configuration
W
1
wheel load of the design aircraft
W
2
wheel load of the aircraft being converted
Each wide body as a 300,000-pound dual tandem aircraft
1
2
2 1
W
W
R log R log =
Example
Aircraft
727-100
727-200
707-320B
DC-9-30
CV-880
737-200
L-1011-100
747-100
Dual
Dual
Dual tandem
Dual
Dual tandem
dual
Dual tandem
Double dual
tandem
160,000
190,500
327,000
108,000
184,500
115,500
450,000
700,000
Gear type
Avg. ann
depart.
Max. takeoff
Weight (lbs).
Equiv. dual
gear depart
3760
9080
5185
5800
680
2650
2907
145
Wheel load
(lbs)
Wheel load
Design
aircraft (lbs)
Equiv. ann.
depart. design
aircraft
38,000
45,240
38,830
25,650
21,910
27,430
35,625
35,625
45,240
45,240
45,240
45,240
45,240
45,240
45,240
45,240
1,891
9,080
2,764
682
94
463
1,184
83
3760
9080
3050
5800
400
2650
1710
85
727-200 requires the greatest pavement thickness and thus is the design aircraft
1.7 x 85
Conversion
factor
190,500x0.95/4
45240
35625
) 145 log( R log
1
=
300,000x0.95/8
Wide body
Total = 16,241
Final design: 16,241 annual departures of a dual wheel aircraft weighing 190,500lbs
Typical Design Section of Runway
Pavement
FAA Rigid Pavement Design
Principles of Rigid Airport Pavement
Design
Based on Westergaard analysis of edge loaded slabs
(modified to simulate a jointed edge condition)
Determine k value for rigid pavement
Concrete flexural strength
Gross weight of design aircraft
Annual departures of design aircraft
Subbase Requirements
A minimum thickness of 4 in. subbase
Types of subbase courses
- Item P-154: subbase course
- Item P-208: aggregate base course
- Item P-209: crushed aggregate base course
- Item P-211: lime rock base course
- Item P-304: cement treated base course
- Item P-306: econocrete subbase course
- Item P-401: plant mix bituminous pavements
Stabilized subbase (aircraft weight > 100,000 lbs)
- Item P-304: cement treated base course
- Item P-306: econocrete subbase course
- Item P-401: plant mix bituminous pavements
Exceptions for No Subbase
Concrete Flexural Strength
Design strength of 600 to 650 psi is recommended for
most airfield applications
Strength at 28 days
5% less than the test strength used for thickness design
Effect of Subbase on K
- Well-Graded Crushed Aggregate
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Effect of Subbase on K
- Bank-Run Sand & Gravel (PI<6)
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Effect of
Subbase
on K
- Stabilized
Subbase
Design Curves Single Wheel Gear
Gross weight of design aircraft
Design Curves Dual Wheel Gear
Design Curves Dual Tandem Gear
Critical and Noncritical Areas
Total critical pavement thickness = T
Noncritical pavement thickness (for concrete slab thickness)
= 0.9T
For variable section of the transition section and thinned
edge, the reduction applies only to the concrete slab
thickness
The change in thickness for the transitions should be
accomplished over an entire slab length and width
Critical and Non- critical Areas
Critical
Aircraft speed is low/ aircraft is at rest
e.g. Apron, Taxiway
Non-critical
Aircraft speed is high/ aircraft is already partially
airborne
E.g. central portion of runway
Design Example
Dual tandem aircraft: gross weight = 350,000 lbs, annual
equivalent departures =6000 (including 1200 of B-747
weighing 780,000 lbs)
Subgrade k =100pci with poor drainage, frost penetration
=18 in.
Primary runway, 100% frost protection
Subgrade soil is CL
MR = 650 psi
Stabilized
subbase required
Design Steps
Several thickness of subbase thickness should be tried =>
most economical section
Assume P-304 (cement treated base course) to be used
Trial thickness of subbase = 6 in.
Slab Thickness
16.6 in. round off to 17 in.
17 + 6 =23 in. > 18 in. (frost depth)
Wide body aircraft did not control slab thickness but to
be considered in establishment of jointing requirements
and design of drainage structures
Rigid Pavement Joint Types and Details
Recommended Maximum Joint Spacing
- Rigid Pavement without Stabilized Subbase
Recommended Maximum Joint Spacing
- Rigid Pavement with Stabilized Subbase
Joint spacing (unit: in.)/radius of relative stiffness < 5.0
to control transverse cracking
Maximum joint spacing = 60 ft.
Radius of relative stiffness:
( )
4 / 1
2
3
k 1 12
Eh
(

v
= "
Dimensions and Spacing of Steel Dowels
Amount of Reinforcement for Reinforced
Concrete Pavements
s
s
f
Lt L 7 . 3
A =
where As = area of steel per foot of width or length (in
2
)
L = length or width of slab, ft.
T = thickness of slab, in.
f
s
= allowable tensile stress in steel, psi, 2/3 yield strength
Minimum percentage of steel reinforcement = 0.05%
to the area of concrete per unit length or width
Allowable Strengths of Various Grades of
Reinforcing Steel
Allowable
Dimensions and Unit Weights of
Deformed Steel Reinforcing Bars
Sectional Areas of Welded Fabric
Jointing of Reinforced Rigid Pavements
Spreadsheet Programs
F806FAA for flexible pavement design
F805FAA for rigid pavement design