Structural Performance Assessment of Airfield Concrete Pavements Based on Field and Laboratory Data

Abstract

Maintenance interventions and rehabilitation actions in airfield pavements are time-consuming and adversely affect pavements’ serviceability (i.e., airport closures), with a profound impact on the airport economics. Once a pavement is constructed, a robust asset management prerequisites systematic and accurate knowledge of pavement condition throughout its service life. Evaluating a pavement’s structural capacity in the field involves the integration of multiple Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) systems, with the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) being the most indicative NDT system for pavement evaluation. The purpose of the present study is to develop a methodology for the assessment of airfield concrete pavements. A new and non-trafficked Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement (JPCP), facing early-life cracks shortly after a runway’s expansion activities, was utilized for the investigation. Multiple types of data collected in the field, including deflections, load transfer efficiency at joints and cracks, concrete thickness through coring as well as data retrieved in the laboratory (concrete’s flexural strength), helped to define the pavement’s performance and assess its damage potential. Overall, the integration of such data can provide the related airport authorities the necessary information in order to make a rational asset management and enhance the efficiency of airfield infrastructures. The methodology is applicable for both new and in-service pavements.

Assessing Remaining Service Life and Structural Performance of Substandard Airfield Pavement for Low-Volume Traffic with an Accelerated Aircraft Loading Simulator

“…( 10 ) Apart from the need to improve the DoD’s pavement design and evaluation techniques, there is a need to evaluate and implement practical test methods, with a minimal logistic footprint, that can be deployed to routinely monitor the performance and structural competency of pavements during aircraft missions. The HWD test has been widely used to assess the performance of airfield pavements including improvements from rapid runway repair and relative damage in pavement layers (see, for example, Donovan and Tutumluer, ( 11 ) Leonelli et al, ( 12 ) Gopalakrishnan and Thompson, ( 13 ) White, ( 14 ) Gopalakrishnan, ( 15 ) Celaya and Nazarian, ( 16 ) Baldo et al, ( 17 ) and Gkyrtis et al ( 18 ). A HWD provides a rapid and cost-effective means of measuring the response of pavements to a dynamic load, particularly for busy airport runways that cannot readily be closed for days of traditional intrusive pavement investigation.…”

“…( 14 ) Celaya and Nazarian ( 16 ) used a HWD to assess the bonding between asphalt concrete layers at airports, which was considered a satisfactory test method. Similarly, Gkyrtis et al ( 18 ) assessed the structural performance of airfield concrete pavements using a HWD and laboratory data. However, there is a need to implement more portable evaluation tools.…”

A Case Study on Distresses of Concrete Pavements Supported on a Retaining Wall

“…Evaluations of pavement performance can be broadly divided into two tasks: (a) the assessment of the conditions of pavement structures and (b) investigation of the quality of the subgrade. Assessing conditions of pavement structure often involves the identification of distresses through visual surveys, determination of slab performance through deflection testing [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20], and checking the quality of concrete via coring [21][22][23][24][25]. Smith et al [26] conducted a comprehensive investigation into the utilization of falling weight deflectometer (FWD) data for mechanistic-empirical pavement design and rehabilitation procedures, establishing the efficacy of FWD tests in pavement evaluation and rehabilitation.…”