Development of Simplified PCN Approach for Reporting Rigid Airfield Pavement Bearing Strength

The Aircraft Classification Number/Pavement Classification Number (ACN/PCN) method has been adopted as the standard method for reporting airfield pavement bearing strength since 1980's. Recently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) developed an advisory circular to provide specific guidance on PCN determination. Even though the new airport pavement design approach using the FAARFIELD design software have been approved, "the pavement thickness requirements associated with the ACN-PCN procedures are based upon historical procedures identified in previous versions of AC 150/5320-6". The thickness mode for rigid pavements in the latest COMFAA 3.0 program still uses the FAA Westergaard method. The primary objectives of this study are to investigate its fundamental principles, the reasoning of the new revisions, and the effects on PCN determination. The original development of ACN/PCN methodology was first reviewed. The newly revised approach using cumulative damage factors for computing PCN based on equivalent traffic was also discussed. A Visual Basic Application (VBA) module was added to the conventional design spreadsheet (R805FAA) by executing the COMFAA 2.0 program iteratively to automatically determine the PCN value. The existing TKUAPAV program was recoded into an Excel spreadsheet with additional VBA modules to facilitate automatic PCN calculations using both R805FAA's bilinear fatigue relationship and PCA's fatigue equation. Revisions to the existing ACN/PCN calculation procedure have been made and implemented in the above spreadsheet based on four different failure models and two different critical stress models (edge or interior). A standard aircraft with a dual wheel main gear load of 90,000 lbs was introduced in this study to expedite critical aircraft conversions for PCN calculations. The potential problems of the existing procedures and the benefits of the proposed revisions are compared and illustrated through different case studies. Attempts to simplify ACN/PCN definitions are proposed and discussed.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AFD10 Pavement Management Systems. Alternate title: Development of Simplified Pavement Classification Number Approach for Reporting Rigid Airfield Pavement Bearing Strength.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Liu, Yao-Bin
  • Lee, Ying-Haur
  • Chan, Hsun-Kuang
  • Lin, Jyh-Dong
  • Ker, Hsiang-Wei
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC
  • Date: 2014-1-12 to 2014-1-16
• Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: 13p
• Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Airport runways; Bearing capacity; Case studies; Pavement design; Rigid pavements; Thickness
• Identifier Terms: Excel (computer program); Visual Basic
• Uncontrolled Terms: Pavement classification number
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01515130
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 14-2551
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 21 2014 3:16PM