Experimental study of Asphalt Concrete Strain Distribution in Flexible Pavements at the National Airport Pavement Test Facility

The use of high-inflation pressure and heavily loaded tires on aircrafts induce high stresses at the surface of runway pavements. High compressive, tensile and shear stresses at or near pavement surface are likely to induce rutting and surface initiated fatigue cracking (top-down cracking) in asphalt concrete, particularly in the case of slow moving aircrafts. Tire-pavement interaction has been extensively studied using finite element modelling but has not been experimentally documented due to the limitations of conventional pavement instrumentation technology. During construction cycle 7 (CC7), five flexible pavements were constructed. Four of the five test sections include 200mm, 250mm, 300mm and 375mm of P401 hot mix asphalt (HMA) concrete over a P154 subbase (thickness varying between 890 and 965 mm) resting on a CBR 5.5 subgrade soil. The proposed paper describes experimental investigation of near-surface strains induced under Heavy Weight Deflectometer (HWD) and aircraft tires using an innovative instrumentation technique based on fiber optic sensors. Four “strain plates” supporting an array of 24 Fabry-Perrot fiber optic sensors were retrofitted in the HMA layers of four test sections at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Airport Pavement Test Facility (NAPTF) in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The strain plates allow for the measurement of near –surface compressive and tensile strains as well as tensile strains at the bottom of the AC layer over a 45 cm width across the wheel path. Data obtained from the strain plates under a moving wheel can be used to produce detailed strain basins across the entire tire width, allowing for a detailed analysis of the effect of tire type, load and pressure on pavement response. The proposed paper will describe the strain plate technology and the installation of the sensors at the NAPTF. It will also present early results of pavement response under the HWD and aircraft wheel loads. The project is done through a cooperation agreement between the Federal Aviation Administration and Laval University (Canada).

• Record URL:
  http://www.airporttech.tc.faa.gov/DesktopModules/FlexNews/DownloadHandler.ashx?id=5d2c5971-2ff1-4ba1-9ef4-4ae57fce9821&f=P10095-Garg.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Federal Aviation Administration

  800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Authors:
  • Garg, Navneet
  • Bilodeau, Jean-Pascal
  • Doré, Guy
• Conference:
  • 2014 FAA Worldwide Airport Technology Transfer Conference
  • Location: Galloway New Jersey, United States
  • Date: 2014-8-5 to 2014-8-7
• Publication Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 14p
• Monograph Title: 2014 FAA Worldwide Airport Technology Transfer Conference Proceedings: Innovations in Airport Safety and Pavement Technology

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Airport runways; Asphalt concrete; Deflectometers; Fiber optics; Flexible pavements; Hot mix asphalt; Rolling contact; Sensors; Strain (Mechanics); Test sections; Wheel loads
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Maintenance and Preservation; Pavements; I61: Equipment and Maintenance Methods;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01538156
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: P10095
• Files: TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Sep 25 2014 8:59AM