AIRPORT PAVEMENT DESIGN

COURSE NOTES

May 2001

AIRPORT PAVEMENT DESIGN:

COURSE NOTES
1. Pavement design concepts
2. Copies of transparencies
3. Copies of additional information
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.

Typical layout
Aircraft characteristics
FAA design curves and adjustments for
flexible and rigid
British procedure
Typical concrete slab layout
Typical pavement structures for South
African airports
References
Internet references

AIRPORT PAVEMENT DESIGN:

CONTENTS
Types of facilities
Types of airports
Aircraft characteristics
Design loading
Specific concepts
Design procedures
Examples

TYPES OF FACILITIES
Runway
Taxiway
Apron
Typical layout

TYPES OF AIRPORTS

International:
BOEING 767 TO 747
CONCORDE
AIRBUS 300 & 320
DC - 10, 11
Regional:
BOEING 737 TO 707
AIRBUS
BA 146
DASH 7
F27, F28
Local:
CESSNA
DC - 3
BEECHCRAFT
PIPER

AIRCRAFT
CHARACTERISTICS
TYPE

TOTAL LOAD

NO OF WHEELS

(kN)
kN)

LOAD/WHEEL

PRESSURE

(kN)
kN)

(MPa)
MPa)

ACN / @ 10 F

CONCORDE

1815

8 - Dual tandem

218

1.26

72

B767 - 300

1 566

8 - Dual tandem

186

1.21

46

B747 - 400

3 796

16 - Dual tandem

223

1.38

45

V737 - 300

603

4 - Dual

138

1.14

31

934

4 - Dual

215

1.15

46

A300 - C4

1 629

8 - Dual tandem

189

1.24

51

A310 - 300

1 510

8 - Dual tandem

178

1.40

46

F27 Mk 400

194

4 - Dual

46

0.54

10

BAe146 - 200

400

4 - Dual

94

1.14

21

DASH 7

195

4 - Dual

46

0.74

B727 - 200 Advanced

DESIGN LOADING
Wheel load
Tyre pressure
Wander:
runway
taxiway

Forces:
vertical
horizontal

Example

SPECIFIC CONCEPTS

Load classification number (LCN)

Based on plate loading

Calculated from Benkelman Beam /FWD
For flexible or rigid

Aircraft classification number (ACN) and Pavement

classification number (PCN)

Include: pavement type

subgrade strength
tyre pressure
method of calculation

Used since 1983

Single wheel load (kg/500) with same performance as
group

Equivalent single wheel load (ESWL)

PCN

DESCRIPTION

PCN number
Type of pavement
R = rigid
F = flexible

Pavement subgrade category

A = High (CBR = 15)
B = Medium (CBR = 10)
C = Low (CBR = 6)
D = Ultra low (CBR = 3)

PCN

Maximum tyre pressure

W = high (no limit)
X = medium (< 1 500 kPa)
Z = very low (< 500 kPa)

Evaluation method
T = technical
U = experience

PCN (CONT)
Example: 30/F/C/W/T

Calculation

Rigid Max Flexural stress = 2.75 Mpa

Ec = 27.6 Gpa
Poisson = 0.15
p = 1.25 Mpa
Westergaard

Flexible: 10 000 repetitions

p = 1.25 Mpa
CBR or Boussinesq

DESIGN PROCEDURES

ICAO

Canadian
French
UK
FAA (USA)

British
FAA
US CORPS

CBR

Asphalt Institute

DESIGN PROCEDURES (CONT)

PCA
Graphs
AIRPAV (Westergaard)
Mechanistic
South African

FAA METHOD

Design aircraft - largest thickness

Graphs (departures, gross mass, CBR)

Convert all aircraft to design

Adjust annual departures
Subgrade - CBR, k
Critical on non-critical areas
Wide bodies (> 45 500 kg): stabilise base and
subbase

Total thickness
Base course thickness

FAA METHOD
(cont)
Flexible

Subbase: CBR > 35, any type

Base: CBR > 100, any type
Surfacing: 100 mm AC

Rigid
Wastergaard, edge loading
Subbase, any type
Panel size

BRITISH METHOD

Design ACN: highest ACN

mixed traffic

Design life:

20 - 30 years

Frequency:

low - 10 000 over life

medium - 10 000
high- 250 000

Traffic patterns
Coverages and Pass - to - Coverage ratio

BRITISH METHOD
(CONT)

Design curves (ACN, CBR, Traffic, PQC)

Flexible

Surfacing: 100 mm or 0.33 x DLC

Base: bound (DLC, AC), stabilised, granular
(CBR > 30%)
Subbase: granular (CBR > 30%)

Rigid

Failure: 50% cracking

Subbase: DLC, stabilised or granular
Temperature warping (+ 10%)
Joints/slab size (type, aggregate)

EXAMPLES

EXAMPLE
Aircraft:

LAYER
AC Surfacing
Base
Subbase
Total

B747 - 200 F (380 000 kg)

CBR = 10
ACN = 58
100 000 total rep
4 000 rep per year

BRITISH

FAA

SA 1

SA 2

100

100

75

75

500 BBM

250 Stab

100 G

200 WM

175 Stab

450 C

300 G

600

525

625

575