Airport Pavement Design

and Evaluation

Prof. Jie Han, Ph.D., P.E.

The University of Kansas

 Outline of Presentation

ƒ Introduction

ƒ FAA Pavement Design Principles

ƒ FAA Flexible Pavement Design

ƒ FAA Rigid Pavement Design

ƒ FAA Layered Elastic Pavement Design

Introduction
 References

• Principles of Pavement Design, Yoder and Witczak (1975)

• Airport Pavement Design and Evaluation, FAA Advisory

Circular 150/5320-6D

• Airfield and Highway Pavements, Proceedings of 2006

Airfield and Highway Specialty Conference

• Web seminar “FAA – LEDFAA V1.3 Layered Elastic

Flexible Pavement Design for Airfield Pavements”,
Rodney N. Joel, FAA
 Websites

• http://www.chet-aero.com/download/software.php

• http://www.airtech.tc.faa.gov/naptf/download/index1.asp

• Airport Pavement Structural Design System

http://www.mincad.com.au/apsdsbr.htm
 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
Predicted transverse
Equivalent DC-8-63F
Strain repetitions Measured transverse
(taxiway) Np x 103 crack frequency (%)
 Flexible Airport Pavement Design

• Corps of Engineering (CBR) method (CBR method):

CBR test for subgrade evaluation

• FAA method: field performance data correlated to soil

classification, also a CBR method

• Canadian DOT method: plate-bearing tests to evaluate

subgrade support/repeated load triaxial tests for full-
depth airport pavements

• AI method: theoretically oriented design

 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
 Scope and Design Philosophy

ƒ The methods discussed are suitable for aircraft with

gross weights of 30,000 lbs (13,000 kg) or more

ƒ Design of flexible pavements: CBR method

ƒ Design of rigid pavement: jointed edge stress analysis

ƒ Layered elastic analysis

ƒ Design service life = 20 years

AC 150/5320-6D
 Aircraft Considerations
ƒ Load (95% main landing gear, 5% nose gear)

ƒ 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

ƒ Tire pressure: 75 to 200 psi (515 to 1,380 kPa)

ƒ Traffic volume
AC 150/5320-6D
Equivalent Single Wheel Load (ESWL)
AC 150/5320-6D
AC 150/5320-6D
Increased Loading Gear Complexity
Loading Gear Design
Aircraft Grew in Size
Gross Aircraft Weight
Individual Wheel Load (lbs) Gross Aircraft Weight
Equivalent Single Wheel Load
A New Design Procedure Needed
Efforts for New Design Procedure
Efforts for New Design Procedure
 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

ƒ 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

ƒ The design aircraft is the aircraft type that produces the

greatest pavement thickness

ƒ 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
W2
log R 1 = log R 2 ⋅
W1

R1 – equivalent annual departures of the design aircraft

R2 – annual departures expressed in design aircraft landing
gear configuration
W1 – wheel load of the design aircraft
W2 – wheel load of the aircraft being converted

Each wide body as a 300,000-pound dual tandem aircraft

 Example
727-200 requires the greatest pavement thickness and thus is the design aircraft

Wheel load Equiv. ann.

Avg. ann Max. takeoff Equiv. dual Wheel load Design depart. design
Aircraft Gear type aircraft
depart. Weight (lbs).gear depart (lbs) aircraft (lbs)

727-100 Dual 3760 160,000 3760 38,000 45,240 1,891

727-200 Dual 9080 190,500 9080 45,240 45,240 9,080
707-320B Dual tandem 3050 327,000 5185 38,830 45,240 2,764
DC-9-30 Dual 5800 108,000 5800 25,650 45,240 682
CV-880 Dual tandem 400 184,500 680 21,910 45,240 94
737-200 dual 2650 115,500 2650 27,430 45,240 463
L-1011-100 Dual tandem 1710 450,000 2907 35,625 45,240 1,184
747-100 Double dual 85 700,000 145 35,625 45,240 83
tandem
Total = 16,241
300,000x0.95/8 1.7 x 85 190,500x0.95/4
35625
log R 1 = log(145) ⋅
Wide body Conversion 45240
factor

Final design: 16,241 annual departures of a dual wheel aircraft weighing 190,500lbs
Typical Design Section of Runway
Pavement
FAA Flexible Pavement Design
- CBR Method
 Base Course

ƒ Minimum CBR value of 80 is assumed for base course

ƒ Types of base courses

- 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
 Subbase Course

ƒ Minimum CBR value of 20 is for subbase course

ƒ Types of subbase courses

- Item P-154: subbase course

- Item P-210: cliché base course
- Item P-212: shell base course
- Item P-213: sand clay base course
- Item P-301: soil cement base course

Items P-213 and P-301 are not recommended where

frost penetration into the subbase is anticipated
Subgarde Compaction Requirements
 CBR Design Equations

MWHGL = multiple-wheel, heavy gear load

 Alpha Factors – MWHGL Data
1.4

12-Wheel Failure
1.2 Alpha = 0.23 log C + 0.15
12-Wheel Nonfailure
50-kip Single Wheel Failure
30-kip Single Wheel Failure Single Wheel
1.0 30-kip Single Wheel Nonfailure
Load Repetition Factor, Alpha

Dual-Tandem Failure
Twin Tandem

0.8
12 Wheels

0.6

0.4

0.2

Aircraft Traffic Volume Factor, Coverages

0.0
1.0E+00 1.0E+01 1.0E+02 1.0E+03 1.0E+04 1.0E+05

Hayhoe (2005)
 Selection of Design CBR Value

ƒ As a general rule of thumb, the design CBR value should

be equal to or less than 85% of all the subgrade CBR
values

ƒ Corresponds to a design value of one standard deviation

below the mean value
 Design
Chart for
Single
Wheel
Gear
 Design
Chart for
Dual
Wheel
Gear
 Design
Chart for
Dual
Tandem
Gear
Pavement Thickness for High Departure
Levels

Annual Departure Percent of 25,000 Departure

Level Thickness
50,000 104

100,000 108

150,000 110

200,000 112

1-in of the thickness increase should be HMA surfacing

The remaining thickness increases should be proportioned between
base and subbase
Minimum Base Course Thickness
 Critical and Noncritical Areas

Total critical pavement thickness = T

Noncritical pavement thickness (for base and subbase only)

= 0.9T

For variable section of the transition section and thinned

edge, the reduction applies only to the base course

0.7T as the minimum for thickness of base can be applied

 Example

• A flexible airport pavement to be designed

– Dual gear aircraft

– Gross weight of 75,000 lbs
– 6,000 annual equivalent departures of the design
aircraft
– Design CBR value for subbase = 20
– Design CBR value for subgrade = 6
 Total
Pavement
Thickness

Using Subgrade
CBR to find total
pavement thickness
(23 in. in this
example)
 Subbase
Thickness

Using Subbase
CBR to find: the
combined thickness
of HMA and base
course needed over
a 20 CBR subbase
is 9.2 in.
Subbase thickness
= 23-9.2 =13.8 in.
(14-in)
 Design Pavement Sections

Thickness of HMA surface (critical area) =4 in.

Thickness of base course = 9.2-4 = 5.2 in (6-in).

Thickness of subbase course = 14in.

Thickness should be rounded off to even increments

 Notes on Frost Effects and Stabilized
Materials

• The thickness determined from these design charts are

for untreated granular bases and subbases

• Frost effects and stabilized materials must be handled

separately
 Stabilized Base and Subbase
• Required for new pavements and jet aircraft weighting
100,000 lbs or more

• Subbase and base equivalency factors

– Standard for granular/stabilized subbase is Item P-
154 with CBR of 20
– Standard for granular/stabilized base is Item P-209,
crushed aggregate base course with CBR of 80

• Min. total pavement thickness calculated ≥ that required

by a 20 CBR subgrade from design curve
 Frost Effect
• Thicker subbase courses
• Determine soil frost group

• Determine the depth of frost penetration

• Frost protection (complete, limited, reduced subgrade
strength)
Design Air Freezing Indices

3500

2500

1500

750

250

50

Unit: degree days Fo

 Depth of Frost Penetration

Air freezing index, degree days Fo

0 600 1000 2000 3000
0

20
Frost penetration

40
40.8
60
inches

80

Meters
100

120
140

160

(Degree days Co)

FAA Rigid Pavement Design
 Principles of Rigid Airport Pavement
Design
ƒ Based on Westergaard analysis of edge loaded slabs
(modified to simulate a jointed edge condition)

ƒ Determine k value for rigid pavement

ƒ Concrete flexural strength

ƒ Gross weight of design aircraft

ƒ Annual departures of design aircraft

 Subbase Requirements
ƒ A minimum thickness of 4 in. subbase
ƒ 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
ƒ 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

ƒ Design strength of 600 to 650 psi is recommended for

most airfield applications

ƒ Strength at 28 days

ƒ 5% less than the test strength used for thickness design

 Effect of Subbase on K
- Well-Graded Crushed Aggregate
K on top of subbase (lb/in3)

(MN/m3)
 Effect of Subbase on K
- Bank-Run Sand & Gravel (PI<6)
k on top of subbase (lb/in3)

(MN/m3)
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
Stabilized
subbase required 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
 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:

1/ 4
⎡ Eh 3
⎤
l=⎢
⎣12 1(− ν 2
k)⎥
⎦
Dimensions and Spacing of Steel Dowels
Amount of Reinforcement for Reinforced
Concrete Pavements

3.7 L Lt
As =
fs

where As = area of steel per foot of width or length (in2)

L = length or width of slab, ft.
T = thickness of slab, in.
fs = 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

FAA Layered Elastic Pavement
Design
 LEDFAA –Layered Elastic Design

• Heavier load + complex multiple-wheel, multiple truck

landing gear systems
• Complex wheel load interactions with pavement
structures
– B-777 or Airbus A-380 (TDT)
– B-777: 2 six-wheel main landing gears (TDT: 3 pairs
of wheels in a row) + a single nose gear (single dual
wheel) to support gross weight up to 535,000 lbs
• Compatible with conventional FAA design
• Landing gear configuration and layered pavement
structures can be modeled directly
Flexible Pavement Failure Modes
Layered Elastic Method vs. CBR Method
LEDFAA V1.3 Default Values
LEDFAA V1.3
Cumulative Damage Factor (CDF) for
Traffic Model
Cumulative Damage Factor (CDF) for
Traffic Model
Cumulative Damage Factor (CDF) for
Traffic Model
Cumulative Damage Factor (CDF) for
Traffic Model
Sample Aircraft Traffic Mix CDF
Contribution
Sample Aircraft Traffic Mix CDF
Contribution
Large Aircraft Traffic Mix Gear Locations
No More Design Aircraft in LEDFAA
 From CBR Method to LEDFAA

• Nomographs => computer program

• ‘design aircraft’ => ‘cumulative damage factor’ using
Miner’s rule for fatigue failure design
• CBR or k-value => elastic modulus

• LEDFAA design should comply with detailed

requirements and recommendations from Advisory
Circular
• Should follow Advisory Circular recommendations in
selection of input parameters
 Flexible Airport Pavement Design

• Two modes of failures

– Vertical strain in the subgrade
– Horizontal strain in asphalt layer
• For traffic mixture including aircraft with triple dual
tandem (TDT) gears
– Min. thickness =5 in. of hot mix surfacing
– Min. thickness =5 in. of stabilized base (not containing
TDT, 6 in.)
– P-301 soil cement base not acceptable
– Min. thickness =3 in. of subbase base
– Subgrade: E=1500*CBR
 Rigid Airport Pavement Design

• One mode of failure (cracking of concrete slab)

– Limiting horizontal stress at the bottom surface of the
concrete slab

• For traffic mixture including aircraft with TDT gears

– Min. thickness =6 in. of concrete surfacing
– Min. thickness =4 in. of stabilized subbase (bound
materials)
– Subgrade : logE=1.415+1.284logk
 Design Software

• LEDFAA 1.3