Analytical evaluation of impact of groove deterioration on runway frictional performance

Abstract

Runway pavement grooving has been commonly adopted to minimize the loss of pavement skid resistance during wet weather which has been a causal factor for runway excursions. Experimental studies have demonstrated the benefits of pavement grooving in improving the skid resistance during wet pavement conditions and reducing the risk of hydroplaning. Maintaining the standard groove depth consistently during grooving operations has been an issue due to runway surface unevenness, construction quality control procedures etc. and this may result in a variation of the skid resistance performance along the runway. This paper presents an analytical approach to evaluate the frictional performance under wet pavement conditions and variations due to groove deterioration. A simulation model based on finite element method is first developed to evaluate the wet-pavement skid resistance available to an aircraft on a grooved pavement under a given set of operating conditions. The operating conditions are defined by parameters such as aircraft speed, tire structural properties, pavement surface properties, wheel load, tire inflation pressure, and pavement surface water-film thickness. The results for different groove depths are compared with the skid resistance performance of standard grooves to evaluate their relative performance and assess the acceptable tolerance for groove depth variation which represents different levels of groove deterioration.