Continuous Profiling of Runway and Taxiway Pavements with Rolling Dynamic Deflectometer at Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport

Abstract

The rolling dynamic deflectometer (RDD) is powerful tool for use in managing airport pavements. With the RDD, continuous deflection profiles of runways and taxiways can be efficiently and effectively measured. These continuous profiles, both in the longitudinal and transverse directions, provide valuable information about the condition of the pavement system. The profiles are especially valuable because the entire pavement is tested and characterized rather than approximating the system with a limited number of discrete measurements to represent the entire pavement. The capabilities of the RDD were demonstrated by testing pavements at Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport. One existing runway, one existing taxiway, and a newly constructed (but not yet opened) runway were tested. The conditions of the different intact pavement sections and the various pavement joints are readily shown in the measured deflection profiles. In most cases, heavily trafficked pavement sections showed higher deflections than comparable sections with lower traffic, with the lowest deflections measured on the newly constructed runway. However, one recently constructed runway extension showed unusually high deflections, especially at the joints. The taxiway that was tested generally exhibited lower deflections than the operating runway. In the cases of the in-service pavements, transverse profiles clearly showed the softening of the highly trafficked central portion of the pavement.