Instrumentation response of full-scale thin airfield pavements

Abstract

ABSTRACT Instrumentation response data from full-scale accelerated pavement testing have been used to inform pavement design models and enhance service life predictions to ensure long-term operating conditions. However, some aircraft, i.e. military aircraft, may have a requirement to operate under relatively short-term conditions on airfields that are constructed below optimal conditions. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to construct, traffic, and collect instrumentation data from airfield pavement test sections constructed with asphalt thicknesses below existing military standards. Three asphalt thicknesses and two base course strengths were evaluated using two different aircraft simulators each at two tire inflation pressures. Earth pressure cells, single-depth deflectometers, and asphalt strain gauges were used to collect response data. Instrumentation response data were sensitive to increases in asphalt layer thickness, i.e. an increase in asphalt layer thickness generally resulted in an improvement in measured response albeit in relatively thin asphalt layers. Instrumentation response data were more sensitive to tire inflation pressure changes at higher loading conditions when compared to lower loading conditions. Finally, a layered elastic analysis using a non-uniform tire pressure distribution was found to provide a better approximation of measured earth pressure cell response than that of a typically assumed uniform pressure distribution.