Minimum Thickness of Concrete Pavement for the F-15 and C-17 Aircraft

Abstract

Abstract : The procedure for the design of military rigid airfield pavements contained in the Unified Facilities Criteria 3-260-02 gives the minimum thickness of airfield concrete pavements as 6 in. The introduction of the C-17 aircraft and the requirement that dowel bars be used as load transfer mechanism at joints for airfield pavements bring into question the validity of the 6 in. minimum thickness. With the objective of updating such minimum thickness criteria, a full-scale test section was constructed and trafficked with wheel loads simulating F-15, B-52, and C-17 aircraft traffic. Test section performance was evaluated by recording the number of passes to failure and by utilizing the falling weight deflectometer testing to measure the stiffness and load transfer capability of joints. In addition, strain gages were installed on the vertical face of a longitudinal joint and on the pavement surface on each side of longitudinal joints. Evaluation of the test section performance and analysis of the strain data supported an Engineer Research and Development Center team recommendation that the minimum pavement thickness be 8 in. for any doweled airfield pavement. The team further recommended that a minimum thickness of 11 in. be established for those pavements supporting C-17 aircraft.