Stability of Runway Grooving under Repeated Large Aircraft Loads

Abstract

On runway pavements in Japan, grooves for transverse directions should be set on most of runway area. The aim of runway grooving is to drain rain water on surface, which prevents from hydroplaning. According to the specification of Japan, two months as a 'occuring period' without a groove is necessary for sufficient durability of grooves after finishing a surface paving. This curing period is adopted regardless of amounts of loading and kinds of material. In particular, since the curing period is derived from the durability of HMA with straight asphalt binder, it might be possible to shorten the period by means of modified binder. And considering the trend of introduction of larger aircrafts, it is not always reasonable to set the curing period. In order to gain knowledge for setting curing period flexibly, the authors researched grooving stability in terms of the kinds of material in wheel tracking tests. The tests were conducted on three materials under the same tire pressure as that of the real aircraft (A-380). The three materials are two kinds of modified asphalt and straight asphalt. Then, full scale loading tests were conducted for the purpose of confirmation of results obtained from wheel tracking tests. As a result of the tests, the extent of grooving damage was improved by using modified asphalts compared to straight asphalt. In conclusion, to use advanced materials such as modified asphalts could achieve enough grooving stability even if larger aircrafts are served, and could shorten the curing period.