Federal Aviation Administration Flexible Pavement Design Method Part I

Flexible Pavement Design

Series of design curves based on the CBR design method Design curves depend on gear configuration Curves provide total pavement thickness Curves based on 20 year design life

Aircraft Considerations
Load Pavement design based on maximum anticipated takeoff weight Assumes 95% of the load on main gear

Aircraft Considerations
Landing gear type and geometry Single Dual Dual tandem Wide body aircraft (B-747) Tire pressure (75-200 psi) Traffic volume (annual departures by aircraft type)

Design Inputs
Subgrade CBR value Subbase CBR value Design aircraft gross weight Number of annual departures of the design aircraft

Subgrade CBR Design Value

One standard deviation below the mean Minimum Design CBR=3 If less, use stabilization, etc.

Subbase CBR Design Value

Can be determined in the laboratory FAA P-154 is subbase specification Assumes a CBR=20

Determine Design Aircraft

Forecast annual departures by aircraft type Determine required pavement thickness for each aircraft type Aircraft requiring the thickest pavement is the design aircraft Will not necessarily be heaviest aircraft

Example
Max. Ave. Takeoff Annual Aircraft Gear Type Departures Weight (lbs) 727-100 Dual 3,760 160,000 727-200 Dual 9,080 190,500 707-320B Dual tandem 3,050 327,000 DC-9-30 Dual 5,800 108,000 CV-880 Dual tandem 400 184,500 737-200 Dual 2,650 115,500 L1011-100 Dual tandem 1,710 450,000 747-100 2 dual tan 85 700,000

Example
For given data, assuming a CBR=6 Design aircraft is the 727-200

Annual Departures of Design Aircraft

Group all aircraft traffic into gear configuration of design aircraft Convert all departures into equivalent annual departures of the design aircraft (see table) Assume a load of 300,000 lbs and dual tandem for all wide body aircraft

Conversion Table
Convert From Single wheel Single wheel Dual wheel Dual wheel Dual tandem Dual tandem 2 dual tandem 2 dual tandem To Multiply By Dual wheel 0.8 Dual tandem 0.5 Single wheel 1.3 Dual tandem 0.6 Single wheel 2.0 Dual wheel 1.7 Dual tandem 1.0 Dual wheel 1.7

Example
To convert CV-800 departures into 727200 (design aircraft) departures

Eq. Dual Gear Departures = 400 1.7 = 680

Example
Aircraft 727-100 727-200 707-320B DC-9-30 CV-880 737-200 L1011-100 747-100 Eq. Dual Gear Departures 3,760 9,080 5,185 5,800 680 2,650 2,907 145 Eq. Annual Wheel Departures Load (lbs) Design Aircraft 38,000 1,891 45,240 9,080 38,830 2,764 25,650 682 21,910 94 27,430 463 35,625 1,184 35,625 83

Example
Aircraft wheel loads

190,500 0.95 0.5 Wheel Load = 2 = 45,240

Example
Aircraft 727-100 727-200 707-320B DC-9-30 CV-880 737-200 L1011-100 747-100 Eq. Dual Gear Departures 3,760 9,080 5,185 5,800 680 2,650 2,907 145 Wheel Eq. Annual Load Departures (lbs) Design Aircraft 38,000 1,891 45,240 9,080 38,830 2,764 25,650 682 21,910 94 27,430 463 35,625 1,184 35,625 83

Conversion Equation
To convert to equivalent annual departures of the design aircraft

log R1 = log R2

W2 W1

Conversion
R1 = equivalent annual departures by the design aircraft R2 = annual departures expressed in design aircraft landing gear W1 = wheel load of the design aircraft W2 = wheel load of the aircraft in question

Example
Equivalent annual departures, design aircraft

21,910 log R1 = log(680 ) 45,240 R1 = 94

Example
Aircraft 727-100 727-200 707-320B DC-9-30 CV-880 737-200 L1011-100 747-100 Eq. Dual Gear Departures 3,760 9,080 5,185 5,800 680 2,650 2,907 145 Eq. Annual Wheel Departures Load (lbs) Design Aircraft 38,000 1,891 45,240 9,080 38,830 2,764 25,650 682 21,910 94 27,430 463 35,625 1,184 35,625 83

Example
Sum to find the total equivalent annual departures of the design aircraft Total = 16,241 The design should be completed with 16,241 departures of a 190,500 lbs aircraft

Example
Max. Ave. Takeoff Annual Aircraft Gear Type Departures Weight (lbs) 727-100 Dual 3,760 160,000 727-200 Dual 9,080 190,500 707-320B Dual tandem 3,050 327,000 DC-9-30 Dual 5,800 108,000 CV-880 Dual tandem 400 184,500 737-200 Dual 2,650 115,500 L1011-100 Dual tandem 1,710 450,000 747-100 2 dual tan 85 700,000

Frost Protection
Complete frost protection Limited subgrade frost penetration 65% of frost penetration depth is composed of non-frost susceptible material Reduced subgrade strength Increase pavement thickness

Traffic Distribution
Full-depth design thickness required where departing aircraft use pavement Aprons Holding areas Center of runways and taxiways

Traffic Distribution
90% of design thickness required where arriving aircraft will use pavement High speed turnouts 70% of design thickness required where pavement use is unlikely Outer edges of runways and taxiways