27 Jan 2026

Evaluation of European Rapid-Setting Concrete Products for Airfield Repairs

Abstract: The USAF is assessing European cementitious repair products to certify them for spall and crater repairs on airfield pavements. As part of this ef-fort, the USAF asked the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) to evaluate and test three European-manufactured rapid-setting materials at the Silver Flag Exercise Site, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. ERDC evaluated and tested two cementitious products manufactured by Concretum, a company in Switzerland (country code CH), and one product, AC Concrete Rapid Set, from CTS Cement Manufacturing Corporation. The product was provided by Korodur International, a German (country code DE) distributor. Rapid pavement repair activities are critical to economically and efficiently sustaining airfield operations with existing pavement infrastructure. Repairing spalls and craters in Portland cement concrete airfield pavements will help lower repair costs from aircraft impact damage and prolong the service life of the pavement, ultimately saving money over its lifespan. Numerous partial-depth spall and full-scale crater repairs were constructed along existing inner and outer slab joints and backfilled with rapid-setting cementitious repair products following manufacturer mixing requirements.

14 Jan 2026

Field Demonstration of Magnesium Phosphate Concrete Pavement Repairs for Resilience to Heat and Petroleum, Oils, and Lubricants Exposure

Magnesium phosphate concrete (MPC) represents a possible alternative to portland cement concrete (PCC) that may be more resilient to unique types of distress created by aircraft operated by the United States Armed Forces. Aircraft such as the V-22 Osprey expose airfield pavement to petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) as well as surface temperatures up to 400°F. These conditions cause damage to the surface of concrete pavements, resulting in the exposure of aggregates, erosion of the surface, and the creation of foreign object debris. The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has developed a nonproprietary MPC mixture, which in this study was refined and used to implement full and partial-depth repairs of a V-22 parking apron experiencing heat and POL damage at Cannon Air Force Base.

18 Jun 2025

Evaluation of Commercial Cementitious Rapid-Setting Materials and Testing Protocol for Repairing Airfield Spalls

Abstract: The Pavement Repair Material Certification Program assists the US Air Force Civil Engineer Center by executing independent testing on select commercial cementitious proprietary products to repair partial-depth spalls in airfield concrete pavements. The selection of cementitious rapid-setting repair products can be difficult for military personnel considering the number of commercially available proprietary products. Too often, many product manufacturers highlight product strengths while masking undesirable properties. The purpose of this research was to evaluate selected commercially manufactured cementitious products through a series of laboratory testing protocols. These protocols were established to aid airfield managers and repair teams in selecting optimal airfield pavement spall repair materials by maintaining a database of approved products. Under the program, approximately four to six repair products are tested annually. This report presents the laboratory test methods and results of cementitious rapid-setting repair products tested at the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center from 2018 to 2022. The report also evaluates the overall test methods for assessing a material’s suitability for airfield spall repairs. Using the laboratory evaluation, eight products were identified as compatible for partial-depth airfield pavement concrete spall repairs.

16 Jun 2025

Evaluation of Tekcrete Fast for Airfield Pavement Repairs

Abstract: Tekcrete Fast is a deployable, high-strength cementitious product with rapid bonding force that was initially developed to provide stability for structures damaged by seismic activity and explosives. The product was evaluated by researchers at the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center for its ability to execute necessary force projection and resilient infrastructure repairs for the US military without major negative impacts to the mission. Full-scale testing of the rapidly emplaced calcium-sulfoaluminate (CSA) concrete product was completed to identify the sustainability and strength of the material with military aircraft traffic. The CSA concrete mixture was designed for dry-mix shotcrete applications and adapted to be placed conventionally (cast-in-place) using a portable skid steer concrete mixer. This report presents a technical evaluation of the field performance of full-depth concrete repairs conducted using the cast-in-place Tekcrete Fast material in a portable concrete mixer. Passes-to-failure rates for each repair were determined using an F-15E load cart. Results indicated that Tekcrete Fast meets the military’s criteria for being an expedient pavement repair solution.

12 Jun 2025

Evaluation of Commercial Cementitious Rapid-Setting Materials and Testing Protocol for Repairing Airfield Spalls: Material Testing Results for 2023 and 2024

Abstract: The Pavement Repair Material Certification Program assists the US Air Force Civil Engineer Center by executing independent testing on select proprietary commercial cementitious products used to repair partial-depth spalls in airfield concrete pavements. Selecting cementitious rapid-setting repair products can be difficult for military personnel because of the high number of commercially available products. Too often, product manufacturers highlight product strengths while masking undesirable properties. The purpose of this research was to evaluate selected commercially manufactured cementitious products through a series of laboratory testing protocols. These protocols were established to aid airfield managers and repair teams in selecting optimal airfield pavement spall repair materials by maintaining a database of permitted products. Under the program, approximately four to six repair products are tested annually. This report presents the laboratory test methods and results for cementitious rapid-setting repair products tested at the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center in 2023 and 2024. These test methods and results were evaluated for their ability to assess a material’s suitability for airfield spall repairs. No products were identified as compatible with partial-depth airfield pavement concrete spall repairs.

23 May 2025

Laboratory and Full-Scale Testing of JETCON JC400 Rapid-Setting Concrete Repair Materials for Crater Repairs

Abstract: The DoD currently utilizes rapid-setting concrete (RSC) for a variety of applications, including capping airfield pavement repairs, to limit closure time. Laboratory and field criteria were previously developed for certifying proprietary products for use in various sizes of repairs to ensure performance under aircraft loads. A few certified products have been added to the qualified products list for larger repairs, but none are manufactured in the region near the Korean peninsula. To address this issue, a candidate Korean product (JETCON JC400) was evaluated via the established laboratory and full-scale testing protocol. One large (i.e., 15 ft × 15 ft) repair and two small (i.e., 8.5 ft × 8.5 ft) repairs were conducted and trafficked with simulated F-15E aircraft traffic. JETCON JC400 met all criteria; therefore, the authors recommended adding it to the US Air Force Qualified Products list for large and small pavement repairs. The material is compatible with all volumetric concrete mixers currently in the DoD inventory and has many other potential applications.

21 Apr 2025

Evaluation of NiTech FG-NDGB Pelletized Asphalt for Rapid Airfield Damage Recovery Applications

Purpose: The NiTech Corporation’s FG-NDGB Pelletized Asphalt (PA), herein referred to as NiTech PA, was identified as a surfacing material for Rapid Airfield Damage Recovery (RADR) applications by the US Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC). AFCEC tasked the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) with evaluating NiTech PA by conducting full-scale crater repairs and applying simulated F-15E aircraft loads. The properties of the repair material were also to be obtained via laboratory characterization testing.

3 Mar 2025

Full-Depth Reclamation Equipment Evaluation and Expedient Pavement Reconstruction Process Development

Abstract: Full-depth reclamation (FDR) is a rehabilitation approach that can be readily applied to rapidly restore the structural capacity of heavily distressed or structurally deficient airfield asphalt pavements. This report presents a market survey of compact FDR construction equipment that could be deployed in contingency environments. Current equipment inventories from the US Air Force and Marine Corps were reviewed to identify gaps in terms of equipment for pavement reconstruction via the FDR technique. Additionally, a field demonstration was conducted to assess the effectiveness and productivity of FDR reclaimers on representative airfield asphalt pavements. A preliminary reconstruction process and a spreadsheet based calculator were developed to estimate construction times for the FDR technique. Examples of pavement reconstruction scenarios were generated to illustrate the FDR process as well as identify an approach with optimized construction times. The information in this report aims to assist in the implementation of reconstruction specifications for the FDR technique as applicable to expedient construction projects in contingency environments.

28 Feb 2025

The 2023 Joint Airfield Damage Repair Symposium (JADRS) at Fort Liberty, North Carolina

Abstract: The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and the 20th Engineer Brigade, 27th Engineer Battalion, executed the Joint Airfield Damage Repair Symposium from 5 to 14 June 2023. The event was a training experience for personnel executing pavement-repair tasks and a planning and coordination exercise for senior military and civilian leaders developing technologies and plans for airfield damage repair (ADR). The participants included 14 trainers, 8 staff members, 48 observers, and 145 trainees from the US Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines. The Military Occupational Specialty of most Army trainees was 12N, Horizontal Construction Engineer. The symposium also included a workshop attended by more than 20 organizations representing all branches of the US Military. Breakout sessions were used to develop strategies to address gaps in ADR materials, training, and doctrine. At the end of the symposium, the 27th Engineer Battalion identified needs for an updated joint doctrine detailing the capabilities residing within each service branch and defining their roles and responsibilities, equipment up-grades based on commercially available products that would enhance efficiency for ADR missions, positioning ADR materials in strategic locations to reduce the logistical burden of delivery, and lighter, more expeditionary ADR kits across each service.

15 Aug 2024

Repair Quality Assessment: Spiral 4

Abstract: The Expedient and Expeditionary Airfield Damage Repair (E-ADR), Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) program developed, demonstrated, and transitioned a repeatable capability for rapidly repairing bomb-damaged craters at adaptive base locations using logistically friendly technologies, indigenous materials, and less manpower than traditional crater repair methods. Within the E-ADR JCTD program, quality assessment took a major role to ensure quality repairs were performed while meeting the requirements of “just enough, just in time.” Repair criteria for backfill compaction and surface cap quality were developed through extensive testing. These criteria were incorporated into an easy-to-use and deployable smartphone application, the E-ADR Repair Assessment (ERA) application. This report focuses on the backfill quality assessment criteria development, roughness tolerance of surface caps checking procedure, and the development of the ERA application. The criteria and the ERA application both proved successful in the expedient evaluation of backfill and surface cap materials.