2 Oct 2025

Field Study of Nontraditional Airfield Pavements

Abstract: Airfield pavements in contingency environments might not meet current design standards or might have deteriorated significantly. This study developed performance models for operating C-17 and C-130 aircraft on austere pavements, termed nontraditional airfield pavements. Field evaluations were conducted at six exemplar pavement sections to determine their structural capacity and remaining service life. The structural capacity of these pavement sections was first evaluated using nondestructive and semi-destructive test methods. The evaluations were performed using a single-wheel aircraft-loading simulator operated at two tire inflation pressures while maintaining total aircraft load. Field performance data included sur-face pavement deformation and structural deterioration. Forensic test pits were excavated to document the pavement structural design, material characteristics, and potential failure mechanism. This study found that an expedient contingency operation (100 passes or fewer) of a C-17 could be satisfactorily accomplished, and the service life could be potentially greater for a C-130. Reducing the tire inflation pressure did not always influence the pavements’ performance. The lightweight deflectometer showed potential as a portable pavement-monitoring tool. ERDC developed an improved performance-prediction technique for nontraditional airfield pavements and now propose further implementation to predict service life of other air-field pavement types.

10 Sep 2025

Evaluation of the Plate Load Test for Design of Rigid Airfield Pavements Using Various Plate Sizes

Abstract: This report addresses the state of knowledge of the plate load test and modulus of subgrade reaction (k), industry’s desire to simplify the plate load test, and the effect of the k-value on rigid pavement design. The report traces back the theory behind the k-value over 150 years to evaluate the current state of knowledge. A total of 144 plate load tests were executed on three subgrade materials under varying base course thick-nesses. Plate load testing was designed to evaluate various plate sizes and testing standards (e.g., the military standard CRD-C 655-96 and the ASTM International [commonly called ASTM] standard ASTM D1196-21). By measuring plate load tests on varying base course thicknesses, field-measured effective k-curves were developed. Overall, results show that kASTM was higher than kCRD. Although a smaller plate setup produced similar results, additional variability was introduced when using smaller plates. The results of the field data imply that the current effective k-curves underestimate the global stiffness contribution provided by the base layer. Findings suggest the analytically generated effective k-curves validate the measured k-values in the field.

27 May 2025

Naval Expeditionary Runway Construction Criteria: Evaluation of Reduced Flexural Strength Portland Cement Concrete under P-8 Traffic

Abstract: A full-scale airfield pavement test section was constructed and trafficked by the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) to investigate the impact of substandard flexural strength portland cement concrete (PCC) on the pavement structural support requirements for the P-8 aircraft. The substandard pavements were representative of those that may be encountered in remote locations where there may be a lack of locally available competent materials, standard construction equipment, or a skilled labor force. The test section consisted of two PCC surface thicknesses that closely matched those evaluated in previous studies utilizing standard-strength PCC. The test items were trafficked with a dual-wheel P-8 test gear on a heavy-vehicle simulator. The outcomes of the trafficking test showed a significant reduction in PCC pavement performance resulting from the reduction in flexural strength. Further, a comparison of observed performance to current pavement design and evaluation procedures suggested that current procedures may be overly conservative and may exceed a level of conservatism appropriate in a contingency environment.