25 Jun 2025

Evaluating the Influence of Flexural Strength on Rigid Pavement Performance Under Simulated Aircraft Traffic

Abstract: A full-scale airfield pavement test section was constructed and trafficked by ERDC to investigate the impact of substandard flexural strength portland cement concrete on pavement structural support requirements under simulated aircraft loading conditions. The substandard pavements were representative of ones 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 constructed with a standard airfield flexural strength PCC mixture and a low flexural strength PCC mixture and a dowelled and non-dowelled joint. The test items were trafficked with a dual-wheel P-8 aircraft test gear mounted on a heavy-vehicle simulator. The outcomes of the tests showed a significant reduction in PCC pavement cracking performance resulting from the reduction in flexural strength. Instrumentation response data were analyzed to corroborate observed surface cracking. The field data were compared to DoD pavement design and evaluation procedures, and it found current procedures underpredicted observed performance in excess of 90 percent. These estimations may be overly conservative and may exceed a level of conservatism appropriate in a remote environment. The observed conservatism was attributed to simplifying assumptions and empirical correlations made in early development.

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.