Incorporating Risk Considerations in Airport Runway Pavement Maintenance Management

Abstract

The thesis proposes a methodology to incorporate risk considerations into runway pavement maintenance management. Three main aspects namely, runway pavement management, aircraft runway safety risks, and analysis of wet pavement friction are integrated in the development of the methodology. Runway distresses and surface characteristics are evaluated based on their impact on runway frictional performance under wet pavement conditions. A finite element model is developed to analyze tire-pavement-fluid interaction and simulate hydroplaning and skid resistance for aircraft tires on runway pavement with surface water, considering pavement distress, runway and aircraft operational characteristics. The simulation results are used in the evaluation of risks on safe aircraft operations due to different distresses and runway conditions. The proposed approach allows for improved understanding on the effects of distresses on pavement frictional performance, in the context of pavement maintenance management.