Experimental Study on Transportation Safety of Airport Pavement in Freeze-Thaw Cycling Environment

Rapid freeze-thaw cycling experiment of concrete was conducted to investigate the influence of freeze-thaw cycles on transportation safety of airport rigid pavement (ARP). The dynamic elastic modulus and mass of concrete specimens were measured and analyzed by a finite element model, which resulted in a four-linear service life prediction model of ARP and a performance based evaluation method (PBEM) of transportation safety. The results showed that the finite element model could accurately simulate damage conditions of concrete specimens, and the four-linear service life prediction model could conservatively predict damage conditions and specify bearing capacity of ARP. Both of the above models were integrated into PBEM to determine pavement capacity under freeze-thaw conditions, and PBEM was verified to be an efficient tool for aviation agencies to evaluate transportation safety. An example of transportation evaluation that considered the increasing of traffic loads and effects of freeze-thaw was provided to illustrate the applications of PBEM. And an optimized airport management system was achieved by integrating PBEM into decision-making processes.