Design and Evaluation of Aircraft Pavements—1971

A system has been evolved by which any aircraft may be assigned a numerical value, dependent on the aircraft weight, tire pressure, and number and spacing of its wheels. Procedures for the design of supporting structures are given that theoretically relate construction thickness, subgrade strength, and pavement stress with the same scale used to evaluate aircraft. Analogs represent from experience the construction which best meets the different functional requirements of the various areas of pavement which make up an aerodrome. Pavement evaluation is carried out in reverse of the design procedure. Guidance material is given for the application of the system by aerodrome authorities and aircraft operators for unlimited, occasional, and emergency categories of usage. The system described not only imparts this knowledge but does so without recourse to a confusion of technical parameters. Furthermore, it overcomes the limitations of the current recommended procedures of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).