Pavement Evaluation and Design for Jumbo Jets

Two examples of practical pavement evaluation and design for determining the requirements for airfield pavements to support the new generation of jumbo jets are presented. The approach is based on the fundamental premise that the determination of the stress and strain (i.e., mechanical state) in a pavement system by the elastic theory can be utilized to determine load-carrying capacity of existing pavement sections and to design new sections or to strengthen existing sections. The bases for this are: (1) use of the rupture mode of failure to establish limiting values of stress and strain (i.e., strength criteria) and (2) measurement of deflection of the existing pavement under a known load to verify the analytical procedures. The method of analyses employed to relate the pavement geometry to the mechanical state are either the numerical solution for an n-layer system, which is an extension of the two-layer system illustrated by Burmister, or the finite element method. Computer programs are used to facilitate the analyses.