2007 Archive
Nov. 29, 2007
Nov. 08, 2007
Sep. 28, 2007
Jun. 29, 2007
Jun. 22, 2007
Apr. 06, 2007
Mar. 23, 2007
Mar. 09, 2007
Mar. 02, 2007
Feb. 09, 2007
Jan. 26, 2007
Significant Activity Report for the Week Ending November 29, 2007
Overlay Demonstration: Dr. Navneet Garg from the Airport Pavement
Sub-Team attended the 2007 Concrete Airport Pavement Workshop and Whitetopping
Overlay Demonstration in Allen/Dallas, Texas on November 15-16. Dr. Garg
conducted an airport pavement design workshop aimed at users of FAA design
software. This FAA workshop covered topics including the Overview of Advanced
Airport Pavement Design Programs (LEDFAA 1.3, FAARFIELD 1.0, and COMFAA),
Changes to FAA Advisory Circulars Related to Airfield Pavement Design and
Evaluation, and Demonstration of the FAARFIELD 1.0 computer program. The
workshop was attended by 57 participants involved in airport pavement design and
construction. The Texas Department of Transportation, Cement Council of Texas,
American Concrete Pavement Association, and Collin County Regional Airport
sponsored the workshop.
International Workshop on FAA Pavement Design Software: Dr. David
R. Brill of the Airport Technology R&D Sub-Team conducted a full-day workshop on
airport pavement thickness design using the FAA's new FAARFIELD software program
in Lima, Peru, on November 15. The workshop was part of an event sponsored by
the International Civil Aviation Organization South American and Caribbean
(SAM/CAR) regions, the Latin American and Caribbean Airport Pavement Association
(ALACPA), and ACI-LAC. The event also included a seminar on airport pavement
rehabilitation and overlays, and a short course on airport visual and
navigational aids offered by ICAO. Approximately 120 people from 19 countries,
primarily from the Latin American and Caribbean regions, attended the FAA
workshop, which covered both new and overlay thickness design procedures. In
addition to the workshop, Dr. Brill gave a presentation on Upcoming Changes to
FAA Pavement Design Guidance.
Significant Activity Report for the Week Ending November 8, 2007
Innovative Airport Pavement Management Europe Conference: Al Larkin from the
Airport Pavement Sub-Team gave a presentation at the Innovative Airport Pavement
Management Europe Conference in London On October 30. The conference included
representatives from Europe, North America, and Asia and featured methods for
enhanced sustainability through innovative airport pavement management
procedures. Also included were recent case histories of construction and
maintenance projects and solutions developed to overcome local challenges.
Larkin's presentation focused on the initiative of the FAA to transition the MicroPAVER pavement evaluation to the internet. This project, under development
by the US Army Corps of Engineers, is approximately at the half-way point and is
currently titled WebPAVER.
National Fire Protection Association Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Technical
Committee Meeting: Keith Bagot and Nick Subbotin from the Airport Technology R&D
Sub-Team, participated in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) Technical Committee meetings. Over 50
representatives of the ARFF industry worldwide attended these
standards-developing committee meetings. The attendees included firefighters,
product manufacturers, and various federal government representatives. The
primary topic of the committee meetings was current revisions to NFPA 403,
Standard for Aircraft Rescue and Fire-Fighting Services at Airports and NFPA
412, Standard for Evaluating Aircraft Rescue and Fire-Fighting Foam Equipment.
Participants also discussed other documents upcoming in the next revision cycle.
These include NFPA 405, Standard for the Recurring Proficiency of Airport Fire
Fighters, NFPA 408, Standard for Aircraft Hand Portable Fire Extinguishers and
NFPA 422, Guide for Aircraft Accident/Incident Response Assessment.
Significant Activity Report for the Week Ending September 28, 2007
FAARFIELD Version 1.1: An updated version of the FAARFIELD airport pavement
thickness design software (v. 1.101) was posted for download and evaluation
recently. FAARFIELD stands for FAA Rigid and Flexible Iterative Elastic Layer
Design and is the successor software program to LEDFAA 1.3 for thickness design.
Meeting the standards in draft AC 150/5320-6E, "Airport Pavement Design and
Evaluation," FAARFIELD incorporates advanced structural analysis models,
including LEAF (FAA layered elastic analysis) and 3D finite element analysis of
concrete pavement structures. The program can be downloaded from the Airport
Technology R&TD Team's website:
http://www.airporttech.tc.faa.gov/naptf/download/.
Dr. David Brill, AJP-6310, (609) 485-5198, 9/28/07
Airport Pavement Research Annex Between the FAA and the Republic of France:
Representatives from the Airport Technology R&D Team and AAS-100 met with
representatives from the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussees (LCPC),
Service Technique de l'Aviation Civile (STAC), and the Direction Generale de
l'Aviation Civile (DGAC) in Paris recently. The purpose of the meeting was to
discuss Annex 16, "Joint Initiatives in Aviation Pavement Research," to the US -
French Cooperative Agreement. This Annex establishes the agreed upon topics
where the US and France will cooperate for research and development and the
sharing of information resulting from related studies and tests in airfield
pavement research. Research initiatives include in part: comparison of methods
to evaluate strains in airport pavement; analysis and development of procedures
to determine pavement roughness; analysis and development of rigid pavement
finite element methods; and improving the compatibility of U.S. and French
pavement databases. On September 19, the representatives attended the 23rd World
Road Congress Workshop on Airfield Pavements at the Palais Des Congres De Paris
and presented papers on a new set of Alpha Factor curves for use in the
California Bearing Ratio (CBR) methodology for designing flexible airport
pavements and the status of WebPAVER - an internet application of MicroPAVER.
Albert Larkin, AJP-6310, (609) 485-5552, 9/28/07
Significant Activity Report for the Week Ending June 29, 2007
Patterson Publishes in International Airport Review Magazine: The
International Airport Review published an article on Takeoff Hold Lights,
authored by ATO-P Airport Safety Specialist Jim Patterson, in its issue 3, 2007.
The article describes the extensive research conducted at the FAA William J.
Hughes Technical Center to determine the best possible lighting configuration to
serve as the Takeoff Hold Light component of the Runway Status Light System.
Jim Patterson, AJP-6311, (609) 485-4989, 6/28/07
Significant Activity Report for the week Ending June 22, 2007
Airport Pavement Research Annex Between the FAA and the Republic of
France: On Tuesday June 19 during the Paris Air Show the FAA
Administrator, Marion Blakely, and the Prefet of the French Directeur General de
l'Aviation Civile (DGAC), Didier Lallement, signed Annex 16 to existing
Cooperation Agreement AIA/CA-5. This Annex establishes the terms and conditions
that the FAA and DGAC agree to cooperate in the coordination of research and
development and the sharing of information resulting from related studies and
tests in the field of airfield pavement. Research initiatives include in part:
comparison of methods to evaluate strain in airport pavement, analysis and
development of procedures to determine pavement roughness, analysis and
development of rigid pavement finite element methods, and improving the
compatibility of U.S. and French pavement databases. The initial meeting to
collaborate under this Annex is scheduled during the Pavement International
Association of Road Congresses (PIARC) workshop, September 17 through 21 in
Paris.
Albert Larkin, AJP-6310, (609) 485-5552, 6/22/07
Status Meeting Between the FAA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:
On June 13-14, FAA representatives from Airport Technology R&D program
(Pavements), traveled to Vicksburg, Mississippi, to meet with Army Corps of
Engineers (ACOE) Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC)
representatives. The purpose of the visit was to discuss the status and progress
of Interagency Agreement (IA) DTFACT-05-X-00008, establish deliverable
deadlines, and to identify potential future work. Ongoing research in this IA
includes: developing Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC)
requirements for achieving Marshall density in P-401 asphalt mixes using
gyratory compaction; evaluation rubblized concrete pavement as an appropriate
base for asphalt pavement; and conducting a joint literature review documenting
existing ACOE full-scale pavement test data. ERDC personnel also provided a tour
of the Waterways Experiment Station facilities.
Albert Larkin, AJP-6310, (609) 485-5552, 6/22/07
New Large Aircraft (NLA) Fire Fighting Mockup: The Airport
Technology R&D Branch, in cooperation with the Air Force Research Lab, hosted a
dedication ceremony at Tyndall Air Force Base, Panama City, Florida, on May 22
to announce the completion of the New Large Aircraft (NLA) Fire Fighting Mockup.
The double-decker mockup will be the focal point for live fire research related
to NLA, such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8, which present new challenges
to current aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) principles, practices,
theories, training and equipment. This mockup is the largest live-fire aircraft
mockup in existence. Attendees included representatives from the FAA, Transport
Canada, the National Transportation Safety Board, Boeing Aircraft, the Aircraft
Rescue and Fire Fighting Working Group, and other airport fire fighting
professionals.
Jim Patterson, AJP-6311, (609) 485-4989, 6/22/07
Significant Activity Report for the week Ending April 6, 2007
Installation of Data Acquisition System: ATO-P R&D Airport Technology R&D
personnel completed the installation and initialization of a remote data
acquisition system at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. This
system is monitoring and collecting data from seventy sensors embedded in three
concrete slabs on taxiway E. This stand alone system is powered solely from a
battery bank maintained exclusively with photo-voltaic cells and a wind turbine
generator. Data will be retrieved routinely via a wireless internet connection
and sent back to our office at the FAA's William J. Hughes Technical Center's
National Airport Pavement Test Facility.
Frank Pecht, AJP-6311, (609) 485-8503, 4/4/07
New Large Aircraft: ATO-P R&D Airport Safety Technology personnel traveled to
Tyndall AFB, Panama City, Florida, to conduct an inspection of the recently
completed New Large Aircraft (NLA) full-scale live-fire mock-up. This mockup was
built within one of the two 100 foot diameter fire test pits on the base. The
mock-up will support testing of fire related NLA programs such as the
development of a Next Generation High Reach Elevated Turret, NLA Strategies and
Tactics, and the Interior Intervention Vehicle development. These testing
programs are being conducted under a new Interagency Agreement between the Air
Force Research Laboratory and Tyndall, AFB and the ARFF Research Program.
Jim Patterson, AJP-6311, (609) 485-4989, 4/4/07
Radar Validation Exercises: Personnel from ATO-P R&D's Airport Safety Technology
Research program participated in radar validation exercises at Marine Corps Air
Station Cherry Point in Havelock, North Carolina on April 2. The study is part
of a broader collaborative effort sponsored by the US Navy to validate radar
technology for use on airports to detect bird activity. As part of the
validation effort, researchers set up a single radar unit in the center of the
operational area of the air station for maximum coverage of the airport
property. Four teams of field observers were located at different posts around
the airport property. This validation protocol, commonly referred to as "ground
truthing," consisted of the radar detecting targets and then the field observers
confirming whether the reported target was a bird or not. Similar exercises will
be conducted at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Maryland, and Whidbey Island
Naval Air Station, Washington, during the month of April. Data will be compiled
and analyzed to determine not only the ability of the radar to detect and track
bird targets, but as the basis for developing effective protocols for further
validation. The FAA is participating as a collaborative cooperator in this
effort as the objectives closely relate to similar FAA sponsored studies to
develop standards for avian radar us on civil airports.
Ryan King, AJP-6311, (609) 485-8816, 4/4/07
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO): Personnel from the Airport
Safety Section participated in an ICAO Visual Aids Working Group (VAWG) meeting
hosted by Spain at the Madrid/Barajas airport terminal 2 Madrid, Spain, from
March 19-23. The meeting discussed items concerning Visual Aids for use at
aerodromes and possible inclusions/modifications to ICAO's Annex 14, volume 1
Standards And Recommended Practices (SARP).
Don Gallagher, AJP-6311, (609) 485-4583, 4/4/07
Significant Activity Report for the week Ending March 23, 2007
Airport Pavement Test Vehicle: FAA's procurement of four additional load
modules for the airport pavement test vehicle moved forward with the $1.2
million contract award by SRA International to General Tool Company of
Cincinnati, OH. The new load modules will feature larger radial tires with a
rated load capacity of up to 66,500 lbs, and a steering mechanism capable of
producing up to 5 degrees of yaw, to simulate next generation aircraft wheel
loads on airport pavements. When this contract is completed, the pavement test
vehicle will be upgraded from its current configuration of three tandem wheel
load modules to five tandem wheel load modules per test carriage.
Donald Barbagallo, AJP-6310, (609) 485-5297, 3/22/07
Significant Activity Report for the week Ending March 09, 2007
Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Detection System: On March 6, ATO-P R&D personnel
from the FAA's Airport Technology R&D Branch met with a Singapore based company
that is developing a FOD Detection System that is capable of identifying small
items (rocks, tools, aircraft parts, etc.) dropped on a runway surface. The
purpose of the system is to provide real time detection, as well as hazard
identification; to airport operators so that they can swiftly make efforts to
remove the FOD from the runway before any harm is done to passing aircraft.
Several systems such as this one are being evaluated in an attempt to develop
performance standards for FOD Detection Systems.
James W. Patterson. ATO-P, (609) 485-4989
International Airport Pavement Design Workshop: The Airports Authority of India
(AAI), in cooperation with the FAA, hosted an international workshop on Airport
Pavement Design & Evaluation in New Delhi, India, February 12 -15. Workshop
presenters included ATO-P R&D's Dr. Satish K. Agrawal, Dr. David R. Brill, and
Robert Flynn of the Airport Technology R&D Branch, and Charles Teubert and Dr.
Navneet Garg, of SRA International, Inc. Other presenters included
representatives of the Boeing Company, Airbus, and AAI. In addition to the
presenters, a total of 57 participants attended the workshop, representing 14
countries. Topics discussed included FAArfield, the FAA's new airport pavement
design software, and current research at the National Airport Pavement Test
Facility (NAPTF).
Dr. Satish K. Agrawal. ATO-P, (609) 485-6686
Dr. David R. Brill, ATO-P, (609) 485-5198
Robert P. Flynn, ATO-P, (609) 485-5318
Significant Activity Report for the week Ending March 02, 2007
ARFF Air Stair Vehicle Tilt Tested: On February 15, ATO-P R&D personnel from the
FAA's Airport Technology R&D Branch traveled to Port Washington, Wisconsin, to
coordinate and set up the first ever tilt table test of an air stair vehicle
that will be used by Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Fire
Department. Several U.S. airports are purchasing air stair vehicles for Aircraft
Rescue & Fire Fighting (ARFF) operations and emergency evacuations. JLG
Industries, Inc., in Port Washington, Wisconsin, was chosen for its unique tilt
table which allowed for additional securing and safety to ensure no structural
damage would occur during a tilting moment to the air stair structure or
platform. A tilt table test is a FAA performance requirement in ARFF vehicles
and has never been done on air stair vehicles. The testing and data collected
will be used in the new FAA Advisory Circular 150/5220-10D, Guide Specification
for Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Vehicles which will have requirements for
Interior Intervention Vehicles.
Nicholas Subbotin, ATO-P(R&D), (609) 485-8034, 2/28/2007
Innovative Pavement Research Foundation (IPRF) Project 06-3: ATO-P R&D Airport
Technology R&D program representatives hosted a meeting of the oversight panel
for Innovative Pavement Research Foundation (IPRF) Project 06-3 "Evaluation of
Design Parameters for Rigid Overlays" at the National Airport Pavement Test
Facility at the FAA's William J. Hughes Technical Center on February 27. Quality
Engineering Solutions (QES), the IPRF contractor, presented their progress to
date on the project. Project 06-3 is the second phase of current IPRF research
work on traffic loading of unbonded concrete overlays. The first phase consisted
of a construction-loading-analysis cycle similar to that in process for the
second phase. Both projects are a collaborative effort between the IPRF and the
FAA, with the IPRF contractor doing experimental design, construction, data
collection, and data analysis, and the FAA providing test loading facilities and
equipment operation. Three distinct 60-foot wide unbonded concrete overlay
pavement test items are being constructed by QES in phase two over a total
length of 300 feet of 8 CBR clay subgrade. Test pavement construction for the
second phase, including curing, is expected to be completed by June 2007 and
traffic loading is expected to be completed early in 2008. Six-wheel and
four-wheel loading will be applied simulating the operation of B777 and B787
aircraft. Loads are full-scale with wheel loads in the range 50,000 to 60,000
pounds. Dr. Gordon Hayhoe of ATO-P (R&D) is the FAA representative on the
oversight panel. Mr. Jim Lafrenz is the IPRF project manager and Dean Rue, Carl
Rapp, and Ray Rollings are the industry representatives. SRA international is
providing technical and engineering support to the FAA for operation of the test
facility and for subgrade construction.
Satish K. Agrawal, ATO-P(R&D), (609) 485-6686, 2/28/2007
Significant Activity Report for the week Ending February 09, 2007
Advisory Circular on Windmill Farms: On February 1, the FAA Office of
Obstruction Evaluation/Airport Airspace Analysis issued a revised advisory
circular, AC 70/7460-1K, partially based on work performed by the ATO-P R&D
Airport Technology R&D Branch. Researcher Jim Patterson led development of
obstruction lighting standards at wind turbine farms. After visiting multiple
test sites, configuration requirements were developed that identifies the wind
farms while minimizing the potential for light pollution. The revised AC
incorporates Patterson's recommendations into Chapter 13, which establishes
guidelines for wind energy projects. You can read the AC online at
http://www.oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaaEXT/content/AC70_7460_1K.pdf .
Significant Activity Report for the week Ending January 26, 2007
Airport Pavement Design and Evaluation Workshop: Dr. Satish Agrawal and airport
technology R&D staff will conduct a 3-day workshop on "Airport Pavement Design
and Evaluation" in New Delhi on February 12-14. The Airport Authority of India
is cosponsoring the workshop. The FAA researchers will be joined by three
researchers from the Boeing Company and two researchers from Airbus, Toulouse.
The ICAO helped arrange the workshop.
Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS): On January 23, portions of the
FAA's Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS) environmental durability test
bed were upgraded with the latest generation durability coating materials. The
test bed was installed at the William J. Hughes Technical Center in May 2005 as
part of a continuing effort between the FAA's Airport Technology Safety R&D
Section and Engineered Systems Co. (ESCO) being carried out through a
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRDA). The environmental
durability test bed is instrumented with over 100 sensors that provide
temperature, humidity, and load data. Additional data is collected from an
adjacent weather station. Project engineers have been monitoring the bed for
about 20 months and are hopeful that the data may yield important insight into
material response to environmental condition changes and lead to predictive
trends for long term durability forecasts. This recent modification of the test
bed included the removal and replacement of ten of the 150 blocks of cellular
cement material. New joint sealants and protective side protection materials
were also installed. The FAA's test bed now contains various versions of
arrestor bed composition representative of those that are installed at nearly 20
airports across the United States.
TRB Annual Conference: On January 21, ATO-P R&D pavement researcher, Dr. David
Brill held a workshop on "FAARFIELD (FAA Rigid and Flexible Interactive Elastic
Layer Design): New FAA Design Software for Airport Pavement Thickness." The FAA
will soon introduce this new software program for airfield pavement design,
which incorporates a 3D finite element structural model for rigid pavements and
overlays, and layered elastic analysis for flexible pavements. Dr. Bill
conducted this half-day training workshop to help airport pavement engineers as
well as airport owners and operators become familiar with this new program and
changes from the current design standards in FAA Advisory Circular 150/5320-6D.
Last Update:
06/02/09
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