2008 Archive
Nov.20, 2008
Nov. 07, 2008
Jun. 12, 2008
May 30, 2008
May 23, 2008
May 16, 2008
Apr. 24, 2008
Apr. 18, 2008
Apr. 11, 2008
Apr. 03, 2008
Mar. 20, 2008
Mar. 14, 2008
Feb. 29, 2008
Feb. 15, 2008
Jan. 18, 2008
Significant Activities for the Week ending November 20, 2008
Road Profiler User's Group Conference: Al Larkin of the Airport
Pavement Sub-Team attended the 20th Annual Road Profiler User's Group (RPUG)
conference in Austin, Texas from October 27-29. Approximately 150 participants
from seven countries attended the conference hosted by the Texas Department of
Transportation. This conference is held to discuss and present advances in the
field of road profiling to assess ride roughness. Airport consultants and
vendors also discussed airport pavement roughness. Participants also provided
the status of the draft FAA Advisory Circular AC 150-5380-9; Guidelines and
Procedures for Measuring Airfield Pavement Roughness.
Al Larkin, AJP-6312, (609) 485-5552. 11/20/08
Significant Activities for the Week ending November 7, 2008
International FAARFIELD Airport Pavement Design Workshop: Dr. David R. Brill and
Jeffrey Gagnon of the Airport Pavement Sub-Team conducted an interactive
computer workshop on airport pavement thickness design using the FAA's new FAARFIELD 1.2 software program in Mexico City, Mexico on October 30, 2008. The
FAA airport pavement workshop was held in conjunction with the 5th ICAO/ALACPA/IPN/ESIA
Seminar sponsored by the Latin American and Caribbean Association for Airport
Pavements (ALACPA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACC) Office in Mexico City.
Approximately 170 persons from 16 countries, primarily in the Latin American and
Caribbean regions, attended the workshop. Many participants brought laptops and
were encouraged to follow the design examples in real time. Design examples
covered both new and overlay thickness design procedures as provided in draft AC
150/5320-6E, which is currently undergoing review.
David R. Brill, Ph.D., AJP-6312, (609) 485-5198, 11/7/08
ALACPA/ICAO Seminar: Jeff Gagnon and Dr. David Brill of the Airport Technology
R&D Team attended the 5th Seminar and 1st Business Meeting on Airport Pavement
in Mexico City, Mexico from October 27th to the 31st. The seminar was sponsored
by the ICAO North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACC) Office and
ALACPA, the Latin American and Caribbean Association for Airport Pavements.
Gagnon gave four presentations during the seminar titled "PAVEAIR - Web-Based
Pavement Management System," "Use of Recycled Pavement Materials," "Use of Stone
Matrix Asphalt," and "Use of PCC Rubblization with HMA overlays." Brill gave a
presentation titled "Moving Toward Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design
Procedures," and also presented an overview of the ACN-PCN calculation discussed
in AC 150/5335-5A and the FAA software, COMFAA. Brill also provided a full day
workshop on the use of the new FAA airfield pavement design program, FAARFIELD.
Jeff Gagnon, AJP-6312, (609) 485-5226, 11/7/08
Significant Activities for the Week ending June 12, 2008
Draft of Advisory Circular 150/5210-14B: Keith Bagot from the
Airport Safety Sub-Team attended a meeting with representatives of the Office of
Airport Safety and Standards in Washington, DC. Participants held the meeting to
update and review public comments to the Draft Advisory Circular 150/5210-14B:
Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Equipment, Tools, and Clothing. The document
sets the standards for airport fire departments to use in purchasing protective
clothing, self-contained breathing apparatus, and powered rescue tools under
Airport Improvement Program federal funding.
Keith Bagot, AJP-6311, (609) 485-6383, 6/12/08
ACRP Project 04-03, FY 2007 Guidebook for Approach Light System Hazard
Assessment and Mitigation - Interim Report: Holly Cyrus of the Airport Safety
Sub-Team reviewed the Guidebook for Approach Light System Hazard Assessment and
Mitigation - Interim Report with a panel of experts for the aviation industry
for the Transportation Research Board. This document will provide a checklist of
items to help in the event an aircraft hits an approach light system during
undershot or overrun of the runway. The guidebook will assist FAA personnel,
airport staff, and firefighters with guidance on emergency procedures regarding
approach lights. Researchers expect the final document to be published in
December 2008.
Holly Cyrus, AJP-6311, (609) 485-4887, 6/12/08
Significant Activities for the Week ending May 30, 2008
Foreign Object Debris Detection System Evaluation: Personnel
from the Airport Safety Sub-Team participated in a demonstration of an automated
Foreign Object Debris (FOD) detection system recently installed at Boston Logan
International Airport. The system, manufactured by X-Sight, is one of four FOD
detection technologies that the FAA is evaluating as part of research efforts to
develop performance specifications for these types of systems. The system at
Logan will undergo a year-long evaluation to evaluate performance during various
weather and seasonal conditions. While participating in the demonstration at
Logan, FAA Project Manager Jim Patterson was interviewed by a New York Times
reporter. The article was featured in the Friday, May 23rd's edition of the
newspaper and is viewable electronically at the New York Times web site.
Jim Patterson, AJP-6311, (609) 485-4989
Foreign Object Debris Detection Research: Airport Safety Specialist Jim
Patterson was recently featured in the May 12, 2008 edition of Aviation Week and
Space Technology. The article, titled "FOD Squad," highlights research conducted
by the FAA explaining the four technologies being evaluated, the evaluation
process, and the goals of the overall project. Two of the four FOD detection
technologies have been brought online and are being evaluated. The Airport
Safety Sub-Team hopes to complete the evaluation activity of all four systems
sometime in early 2009.
Jim Patterson, AJP-6311, (609) 485-4989
Precision Approach Path Indicator Evaluation: Personnel from the Airport Safety
Sub-Team traveled to Tamiami, Florida, to conduct flight evaluations of a new
Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) system being evaluated by the FAA.
Researchers are flight testing this new first-article PAPI system, installed at
the Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport, to ensure that the visible signal
viewable to approaching pilots is correct in color, alignment, and acquisition
distance. Using a tracking scope, engineers on the ground are able to measure
the angle at which the pilot reports seeing the transition point where the white
light signal transitions to red as the pilot descends through the signal.
Follow-on testing is tentatively scheduled for late June.
Jim Patterson, AJP-6311, (609) 485-4989
Light-Emitting Diode Taxiway Lighting Effects on Constant Current Regulator
Stability Report: Holly Cyrus of the Airport Safety Sub-Team and Jess Nadel of
Hi-Tec Systems published a Technical Report entitled "Light Emitting Diode
Taxiway Lighting Effects on Constant Current Regulator Stability." Researchers
studied how light-emitting diode (LED) taxiway edge lights affect the operation
of Constant Current Regulators (CCR). When the taxiway edge lights are turned
on, often the CCRs are turned off. The study recommended that the LED taxiway
edge light fixture not drop the power by more than 10 percent at any given step.
The Technical Note, DOT/FAA/AR-TN08/29, is available electronically through the
Airport Safety website at www.airporttech.tc.faa.gov under downloads or through
the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center library website at
actlibrary.tc.faa.gov.
Holly Cyrus, AJP-6311, (609) 485-4887
Evaluation of Thermoplastic Marking Materials Report: Holly Cyrus of the Airport
Safety Sub-Team and Anthony J. Previti, C. M. of Hi-Tec Systems published a
Technical Report entitled "Evaluation of Thermoplastic Marking Materials."
Researchers studied two types of thermoplastic materials that were applied on
asphalt and concrete surfaces at the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center and
Newark Liberty International Airport and evaluated for one year. The data
obtained from this study showed that the retro-reflectivity of the thermoplastic
materials was acceptable. The chromaticity of the thermoplastic materials was
within tolerance for white, red, yellow, and black. The report,
DOT/FAA/AR-TN08/22, will be available through FAA William J. Hughes Technical
Center library website at actlibrary.tc.faa.gov.
Holly Cyrus, AJP-6311, (609) 485-4887
Significant Activities for the Week ending May 23, 2008
Next Generation High Reach Extendible Turret: Keith Bagot and Nick Subbotin from
the Airport Safety Sub-Team traveled to Tyndall Air Force Base, Panama City,
Florida to oversee live fire testing of the newly modified Next Generation High
Reach Extendible Turret (HRET). Researchers conducted fire testing using the
100-foot diameter fire test pit which has the New Large Aircraft fuselage mockup
within the fire pit. The new HRET is 65-feet long and allows for aircraft skin
penetration and fire extinguishment on the second level of the new A-380 and
B-747-8 aircraft. Researches conducted several fire tests using several hundred
gallons of JP-8 fuel. Fire tests will continue over the next several months to
further evaluate this new technology.
Keith Bagot, AJP-6311, (609) 485-6383, 5/22/08
International Workshop on Airport Pavement Design and Evaluation: Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) along with Singapore Aviation Academy conducted a
three-day International Workshop on Airport Pavement Design and Evaluation on
May 14-16 at the Singapore Aviation Academy in Singapore. Speakers from the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Boeing Company, and AIRBUS
Industries supported the workshop. The FAA speakers included Dr. Satish Agrawal,
Dr. Gordon Hayhoe, and Dr. Navneet Garg from the FAA Airport Technology R&D
Team, and Rodney Joel from FAA Headquarters. Workshop participants learned the
latest advances in airport technology as well as research and development on
pavement design, pavement maintenance and management tools, pavement roughness,
pavement ratings, rehabilitation techniques and post traffic testing. Sixty-one
participants from fourteen countries attended the workshop.
Naveneet Garg, Ph.D., AJP-6312, (609) 485-4483, 5/22/08
15th Annual NASA Tire/Runway Friction Workshop: Personnel from the Airport
Technology Research and Development Team participated in the 15th Annual NASA
Tire/Runway Friction Workshop at Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, May 12-16.
Researchers worked to obtain supplemental data from approved Continuous Friction
Measurement Equipment (CFME) as part of an effort to update a maintenance
certification table in Advisory Circular 150/5320-12C, Measurement, Construction
and Maintenance of Skid-Resistant Airport Pavement Surfaces. Approximately 100
attendees from government, academia, and industry representing pavement
friction, texture, and roughness measurement organizations from the United
States, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Scotland, Hungary, Norway, Egypt, Sri
Lanka, Columbia, Guatemala and Australia attended. The FAA provided funding to
cover Wallops Flight Facility infrastructure and support costs for this workshop
under an Interagency Agreement. Over 250 test runs were conducted with 19 CFMEs
under self-wetting conditions. Researchers arranged test sections in lanes and
included 14 different test pavement surfaces and added nearly 4,000 friction
measurements to the database for analysis.
Ryan E. King, AJP-6311, (609) 485-8816, 5/22/08
Significant Activities for the Week ending May 16, 2008
IES Aviation Lighting Government Contacts Sub-Committee Meeting: Airport Safety
researcher Donald Gallagher attended the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES)
Aviation Lighting Government Contacts Sub-Committee Spring Meeting held in
Washington, DC on May 9. The IES of North America is the recognized technical
authority on illumination. The one-day meeting of the Government Contacts
Sub-Committee is an opportunity for those in the aviation lighting industry to
meet with government representatives in Washington. The meeting was organized
and moderated by Bob Booker, Chairman of the Government Contacts Sub-Committee.
Booker, with Hi-Tec Systems, is a support contractor to the FAA Airport Safety
Sub-Team. Gallagher updated the attendees on recent accomplishments and on-going
projects in the Visual Guidance Program. Representatives from the FAA and
Transport Canada offered five presentations.
Donald W. Gallagher, AJP-6311, (609) 485-4583, 3/15/08
Significant Activities for the Week ending April 24, 2008
Bird Use of Storm Water Retention Ponds: Ryan King of the Airport Technology R&D
Team, Airport Safety Sub-Team, traveled to Auburn University, Alabama to
participate in meetings and site visits regarding ongoing research on bird use
of storm water retention ponds on April 21. Because of the presence of water,
vegetation, and other food sources, storm water retention ponds can be very
attractive hazardous bird species. In order to minimize the risk for aircraft
bird collisions, FAA Advisory Circular 150/5200-33B recommends that land-use
practices within 10,000 feet of an airport exclude features and functions that
are attractive to hazardous wildlife species.
Research is being conducted through an interagency agreement between the FAA and
the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services-Alabama. The first
phase of the study is focused on regular periodic data sampling at 40 storm
water ponds near Auburn, AL. The ponds are representative of the entire spectrum
of facility management from "well managed" ponds that include groomed
surrounding vegetation, clear drainage culverts, and limited access, to "poorly
managed" ponds that resemble natural wildlife habitats. Researchers will collect
data for 104 weeks and analyze the data to develop risk models that predict the
risks associated with various pond features. The data will include depth of
water, slope bank, vegetation type, level of facility management, and the
attractiveness to hazardous birds. King and others from the USDA and Auburn
University visited seven of the 40 study ponds. In the first six weeks of the
study, 95 different species have been identified as using the study ponds.
A follow on study under the interagency agreement has been planned to apply the
risk models to engineering practices for storm water retention pond designs
within the 10,000 foot separation zone recommended by the FAA.
Ryan E. King, AJP-6311, (609) 485-8816, 4/24/08
Precision Approach Path Indicator Baffling Effort: Personnel from the Airport
Technology R&D Team, Airport Safety Sub-Team, traveled to Gillespie Field in El
Cajon, CA to realign small metal baffles that were installed inside the
Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lamp housing units. These small baffles
were installed over 20 years ago to block usable signals from being visible to
pilots if they were flying too close to a nearby mountain. The airport recently
extended the runway where they were installed and the FAA had to relocate the
four PAPI units approximately 600 feet. Project engineers conducted field
measurements, realigned the baffles, and then conducted airborne evaluations to
verify that the signal was being masked properly near the mountain. The system
should be in service within the next few weeks.
Mobile FOD Detection Technology Evaluation: Personnel from the Airport Safety
R&D Section traveled to the Palomar Airport near Carlsbad, CA to participate in
an evaluation of a mobile Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Detection System. The
system, made by Trex Enterprises, is called the FOD Finder. FAA researchers are
evaluating this technology as part of a major effort to develop performance
standards for FOD detection systems that may be deployed at U.S. airports. This
evaluation was designed to challenge the system by placing variously sized FOD
items on the runway surface. The vendor was then allowed to operate the vehicle
equipped with the FOD Finder unit on the runway to see how many items it was
able to detect. Once preliminary testing is complete, the Airport Safety
Technology Section plans to relocate the FOD Finder to Chicago Midway Airport
for additional in-service evaluation.
Jim Patterson, AJP-6311, (609) 485-4989, 4/24/08
Significant Activities for the Week ending April 18, 2008
Airport Pavement Test Vehicle: Four new load modules for the airport pavement
test vehicle arrived at the National Airport Pavement Test Facility. The modules
were built under a contract awarded by SRA International to General Tool Company
of Cincinnati, Ohio. The new load modules 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. The new load modules will upgrade the pavement test
vehicle from its current configuration of three tandem wheel load modules to
five tandem wheel load modules per test carriage. Researchers plan to have the
modules installed by the autumn of 2008.
Donald Barbagallo, AJP-6312, (609) 485-5297, 4/17/08
Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Working Group Meeting: Representatives of the
Airport Safety R&D Sub-Team traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana for an Aircraft
Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Working Group meeting in conjunction with the
Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC). The FDIC is the largest
firefighting conference and workshop in North America, consisting of hands-on
training techniques, classroom sessions, and exhibits. FAA representatives
discussed ARFF-related topics such as current firefighting issues, FAA research,
the Airbus A380, and post-aircraft crash events with many of the more than
28,000 firefighters in attendance.
Nicholas Subbotin, AJP-6311, (609) 485-8034, 4/17/08
Significant Activities for the Week ending April 11, 2008
Engineered Material Arresting System: Ryan King of the Airport Technology R&D
Team, Airport Safety Sub-Team, participated in forensic data collection during
the deconstruction of an Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS) test bed at
the US Army Corps of Engineer's (USACE) Cold Regions Research and Engineering
Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, New Hampshire on March 28 and 30, 2008. The test
bed was installed at the CRREL facility in June 2007, as part of an interagency
agreement with the USACE and a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRDA)
with Engineered Arresting Systems Corporation (ESCO). This data collection marks
the end of a nine month phase of a larger effort to monitor and assess the
durability of EMAS systems during exposure to multiple freeze-thaw cycles.
Researchers instrumented the CRREL EMAS test bed with over 25 sensors that
provided temperature and relative humidity, and collected additional data from
infrared cameras and other means to gain a better understanding of how EMAS
responds to thermal loading. This series of observations allowed the project
engineers to inspect the EMAS blocks during both freezing and thawing
temperature conditions. Researchers plan to continue laboratory testing, data
collection, and analysis throughout FY08 on smaller material samples.
EMAS systems are currently installed at the end of 34 runways within the United
States. The lightweight concrete-based materials that comprise an EMAS crush
under an aircraft's tires and provide the deceleration forces necessary to
safely stop an aircraft in the event of a runway overrun.
Ryan E. King, AJP-6311, (609) 485-8816, 4/11/08
Significant Activities for the Week ending April 03, 2008
Lighting System Report published: DOT/FAA/AR-TN07/68, "All-Strobe Approach
Lighting System: Research and Evaluation" was published in March 2008 by the
Airport Safety Technology R&D Sub-team. Researchers evaluated the feasibility of
replacing the current standard MALSR approach lighting system with a system
consisting of all strobe lights with no steady burning lights. As a result of
the research included in this report, researchers concluded this system was not
suitable as a replacement.
Donald W. Gallagher, AJP-6311, (609) 485-4583, 4/3/08
Significant Activities for the Week ending March 20, 2008
Visit to Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst: A representative
from the Airport Pavement Sub-Team met with representatives from the U.S. Navy
at Naval Air Engineering Station (NAES) Lakehurst to discuss the construction of
a rigid (concrete) runway for United States Air Force C-17 cargo planes.
Attendees discussed pavement roughness, construction pavement roughness
parameters, and construction issues associated with intersecting the new rigid
runway with an existing bituminous concrete (asphalt) runway. Attendees also
reviewed FAA construction specifications and the NAES runway elevation profiles
and slab dimensions.
Albert Larkin, AJP-6312, (609) 485-5552, 3/20/08
FAA Eastern Region Airport Conference Presentations: Personnel
from the Airport Safety Technology R&D Sub-Team traveled to Hershey, PA to give
presentations on current research efforts underway at the FAA William J. Hughes
Technical Center. Jim Patterson briefed attendees on Foreign Object Debris (FOD)
Detection and future Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)
research efforts, while Donald Gallagher and Holly Cyrus gave a presentation on
airport lighting and paint marking research efforts. The Airport Safety
Technology R&D Sub-Team frequently supports FAA sponsored conferences, as it
provides an opportunity to showcase FAA airport research efforts to both FAA
regional personnel and the airport industry.
Paul Jones, AJP-6311, (609) 485-6713, 3/20/08
Significant Activities for the Week Ending March 14, 2008
ACI-NA Spring Safety and Security Conference 2008: Jim Patterson from the
Airport Technology R&D Sub-Team participated in the Airports Council
International - North America (ACI-NA) Spring Safety & Security Conference.
Patterson was a panel member and briefed attendees on the status of several
safety-related research efforts conducted by the Airport Safety R&D Program.
Patterson reported on avian hazard mitigation, Foreign Object Debris (FOD)
detection systems, new large aircraft firefighting research, and composite
firefighting. Attendees were able to examine the mobile FOD detection technology
that FAA researchers are developing.
Paul Jones, AJP-6311, (609) 485-6713, 3/14/008
2008 Runway Friction Testing Program: Two representatives of the Airport
Technology R&D Sub-Team participated in the 2008 Runway Friction Testing Program
in Nantes, France. The French Aviation' Technical Services Directive and
Transport Canada hosted the week-long program at the Laboratoire Central des
Ponts et Chaussees (LCPC). Researchers collected friction measurement data to
support harmonizing and correlating measurements of different friction-measuring
devices from various manufactures. Researchers will use the test date to
evaluate the effect of varying the water film thickness of the devices'
self-watering systems from 0.5mm (Transport Canada's standard) to 1.0mm (FAA
standard). The comprehensive program featured a total of nine friction-measuring
devices along with participants from six different countries representing
industry and government authorities.
During the course of the testing regimen, FAA personnel operated three FAA-owned
friction-measuring devices. Testing sequences consisted of a series of multiple
runs over 11 different pavement surfaces. The collected data will be
consolidated with data from the other vehicles and analyzed in terms of time
stability, reproducibility, and repeatability of the measurements from various
devices and will also support the continuing effort by civil aviation
organizations from around the world to better understand and report accurate and
useful runway surface condition information to operational aircraft.
Ryan King/Nick Subbotin, AJP-6311, x8816, 3/14/08
Significant Activities for the Week Ending February 29, 2008
Aviation & Space Education Program Support: Personnel from the Airport Safety
R&D Team visited the Wallace Middle School in Vineland, NJ on February 22 in
support of the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center Aviation and Space
Education (AVSED) Program and National Engineers Week. Airport Safety
Specialists spent the day at the school demonstrating the various engineering
work involved in the performance of their jobs. Students experienced
presentations on the different types of fire testing conducted at the Technical
Center and were allowed to try on firefighting gear. Researchers also brought
two crash/rescue firefighting trucks to the school to give the students a chance
to see how engineering studies can be applied to the design and operation of an
airport fire truck.
Jim Patterson, AJP-6311, (609) 485-4989
Significant Activity for the Week Ending February 15, 2008
Automated Foreign Object Debris Detection System Research: Jim Patterson
of the Airport Technology R&D Sub Team traveled to Brussels, Belgium to attend a
Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Detection Workshop hosted by EUROCONTROL. The
workshop provided an opportunity for airport operators and government agencies
from around the world to collectively develop operational standards for
automated FOD Detection Systems. The FAA is investigating four different
technologies in the United States with a similar goal of developing performance
standards for inclusion in an FAA Advisory Circular.
Jim Patterson, AJP-6311, (609) 485-4989, 2/15/08
Medium Intensity Approach Lighting System with Runway Alignment Indicator
Lights Baffling Effort: Personnel from the Airport Technology R&D Sub Team
traveled to Vandenburg, Florida to install metal shields, or baffles, on the
five white strobe lights that make up the Runway Alignment Indicator Lights
portion of the Medium Intensity Approach Lighting System with Runway Alignment
Indicator Lights (MALSR). Homeowners living near the final approach area of the
runway were complaining about excessive light shining on their houses from these
fixtures. Project personnel were able to design, construct, and install metal
shields that block the light from hitting the ground where the houses are
located but do not affect the light needed by approaching aircraft. After the
baffles were installed, project personnel used a small aircraft to view the
lights from the air to ensure that the changes did not affect the performance of
the lights.
Jim Patterson, AJP-6312, (609) 485-4989, 2/15/08
Precision Approach Path Indicator Operational Test and Evaluation Support:
Personnel from the Airport Technology R&D Sub Team traveled to Tamiami, Florida
to support the Navigation and Landing Office during their Operational Test and
Evaluation (OT&E) testing of a first article Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI)
system installed on Runway 13 at the Miami Executive Airport. Using a small
aircraft, project personnel completed a series of maneuvers to determine the
accuracy of the transition zone where each unit switches from showing either a
red or white signal, the acquisition distance for the system, and the overall
usable width of the usable signal from each box. The personnel conducted these
maneuvers during both day and night conditions. The Airport Technology R&D Sub
Team frequently supports this type of testing activity due to their expertise in
airport lighting and visual guidance.
Jim Patterson, AJP-6312, (609) 485-4989, 2/15/08
Significant Activity for the Week Ending January 18, 2008
Engineered Material Arresting System: On January 8, 2008, personnel from
Engineered Arresting Systems Corporation demonstrated a field maintenance
procedure for block top replacement on the FAA's Engineered Material Arresting
System (EMAS) environmental durability test bed. 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 and Engineered Systems
Co. (ESCO) 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. Project engineers have been
monitoring sensors within the bed for approximately 30 months and are hopeful
that the data may yield important insight into the overall response to
environmental condition changes in a four season climate.
EMAS beds are now installed and operational at nearly 30 airports worldwide.
Because EMAS beds are located at the end of the runway, they are susceptible to
repeated and extreme jet blast forces during takeoffs. Each EMAS block has a
durable, jet blast resistant top layer, consisting of either a hard concrete
board or a plastic material. If an individual block incurs damage to the top
layer, ESCO developed a field maintenance procedure for field replacement
without damaging or removing the cellular concrete block structure. The team
performed the procedure on five blocks and will monitor them regularly as part
of the overall project.
Ryan King, AJP-6311 Last Update:
06/02/09
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