Friction characteristics of airfield asphalt concrete in service Available to Purchase

It took 5 years to reach a position where un-grooved asphalt concrete is now considered a viable alternative to grooved asphalt concrete for airfield pavements in the UK. The main challenges during the initial introduction of this ‘new' French-designed material were some reservations from the UK aviation industry to the application of previously unused types of asphalt, local and historical practice, and regulations. This paper presents an insight into the stages of approach adopted during the introduction of a new family of asphalt concrete which negates the need for grooving, the main challenges and achievements of the project team, together with some technical data related to design, project specification and long-term performance monitoring. The approach that was adopted and the findings presented in this paper successfully convinced some UK airport operators and managers to adopt un-grooved asphalt concrete as their runway surface course of choice. Records to date demonstrating the ability of well-designed surfacing material to maintain very good friction characteristics since the opening of the respective runways are also presented; this includes a case study on the most recent resurfacing work at Manchester airport's principal runway.