Optimization and Development of the Model for Monitoring the Deformations on the Airport Runways

Abstract

The demand for safety and to provide safety are increasing, parallel with the growth of the need for mobility, transport and logistics. A big part of the demands and recommendations to provide safety in air traffic is related to the safety at and in the surroundings of the runways. The research focused on exploring the airport infrastructure; mainly with the aim of detecting and monitoring the deformations (cracks, displacements, etc.) of the runways which are causally connected with unusual landings or taking offs, with trips from the runways and with loss of control over the aircraft during the landings, taking offs and while moving the runways or taxiways, etc., and researching their effect on providing safety and the efficiency of the airports’ function. The research was executed at the Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport in three phases; the first two were meant for geodetic measurements to determine vertical deformations and the third for supplementary measurements to determine static load capacity. The result of the research is an innovative model for the continuous monitoring of the deformations on the runways. The suggested model enables determination and display of the areas of the vertical deviations which are impossible to detect with a visual check-up, joining the supplementary methods and assessing the condition of the runway based on executed measurements.