Complex Method of Airfield Pavement Condition Evaluation Based on APCI Index

Abstract

Airfield infrastructure management should be effective. First of all, renovation works should be planned and carried out so that the equipment or resources, both financial and personal, are used optimally. The basis for planning funds should be knowledge about the actual pavement condition and, more importantly, the future pavement condition. The main goal of the paper is to present a complex method of technical condition assessment of airfield pavements made of cement and asphalt concrete, as well as natural pavements, which are part of the ground maneuvering field on each airfield. The authors propose a new method of assessing the technical condition of the pavement based on the Airfield Pavement Condition Index (APCI). Compared to existing methods, based mostly on the visual assessment of the pavement surface damages, the APCI method also includes the inventory of the repairs and diagnostic tests such as the assessment of the load capacity, evenness, anti-skid properties and the surface layer tensile bond strength. The presented mathematical models enable automation of pavement assessment process. That can lower costs and speed up whole evaluation.