Effects of surface texture deterioration and wet surface conditions on asphalt runway skid resistance

The friction force for aircraft landing is mainly provided by the texture of runway surfaces. The mechanism underlying friction force generation is the energy dissipation of tire rubber materials during random excitation induced by asperities. However, the runway surface texture is deteriorated by cyclic loading and environmental effects during the service life of a runway, leading to loss of braking force and extension of landing distance. Additionally, when an aircraft lands on a wet runway at a high velocity, the hydrodynamic force causes the tires to detach from the runway surface, which is risky and may lead to the loss of aircraft control and runway excursion. Worn-out surfaces along with wet conditions increase the risk of poor control during aircraft landing. Accordingly, this study investigated three types of asphalt runways (SMA-13, AC-13, and OGFC-13). Surface texture deterioration was simulated using a surface texture wear algorithm. Kinematic friction models were established based on the viscoelastic property of rubber materials, power spectrum density, and statistics of surface textures. A finite element model was developed by considering a real rough runway surface and different water film depths (3, 7, and 10 mm). A comparison of hydroplaning speed was conducted between numerical simulation and former experiments. The effects of different factors, such as velocity, wear ratio, runway type, water film depth, and slip ratio, on the skid resistance of the runway were analyzed.

Automated summary

Friction force for aircraft landing mainly comes from the texture of runway surfaces. However, deterioration of runway surface texture and wet conditions increase the risk of poor control during aircraft landing.