Abstract
Aircraft pavement structural design generally involves the input of subgrade strength, aircraft traffic and available pavement materials into design software to determine an overall pavement thickness. Of the design inputs, aircraft traffic is generally the hardest to predict and involves detailed stakeholder engagement, and the ability to forecast traffic growth of an airport for up to 40 years. In some cases, poor forecasting can lead to pavements being under designed, or design inputs becoming overly complicated. To mitigate issues with aircraft traffic forecasting, this research developed a catalogued design approach for a network of Australian aerodromes. Standard traffic inputs were developed based on historic usage and expected use. Thickness designs were produced for a range of subgrade strengths for both flexible and rigid pavements, using the standard traffic inputs, followed by a financial and environmental cost analysis that compared catalogued designs to standard design practice. It was determined that catalogued design increased the pavement thickness and therefore environmental and financial cost. However, the increase was still within typical cost confidence intervals for early-stage design. Additionally, the increase was larger for flexible pavements compared to rigid pavements, due to flexible pavements thickness being more sensitive to subgrade strength. Although this research was performed in the Australian context, the findings can be used to inform international airport owners of the potential to use a catalogued design approach.