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Pavement Surface Friction Testing for Airports
Conference presentation

Pavement Surface Friction Testing for Airports

Gregory W White
Australian Airports Association National Convention (Melbourne, Australia, 15-Nov-2012–16-Nov-2012)
Australian Airports Association
2012
url
https://www.airports.asn.au/View
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Abstract

Civil Engineering Transportation and Freight Services
A number of factors effect pavement surface friction characteristics. Some of these are a function of the design and construction of the pavement while others are a function of the environment and pavement maintenance. Since 2006, Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has adopted the International Civil Aviation Organisations (ICAO) requirements for runway friction testing and minimum intervention levels. Should an incident occur and the runway's condition be questioned, friction testing results may be an important safeguard for the airport owner. There are a number of options for any airport to provide a runway surface with adequate friction characteristics. CASA, through MOS 139, notes the use of grooved or un-grooved asphalt surfaces, open graded friction courses and sprayed seals as valid options. ICAO has identified six reliable friction testing devices and has published equivalent friction results for each device, based on significant research and investigation undertaken primarily by NASA. The Griptester is one of the most populous and most reliable of the various devices with over 500 in operation around the world, including Australia. No specific guidance is provided about the frequency of testing of runways. MOS 139 states that testing should be conducted at the time of construction and after major resurfacing to confirm that minimum friction characteristics have been achieved. While airports have traditionally reviewed friction testing results in a stand-alone manner, Brisbane Airport is now moving towards a sophisticated analysis which tracks certain test results over time and allows more meaningful runway friction questions to be considered.

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