Resources

Revised 2020

Concrete pavers bedded in sand have proven to provide a suitable wearing surface for both air carrier jet and general aviation aircraft. Such pavements have been used for apron and low speed taxiway pavements and have been trafficked by aircraft in U.S., Europe, and the Caribbean for several years. Pavements surfaced with concrete pavers have shown to exhibit many of the desirable properties of conventional concrete pavements (e.g. resistance to fuel spills and static indentation) at significant savings in cost and construction time.

This manual presents procedures for the structural design of airport pavements with concrete pavers. The manual is intended to augment U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular 150/5320-6F, “Airport Pavement Design and Evaluation”(1) by modifying established FAA methods for the design of flexible pavements.

Revised 2020

Segmental paving has been used as a pavement surface for over 2000 years. Recently engineers and designers have recognized the benefits of interlocking concrete pavements for airport applications. Pavements surfaced with concrete pavers exhibit many desirable properties of conventional concrete pavements such as resistance to fuel spills and static indentations while having similar or lower construction and maintenance costs.

This manual presents guidelines for the structural design and construction of interlocking concrete airfield pavements. Concrete pavers are for use for apron and low speed taxiways and are not recommended for areas subjected to aircraft traveling at speeds greater than about 50 km/hr. This manual is intended to compliment Public Works Canada Architecture and Engineering, “Manual of Pavement Structural Design” (ASG-19/AK-68-12) [1].

Revised 2020

Port pavement design safeguards pavement from failure over a predetermined period of time. There are two types of failure associated with port pavements; structural failure and surface or functional failure. One influences the other, and failure of each or both leads to decreased operational efficiency or complete operational failure. Obviously, these failures have unfavorable economic consequences for the port operator. Therefore, a complete port pavement design must address all of the issues which might lead to structural and functional failures. In order to prevent them, port pavement design requires consideration of the following:

• structural design
• drainage design
• surface characteristics
• provision of underground services
• traffic and storage management markings, signs, and structures
• interface with other facilities and structures
• selection of appropriate construction techniques
• environmental and visual concerns

The purpose of this manual is to provide guidance on the structural design of pavements serving ports and other industries. Designers are advised, however, to consider all of the above when developing a project. Ignoring one or more of these considerations can lead to progressive reduction in pavement serviceability and performance. Ultimately structural, function, and eventually operational failure will occur. Many of these broader considerations are discussed in other publications by the Authors (1).

Revised 2017

This manual is support for civil engineers as well as
for landscape architects, urban planners, contractors,
stormwater and transportation agencies. Those who
use it should be familiar with stormwater management
concepts and calculation methods. This fifth edition
includes revised subbase thickness design tables developed
via full-scale load testing and mechanistic modeling
in 2014 by the University of California Pavement
Research Center. The revised tables, selected figures,
and ideas from this manual are also included in the
ASCE/ANSI national standard on PICP now in its final
stages at this writing. So be on the lookout for it. That
standard gives more in-depth information on PICP hydrologic
and hydraulic design. This manual has comprehensive
reading on construction and maintenance. The two should be read together.

As with the previous edition, this fifth edition is divided
into five sections. Section 1 provides an overview on
PICP. Section 2 provides criteria for selecting appropriate
sites and systems. Section 3 includes basics for
sizing storage and selecting base and subbase thicknesses.
Detailed inflow and outflow calculations can be
examined using ICPI’s Permeable Design Pro software
or other stormwater models. Calculations must be
done by qualified engineers familiar with hydrology
and hydraulics, as well as pavement structural design
using flexible pavement design concepts articulated by
the University of California Pavement Research Center
and by the American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials (AASHTO).