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Rapid Slab Repair and Replacement of Airfield Concrete Pavement (2021)

Chapter: Chapter 5 - Conclusions

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Page 62
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 5 - Conclusions." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Rapid Slab Repair and Replacement of Airfield Concrete Pavement. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26322.
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Page 62
Page 63
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 5 - Conclusions." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Rapid Slab Repair and Replacement of Airfield Concrete Pavement. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26322.
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Page 63
Page 64
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 5 - Conclusions." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Rapid Slab Repair and Replacement of Airfield Concrete Pavement. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26322.
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Page 64

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62 Conclusions Proper maintenance and repair of concrete airfield pavements are critical to their longevity and ability to safely support airport operations over their design life. However, these activities can be costly and operationally disruptive, as they require closure of the pavement facility. To minimize the construction impacts, airports of all sizes are relying on RSRR activities that include PDR and FDR. FAA AC 150/5370-16, Rapid Construction of Rigid (Portland Cement Concrete) Airfield Pavements (FAA 2007), addresses many key components and considerations for accelerated concrete construction, but stops short of providing sufficient details or specific methods to aid airport personnel or consulting engineers in making informed decisions. Furthermore, AC 150/5370-16 focuses on larger areas of concrete replacement and provides only limited information on individual slab replacement or smaller repairs. In addition, FAA Item P-501, “Portland Cement Concrete Pavement” in AC 150/5370-10H, Standard Specifications for Construction of Airports (FAA 2018), does not provide specifications for construction featur- ing ESC or prepackaged repair materials used in RSRR projects. This guidebook was developed to assist airport personnel and engineering consultants in selecting and executing RSRR projects. A successful RSRR project requires attention to all phases of the project, beginning with planning and ending with reopening the pavement to aircraft after the construction is completed. Stakeholder coordination, airfield facility closures, high construction costs, and lack of experience with ESC repair materials are major challenges in RSRR. While the level of stake- holder coordination and challenges with airfield facility closures vary across airports (by size and function), high costs and lack of experience with these types of evolving materials are a universal challenge. In general, large hub airports have good experience with RSRR, and some have advanced, well-developed programs in place. Importantly, elements of their RSRR programs and practices can easily be applied by smaller airports (e.g., nonhub primary and general aviation), which are less likely to have RSRR experience. The following lessons were learned from this study: • The airports surveyed possess a wide range of experience, from planning to construction. Respondents who reported no previous RSRR experience represented either nonhub primary or general aviation airports. • Stakeholder coordination and lack of skilled contractors and workforce are primary challenges. While the level of stakeholder coordination varies across airports (by size and function), the lack of skilled contractors and workforce is a universal challenge. • Airports can minimize the need for emergency repairs by maintaining a good internal pave- ment inspection program and utilizing the results of their pavement management system to track deterioration and identify repair needs. C H A P T E R 5

Conclusions 63   • Stakeholder coordination throughout the process is essential. This includes all affected parties, such as airport operations, airlines and cargo carriers, contractors, producers, and testing firms. Communication should start from the earliest stages of planning and continue daily through construction. Contingency planning to address unexpected circumstances is important. • The supplier should be included in the planning and construction processes. This is especially critical if proprietary materials are being used. Material suppliers should provide training to ensure crews are knowledgeable about specific requirements for material handling and installation. Manufacturer’s recommendations should always be followed when working with prepackaged PDR materials. • Many airports reported that a design–bid–build process is the most effective way to deliver RSRR projects. • Using an existing design team or on-site contractor or both can accelerate the overall RSRR process. • Nearly all PDRs and FDRs are placed under nonemergency conditions and are typically performed by contractors. When emergency PDRs are required, it is common to perform temporary repairs in critical aircraft traffic areas (e.g., runways, taxiways). These repairs are performed during short closures and replaced with permanent repairs when aircraft oper- ations permit longer closure times. • Permanent PDRs and FDRs should be constructed at the opportune time. Factors used to determine construction timing include periods with lower aircraft traffic and more favorable weather conditions for construction (i.e., not during hot summer months or seasonal times of high precipitation). Coordination with stakeholders is required to minimize disruption to airline operations. • If possible, the construction time required for proper PDR and FDR installation should govern the closure time. Although this is not always possible, airports should try to establish the longest possible closure windows to provide the greatest amount of time to execute quality repairs. • Regardless of experience, contractors should be required to construct repair mock-ups off-site prior to starting work on the airfield. Contractors should initiate on-site work on the least critical areas of the airfield (i.e., apron and taxiway, then runway slabs) to gain experience (or refamiliarize their crews) with accelerated airfield construction. • In some cases, protecting existing concrete from damage during demolition is a challenge. This should be carefully considered and methods developed to minimize damage prior to full-scale construction. • Attention to detail during construction is essential to obtaining quality repairs. This includes monitoring the weather to ensure construction does not occur during adverse conditions. • Prepackaged VHES or HES cementitious materials are the most frequently used materials for PDR. Opening to traffic for PDRs is commonly based on time after placement, in accordance with manufacturer recommendations. • VHES or HES mixtures are often used for FDR. The opening times for FDRs are commonly determined through flexural or compressive strength testing. • For larger FDR projects, dedicated concrete batch plants should be located on-site or close by with a dedicated gate provided for airfield access. • The initial volume of concrete produced by some mobile equipment (e.g., volumetric mixer) can have poor moisture control, which has a negative impact on workability. If possible, modern mobile mixers with electronic control should be specified to address this problem. • Providing the contractor with a secured area facilitates timely completion of the work. • Maintaining safety and security during construction requires a significant commitment of airport personnel.

64 Rapid Slab Repair and Replacement of Airfield Concrete Pavement • Some airports rely heavily on local airport and contractor experience with repair materials and methods, this knowledge having been developed over many years. • Building on past experiences helps airports eliminate some of the risk associated with RSRR projects. This includes both material selection and methods. New materials and methods should be introduced cautiously, with localized experimentation before full-scale adoption. • Airport satisfaction with RSRR performance is mixed, with shorter-than-expected service life cited as the main reason for dissatisfaction. When airports are carrying out initial RSRR projects, it is important that they set realistic expectations and plan for issues to arise during the initial phases of construction. This guide- book, the case examples in Appendix A, and the project examples in Appendix B can be used as a starting point to develop RSRR strategies that meet the needs of individual airports. This guidebook can be used in its entirety by airports that do not regularly carry out RSRR projects, or specific sections can be used as needed. Either way, this volume provides a compre- hensive tool for carrying out RSRR projects.

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Proper maintenance and repair of concrete airfield pavements is critical to the longevity of these pavements and their ability to safely support airport operations over their design life. However, these activities can be costly and operationally disruptive.

The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Research Report 234: Rapid Slab Repair and Replacement of Airfield Concrete Pavement is designed to assist airport personnel and engineering consultants in selecting and executing rapid slab repair and replacement (RSRR) projects and to provide relevant information for airport maintenance personnel performing RSRR work.

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