Geosynthetics provide a number of engineering solutions for airports, such as secondary containment for fuel depots, containment for deicing runoff, stormwater management, and runway and taxiway reinforcement.
For runways and other zones trafficked by heavy planes and fuel trucks, geosynthetics improve the bearing capacity of soils and strengthen pavements for long-term design life and safer landings.
Here, we collect a few strong example of how geosynthetics are used in this sector, with links to the project stories on Geosynthetica.
RUNWAY REINFORCEMENT & REHABILITATION IN MEXICO
When a runway at Guadalajara International Airport exhibited stress fracture signs, repair was needed but any solution had to minimize downtime. The airport serves Mexico’s second largest city. A long-term pavement rehabilitation solution was implemented: a geosynthetic reinforcement interlayer from Maccaferri.
MODERNIZING MINSK’S RUNWAYS
The national airport in Minsk underwent significant upgrade works in recent years to decommission an old primary runway and initiate a new era of accepting larger aircrafts. The updated runway design also had to meet changing runway performance and safety criteria. Geosynthetic reinforcement from Machina-TST was specified.
VIDEO: ASPHALT UPGRADE IN AUSTRALIA
n 2018, Roma Airport (Australia) initiated a multi-million dollar upgrade, with the focus being on an asphalt overlay system improvement for the entire 30m width of the runway. The site works consisted of profiling, crack sealing, and construction of two layers of asphalt. These layers were reinforced with a geosynthetic from HUESKER to mitigate reflective cracking and extend the pavement service life.
ADDITIONAL AIRPORT DESIGN STORIES
Implementing Pavement Preservation in Pavement Management Systems
Assessment of Historical Army Airfield Pavement Condition Data
Evaluation of Geocell Reinforced Backfill for Airfield Pavement Repair
