Performance Trends for Portland Cement Concrète General Aviation Pavements in Illinois

Abstract

The deterioration and performance of portland cement concrete general aviation (GA) airport pavements in Illinois are discussed. Two popular design procedures are reviewed, and typical GA pavement sections are structurally evaluated by using the ILLI-SLAB finite-element model. Subjected to GA pavement loading conditions, 125- and 150-mm-thick slabs would be considered structurally adequate, whereas 100-mm-thick slabs would not be expected to perform well. It was determined that slab size, as determined by the ratio of the slab length over the radius of relative stiffness (L/l) was strongly correlated to pavement distress and performance. As the slab size was increased higher incidences of distress at higher severity levels were observed. Performance trends were identified by using a deterioration rate approach that accounts for the performance of individual sections. It is believed that this procedure reflects actual performance trends by addressing the issues of long-lived pavement sections, the impact of maintenance, and the influence of inspection variability.

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