Citation

Agrawal SK, Daiutolo H. Transp. Res. Rec. 1981; 836: 55-60.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1981, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The braking and cornering performance of an aircraft during operations on water-covered runways is improved by the introduction of transverse grooves on the runways. The Federal Aviation Administration has recommended 0.25-in wide x 0.25-in deep saw-cut grooves spaced at 1.25 in, to be installed on runways where the potential of hydroplaning exists. However, a large number of runways have not been grooved. The major reason for this is the high cost of groove installation and the availability of only limited evidence about the effectiveness of the grooved surfaces at the touchdown speeds of modern aircraft. The research reported here indicates that, by increasing the spacings of the conventional saw-cut grooves up to 3 in, the cost of groove installation can be reduced by up to 25 percent compared with the installation cost of grooves spaced at 1.25 in. The results further show that friction levels available on these grooves under wet operating conditions are not significantly below those attained on grooves spaced at 1.25 in. These results are valid for operating speeds up to 150 knots.