FAARFIELD 1.

1 Federal Aviation
Administration

Rigid Pavements
Workshop: FAARFIELD
New FAA Design Software for
Airport Pavement Thickness

Presented to: Workshop on New FAA Design

Software, Lima, Per
By: David R. Brill, P.E., Ph.D., AJP-6312
Date: 15 November, 2007
FAARFIELD 1.1:
Rigid Pavement Design
Brief Background on 3D Finite Element
Example New Rigid Design
Rigid Overlay Design
Example HMA on Rigid Overlay Design
Example PCC on Rigid Overlay Design
FAARFIELD Output Files
More Information
Discussion

FAARFIELD
February 1.1: Rigid Pavement Design
12, 2007 Federal Aviation 2
November 15, 2007 Administration
FAARFIELD 1.1 Federal Aviation
Administration

Rigid Pavements
Brief Background on 3D Finite
Element

Presented to: Workshop on New FAA Design

Software, Lima, Per
By: David R. Brill, P.E., Ph.D., AJP-6312
Date: 15 November, 2007
What is 3D Finite Element?

3D Finite Element is:

A method of structural
analysis.
Applicable to a wide range of
physical structures, boundary
and loading conditions.
3D Finite Element is not: Types of 3D Elements:
A design method or Linear (8-Node) Brick Axial (1-D)

procedure.
An exact mathematical Quadratic (20 -Node) Focal Point
Brick
solution.
Always preferable to other Nonconforming Infinite Element
analysis models. (Incompatible Modes)

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February 1.1: Rigid Pavement Design
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Why 3D Finite Element?
For rigid pavements, we desire a method that gives
a direct edge stress solution for a layered structural
system.
Layered elastic analysis programs such as LEAF
always assume continuous, uniform layers with no
interruptions (e.g., no joints).
LEAF cannot model jointed rigid pavements accurately.
LEDFAA 1.3 compensates for this with the equivalent edge
stress approach, but this is theoretically unsatisfactory and is
not extendable to new aircraft types.
3D-FEM provides a practical solution.
Suitable for modeling complex landing gear configurations
explicitly.
Recent advances in computing power allow implementation in
routine design programs.

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February 1.1: Rigid Pavement Design
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Summary of Advantages and
Disadvantages of 3D-FEM
Advantages
Properly models rigid
pavement features including
slab edges and joints.
Provides the complete stress
and displacement fields for
the analyzed domain.
Handles complex load
configurations easily.
No inherent limitation on
number of structural layers or
material types.
Not limited to linear elastic
analysis.
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February 1.1: Rigid Pavement Design
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November 15, 2007
Disadvantages
May require long computation
times.
Pre-processing and post-
processing requirements.
Solution may be mesh-
dependent.
In theory, the solution can
always be improved by
refining the 3D mesh.
Improvement comes at the
expense of time.
Federal Aviation 6
Administration
Layered Elastic Analysis is Used in
FAARFIELD Too!
2a
Both layered elastic (LEAF)
and 3D-FEM (NIKE3D) are q
used in FAARFIELD.
E1, 1 h1
Flexible pavement design
E2, 2 h2
LEAF is used for all structural
computations. E3, 3

For flexible, no advantage to

using 3D-FEM.
Rigid pavement design
LEAF is used to generate a
preliminary thickness.
Final iterations are done
using 3D-FEM.

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3D-FEM Load (6 Wheels)

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3D-FEM Solution - Deflection

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3D-FEM Solution - Stress xx

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3D-FEM Solution - Stress yy

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3D-FEM Solution - Stress zz

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February 1.1: Rigid Pavement Design
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3D FEM Mesh Optimization
S/D 2D
(Single/Dual) (Dual Tandem)

3D Complex
(Triple Dual Tandem)

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February 1.1: Rigid Pavement Design
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FAARFIELD 1.1 Federal Aviation
Administration

Rigid Pavements
Example New Rigid Design

Presented to: Workshop on New FAA Design

Software, Lima, Per
By: David R. Brill, P.E., Ph.D., AJP-6312
Date: 15 November, 2007
Example - New Rigid Design

Pavement Structure:
PCC Slab, P-501, R = 700 psi (4.83 MN/m2 )
Cement-Treated Base, P-304, 6 in. (152 mm) thick
Crushed Aggregate Base, P-209, 8 in. (203 mm)
thick
Subgrade k = 100 pci (27.1 MN/m3)
Traffic Mix:
Washington Dulles RWY 1L
14-Aircraft Mix includes B777, A340

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Traffic Mix: IAD RWY 1L-19R
Airport/Feature: Washington Dulles Airport (IAD), RWY 1L-19R
Aircraft No. Aircraft Gross Weight, lbs. (Tonnes) Annual Departures

1 Sngl Whl-30 35,000 (15.9) 17850

2 Sngl-Whl-60 55,000 (24.9) 164599
3 B727 210,000 (95.3) 7965
4 B737-700 160,000 (72.6) 86053
5 B737-800 173,000 (78.5) 17064
6 B757 250,000 (113.4) 22021
7 DC8 355,000 (161.0) 260
8 B767-200 350,000 (158.8) 10433
9 B777-200ER 634,500 (287.8) 11102
10 B777-300 750,000 (340.2) 996
11 B747-400 873,000 (396.0) 5990
12 DC10-10 460,000 (208.7) 4135
13 MD11 Wing 621,000 (281.7) 3693
14 MD11 Belly 621,000 (281.7) 3693
15 A340-200/300 Wing 621,000 (281.7) 2065
16 A340-200/300 Belly 621,000 (281.7) 2065

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Example New Rigid Design
Problem Set-Up
1. In Startup window, create
a new section in job
Workshop by copying
section NewRigid from
job Samples. Name the
new section Example2.
2. Open section Example1,
navigate to the Aircraft
window, and click Save
to Float to save all
aircraft to Float Aircraft.

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Example New Rigid Design
Problem Set-Up
3. Open section Example2,
and navigate to the
Aircraft window. Click
Clear List to remove the
sample aircraft.

4. Click Add Float to add

the float aircraft to the
design list. Click Save
List. Click Back to
return to Section window.

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February 1.1: Rigid Pavement Design
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Example New Rigid Design
Problem Set-Up
1. Click Modify Structure
and click on the
appropriate boxes to
change the default layer
properties.

2. When done, click End

Modify and Save
Structure.
3. Click Design Structure
to run the design.

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Design Running

During the design

process, the Design
Running clock will
appear.
For rigid designs, the
design will normally
take a few minutes.
Dont interrupt the
process.
The screen display will
change with each
iteration.

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Rigid Example Final Design

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CDF Contribution
CDF CDF Max P/C
No. Name Contribution for Aircraft Ratio
1 Sngl Whl-30 0.00 0.00 2.89
2 Sngl Whl-60 0.00 0.00 2.74
3 Sngl Whl-60 0.00 0.00 2.74
4 Adv. B727-200 Option 0.01 0.34 2.97
5 B737-700 0.00 0.06 3.69
6 B737-800 0.00 0.05 3.55
7 B757-200 0.00 0.00 3.95
8 DC8-63/73 0.00 0.01 3.38
9 B767-200 0.01 0.01 3.83
10 B777-200 ER 0.23 0.23 4.12
11 B777-300 Baseline 0.27 0.27 3.88
12 B747-400 0.24 0.24 3.47
13 DC10-10 0.03 0.03 3.80
14 MD11ER 0.15 0.15 3.71
15 MD11ER Belly 0.00 0.27 3.04
16 A340-300 std 0.07 0.07 1.88
17 A340-300 std Belly 0.00 0.09 2.86

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FAARFIELD 1.1 Federal Aviation
Administration

Rigid Pavements
Rigid Overlay Design in
FAARFIELD

Presented to: Workshop on New FAA Design

Software, Lima, Per
By: David R. Brill, P.E., Ph.D., AJP-6312
Date: 15 November, 2007
FAARFIELD Overlay Design
HMA Overlays on Flexible Pavement
Same as designing a new flexible pavement, except the design
layer is the HMA overlay.
PCC Overlays on Flexible Pavement
Same principle as new rigid design.
HMA Overlays on Rigid Pavement
PCC Overlays on Rigid Pavement
More complex than new rigid pavement design.
Both slabs (base PCC and overlay) deteriorate with applied
traffic. Stresses are computed for both slabs.
E-modulus of the base slab is a function of reduced SCI.
Subroutines were completely rewritten for FAARFIELD.

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FAARFIELD Overlay Design
PCC on Rigid Overlays
Fully bonded overlays
Treat as a new rigid pavement design.
Thickness of overlay slab is hoverlay = hdesign hexist.
Unbonded overlay
Bond breaker or leveling course is used.
Partially bonded overlay
No longer a standard design in AC 150/5320-6E.
Default in FAARFIELD is off.
May be enabled from the Options window, but
displays a Non-Standard Structure message.

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Rigid on Rigid Overlay - FAARFIELD Rigid Overlay Model

Z
Y X

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FAARFIELD Overlay Design
Required Inputs
Existing rigid pavement condition is characterized by the
Structural Condition Index (SCI).
SCI is a subset of PCI that considers only load-related
distresses. The new AC gives guidance on SCI.
For existing pavements with structural damage (SCI < 100)
The user inputs a value of SCI for the existing pavement. The range of
allowable values depends on the overlay type:
Rigid on Rigid Overlays: SCI 40100
Flexible on Rigid Overlays: SCI 67100 (was 50-100)
The Help file gives approximate formulas for relating SCI to Cr and Cb
factors in earlier method.
For existing pavements where SCI=100 (no structural damage):
Estimate a value of % CDF Used (%CDFU).
The Help file gives guidance on estimating %CDFU using the Life key.

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 Rigid Life Example - %CDFU

%CDFU=21.57

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FAARFIELD 1.1 Federal Aviation
Administration

Rigid Pavements
Example HMA on Rigid
Overlay Design

Presented to: Workshop on New FAA Design

Software, Lima, Per
By: David R. Brill, P.E., Ph.D., AJP-6312
Date: 15 November, 2007
Example: HMA on Rigid Overlay

Pavement Structure:
Flexible Overlay, P-401
PCC Slab, 10 in. (254 cm), R = 715 psi
(4.93 MN/m2), SCI = 70
Cement Treated Base, P-304, 6 in. (152 mm)
Crushed Aggregate Base, P-209, 8 in. (203 mm)
Subgrade k = 100 pci (27.1 MN/m3)
Traffic Mix:
Washington Dulles RWY 1L
14-Aircraft Mix includes B777, A340

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Example HMA on Rigid Overlay
Problem Set-Up (Metric)
1. Highlight Example2 and
click Dup Section. When
prompted, change the
name to Example3. Double
click on Example3 to open
the Structure window.
2. Click Modify Structure
and make changes to the
PCC layer properties.

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Example HMA on Rigid Overlay
Problem Set-Up (Metric)
1. Click Add/Delete Layer
and select the PCC surface
layer. In the dialogue box,
select Add. A new PCC
surface layer will appear.

2. Click on the material label

in the top PCC layer and
select HMA overlay from
the material type selection
dialog box. Click OK.

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Example HMA on Rigid Overlay
Problem Set-Up (Metric)
1. Click on the label SCI=67
at the top of the display. In
the Changing Existing
SCI dialog box enter 70
and click OK.

2. Click End Modify and

Save Structure.
3. Click Design Structure
to run the overlay design.

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Example HMA on Rigid Overlay
Final Design

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FAARFIELD 1.1 Federal Aviation
Administration

Rigid Pavements
Example PCC on Rigid Overlay
Design

Presented to: Workshop on New FAA Design

Software, Lima, Per
By: David R. Brill, P.E., Ph.D., AJP-6312
Date: 15 November, 2007
Example: PCC on Rigid Overlay
Existing PCC structure will receive a P-501 PCC
overlay to support additional traffic.
Assume R for new concrete = 650 psi (4.48 MPa)
Existing Pavement Structure:
PCC Slab, 15.75 in. (400 cm), R = 700 psi (4.83 MN/m2).
SCI = 100. Estimate %CDFU from traffic history.
Cement Treated Base, P-304, 6 in. (152 mm)
Crushed Aggregate Base, P-209, 8 in. (203 mm)
Subgrade k = 100 pci (27.1 MN/m3)
Design Traffic Mix:
Washington Dulles RWY 1L
14-Aircraft Mix includes B777, A340

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Estimate %CDFU

Procedure for computing %CDFU:

Input the original pavement structure.
Estimate the annual traffic applied to the
existing pavement up to the time of the
overlay.
Set Design Life to the number of years the
pavement will have been in operation at the
time of the overlay.
Run Life to obtain %CDFU.

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Estimate %CDFU (Example)

Assume the following traffic mix was applied to the

existing pavement:

Gross Wt., Annual

No. Name Tonnes Departures
1 Adv. B727-200 Option 78.0 1,200
2 B737-700 72.6 500
3 DC8-63/73 161.0 260
Assume that at the time of the overlay the pavement will
have been in operation 12 years.
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Estimate %CDFU (Example)

1. In the Structure window,

enter the existing
pavement structure (no
overlay).
2. Click Aircraft to go to the
Aircraft window.
3. Enter the annual traffic
applied to the existing
pavement structure.
4. Click Back to return to the
Structure window.

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Estimate %CDFU (Example)

5. In the Structure window,

change the Des. Life to the
number of years that the
pavement will have been in
service at the time of overlay
(12 years in this example.)
6. Click Life to run Life.
7. The calculated %CDFU will
appear on the Structure
window, at the lower left of
the pavement section.
8. %CDFU = 84.23 (Say 84%).

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Example: PCC on Rigid Overlay

9. In the Structure window, click

Modify Structure.
10. Click Add/Delete Layer. Select the
PCC surface layer by clicking on
it with the mouse. In the dialog
box, select Add and click OK. A
new PCC surface layer appears.
11. You must change the top layer to
an overlay. Click on the Layer
Material box. In the Layer Type
Selection Box, select Overlay
Fully Unbonded and click OK.

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Example: PCC on Rigid Overlay
12. In the upper right corner of the
Structure window:
1. Change SCI to 100.
2. Change %CDFU to 84.
13. Change Design Life to 20
years (standard).
14. Change R (overlay) to 4.48 MPa
15. Click End Modify.
16. Click Save Structure.
17. Click Aircraft to go to the
Aircraft window.

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Example: PCC on Rigid Overlay
18. In the Aircraft window:
1. Click Clear List to clear all
aircraft from the list.
2. Add the design aircraft list
manually or using the Add Float
function.
19. Click Save List and Back to
return to the Structure
Window.
20. Click Design Structure to
run the overlay design.

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Example: PCC on Rigid Overlay
Final Design

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FAARFIELD 1.1 Federal Aviation
Administration

Rigid Pavements
FAARFIELD Output Files

Presented to: Workshop on New FAA Design

Software, Lima, Per
By: David R. Brill, P.E., Ph.D., AJP-6312
Date: 15 November, 2007
FAARFIELD Output Files
New Flexible Pavements
Flexible Overlays on Flexible
Pavements
LeafSG.out Subgrade layer responses
for flexible pavement.
LeafAC.out HMA surface layer
responses for a flexible pavement.
Common Files
Storage files:
*.job files contain all of the data
required by FAARFIELD for all of the
sections in one job
*.nts files contain user entered
information
Help file faarfield.chm.
New Rigid Pavements,
Rigid Overlays on Rigid Pavement
Flex Overlays on Rigid Pavement
NikePCC.out Stresses at the bottom
of PCC layer.
Nike3d.txt 3D finite element summary
output file.
n3dhsp 3D finite element detailed
output file.
Pltdata.dat 3D-FE mesh plot data (Can
be imported to a postprocessor
program for viewing.)

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Output Files Additional Information

By default, *.out files

are not written.
To create output files,
uncheck No Out File
in the Options window.
Files are written to the
working directory.
Job files created in
LEDFAA 1.3 are
readable by
FAARFIELD.

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FAARFIELD 1.1 Federal Aviation
Administration

Rigid Pavements
More Information

Presented to: Workshop on New FAA Design

Software, Lima, Per
By: David R. Brill, P.E., Ph.D., AJP-6312
Date: 15 November, 2007
More Information

FAARFIELD Help File Click Help from

any window.
FAARFIELD Demonstration
Clicking Demonstration from the Startup window
runs an automated tutorial.
Click the Organize, Structure, or Aircraft button for a
demonstration of the respective section.
Contact David.Brill@faa.gov
FAA Airport Technology Branch web site:
www.airporttech.tc.faa.gov

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Questions?

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