Rehabilitation runway Perth airport
Location of work/project:
Company:
Summary:
Perth - Australia
HUESKER Australia Pty Ltd
To effectively retard reflective cracking and thus extend the service life of the rehabilitated pavement was HUESKER’s asphalt reinforcement HaTelit C 40/17 used. This solution comprises a flexible reinforcement grid made from high-modulus polyester yarns with an ultralight nonwoven backing for ease the installation. Both the grid and the nonwoven have a polymer-modified bituminous coating for an optimum bond between the asphalt layers.
In 2009, after repeated maintenance works over many years an effective rehabilitation of the extensively cracked Runway 06 threshold was required to restore its serviceability.
Due to the severely cracked condition of the existing pavement, resurfacing by using just a thin asphalt overlay was not expected to provide a long-term success. To solve this problem, the propagation of existing cracks and expansion joints from old concrete slabs into the new asphalt overlay needed to be prevented.
To effectively retard reflective cracking and thus extend the service life of the rehabilitated pavement was HUESKER’s asphalt reinforcement HaTelit C 40/17 used. This solution comprises a flexible reinforcement grid made from high-modulus polyester yarns with an ultralight nonwoven backing for ease the installation.
Both the grid and the nonwoven have a polymer-modified bituminous coating (with a minimum of 60% bitumen content) for a optimum bond between the asphalt layers.
The rehabilitation procedure involved firstly texturing from the existing asphalt surface and construction of a 25 mm thick asphalt layer. Subsequently the asphalt reinforcement HaTelit C 40/17 was placed in accordance with the installation guidelines and then covered with a 40 mm asphalt wearing course.
In 2017, approximately 8 years after the rehabilitation, the condition of the Runway 06 was checked during a visual inspection. The pavement was found to be in an extremely good condition without the propagation of the existing cracks and joints, well exceeding the expectations.
Airport authorities have confirmed the asphalt reinforcement solution HaTelit C 40/17 to highly successful in rehabilitation of what was once known as a very challenging runway pavement.
This case study demonstrates that through effective crack retardation, service life of the rehabilitated pavement can be extended considerably. Positive effects include increased maintenance intervals, lower maintenance costs and reduced disruption to flight operations.