Laboratory Method for Evaluating Effect of Runway Grooving on Aircraft Tires.

Abstract : The development of a laboratory technique which simulates an airplane operational touchdown on an existing representative grooved runway landing area is described. The laboratory technique demonstrates that chevron cutting of a 49 inch x 17 inch size tire (KC135, B727) landing on a dry 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch x 1 inch grooved concrete pavement slab is obtained which is representative of tire damage currently being experienced during airplane landings on grooved runways. A computer program is developed and used to analyze the method of approach and test results. Government and industry furnished tires, and eight different pavement configurations were tested. High speed motion pictures indicate that cutting occurs at the initial point of contact wherein speed is at a maximum. The test data is analyzed with regard to potentially critical parameters including energy absorption, forward velocity, and number of grooves traversed. (Modified author abstract)