Airfield Pavement Condition Assessment

The current methodology used by the U.S. Air Force for assessing and rating airfield pavement condition is presented. Factors addressed in the ratings include the pavement-condition index (PCI), structural index, friction characteristics, and foreign-object damage (FOD) potential. The PCI is a score from 0 to 100 that is determined by a visual survey of pavement distress based on procedures in ASTM D 5340. The structural index is a ratio of the aircraft classification number (ACN) to pavement classification number (PCN). ACN represents the structural impact an aircraft will have on a pavement, and PCN represents the structural capability of the pavement to support aircraft. Friction characteristics are primarily determined for runways through the use of a variety of measuring equipment. The FOD index is used to indicate the potential for FOD problems generated by the pavement; it is determined on the basis of pavement distresses collected during the PCI survey. Also presented are procedures used in determining each of the above factors and the ways in which these factors are used collectively to determine the overall rating of airfield pavements.