Airfield Pavement Management System in India for the First Time

The Airports Authority of India (AAI), along with the CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), is set to install airfield pavement management systems (APMS), in a first, at 10 airports across India.

Chennai, Surat, Kolkata, Gaggal, Imphal, Agartala, Vadodara, Rajahmundry, Khajuraho and Gaya are the medium traffic airports shortlisted for the APMS project. It will assist airport managers in developing viable strategies to maintain the pavements in a serviceable condition over a given period and quantify information on maintaining a pavement network at an acceptable level of service. It will also optimise pavement-related expenditure. The APMS will work in the concept of digitisation with scientific equipment. The CSIR-CRRI will assess the runways’ functional and structural condition using state-of-the-art technology. Based on the survey parameters, the APMS system will function as a condition index, which will score the status as excellent or poor. The runways can be revamped or conditioned ensuring good maintenance.

Anil Kumar Pathak, member (planning), AAI, said, “The pavement is probably the most important airport asset. This is particularly the case for single-runway airports such as a majority of the Indian airports. It should be constructed and maintained at acceptable levels to meet international standards as pavements have a significant impact on airport users’ cost, safety, traffic delay, commercial performance and reputation. Keeping in view the above facts, initially, 10 airports across the country are set to have the APMS.”

Satish Chandra, director at CRRI (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research) said, “Around 10 airports in India will have APMS initially. (The) initiative… to tie up with the AAI for such an initiative (is happening) for the first time. We are planning to start once after the airport locations are confirmed.”

“The AAI has decided to develop its maintenance plans. This will ensure the durability of the runways and ensure safe landing and take-offs,” said Pradeep Kumar, senior principal scientist and head, pavement evaluation at CRRI-CSIR. Kumar added that a state-of-the-art network survey vehicle system, equipped with laser sensors, pavement surface imaging tools, GPS and structural condition data based on FWD equipment, will be used for health monitoring of the runway pavement network. “Various parameters like runway pavement surface distress, profile, friction, pavement classification number, along with some health indicators, will be used to get the rating score to decide the maintenance strategies scientifically. Some medium traffic airports were shortlisted,” said Kumar.

Pathak added: “Airfield pavements comprise multiple layers of engineered materials, such as asphalt, concrete and granular materials, designed to carry aircraft loading. Pavements deteriorate with time under loading and from environmental variations. Maintenance and rehabilitation are required to maintain serviceability throughout the pavement asset’s life.”

The project fieldwork is expected to start in October and will continue for three years. The budget has been set at Rs 4.5 crore. Pathak further added thatas per prevalent practice, the full length of the pavement would be resurfaced after a certain period or in case of deterioration and with APMS, the weak portion could be identified well in advance to take up necessary rehabilitation or repair measures for that particular area.

With American and European countries having their own pavement management systems, India is not too late to start to ensure safety managements. Kumar added that the civil aviation ministry initiated the process. “The damages or faults in the pavements can be identified well in advance, which will help to avoid complete revamping of the pavement,” said Kumar.

Source: IE

Image Courtesy:Chalousa