Transient response of airport runway

As the taxiing and landing speeds and the gross weight of aircraft become higher, the dynamic loads of the larger transport aircraft with higher landing speed become a key issue and the dynamic response of runways has received much attention. Dynamic analysis of a general runway is difficult, thus has not been used much in practical runway design. In this study, finite element method (FEM) is adopted for analysis. The model approximates the runway system as a finite elastic plate, resting on a semi-infinite foundation subjected to moving load. The pavement is modeled as a thick plate and the foundation as three-dimensional solid. The model properly accounts for the inertia of the foundation and the interaction effects within the foundation and between the foundation and the pavement. Rayleigh damping is used to account for the energy loss in the soil. The effects of element type, interface compatibility condition, speed of moving load, and damping ratio have been examined