A Comparable Analysis of Civilian and Military Airfield Runway Design Procedures

In the United States there are two primary agencies that regulate, approve, and aid in airfield runway designs. These two agencies are the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Defense (DOD), and they both have different design procedure for design and construction of their prospective airfield runways. It is important to have a closer look at the design procedures, the reliance of software and how these compare to each other. The primary objective of this research was to conduct a sensitivity analysis of the FAA and the DOD airfield design programs used to aid in the design of civilian and military airfield runways. Particularly in the area of the subgrade modulus and the relationship of how the changes in the modulus of subgrade affect the structural layer design thickness of a pavement design for airfield. A comprehensive study and comparison of the two-design procedure was conducting by comparing air traffic mixes to how each agencies designed their pavement structure to handle these loads over the live cycle of the runway. This analysis of the design process provides a valuable insight into potential variations in results and the importance of not relying solely on design programs in the design process