|
Runway Friction Surveys During Winter Operations FAA Advisory Circular 150/5200-30A, Change 4, titled "Airport Winter
Safety and Operations" provides guidance to assist airport
owners/operators in the development of an acceptable airport snow and ice
control program and to provide guidance on appropriate field condition
reporting procedures. In addition to the usefulness for efficient snow and
ice removal, field condition reports can enhance aircraft safety when
provided to pilots during winter operations. For this reason, many airports
use runway friction measurement equipment to provide an indication of the
existing friction on runways contaminated by snow or ice during aircraft
operations and during snow removal operations. However, there are certain
conditions when friction testing should not be attempted because it may lead
to erroneous readings. For example, friction testing should not be made on
loose snow over 1 inches (2.5cm) or slush over 1/8 inch (3mm) deep. The specific goals of the FAA's Airport Technology R & D Branch are: 1) to study the feasibility of expanding the limitations on the use of the Continuous Friction Measurement Equipment (CFME) during winter operations, and 2) to examine the correlation of the approved friction measurement devices during winter operations.
These research efforts are being conducted in cooperation with the Joint Winter Runway Friction Test Program. The overall program is a joint effort with Transport Canada and NASA and focuses on advancing safe operations of aircraft when winter contaminates are present on the runway surface. The joint effort is carefully examining the interface between aircraft braking performance and reported friction data to accurately predict the aircraft stopping distance requirements on winter contaminated surfaces. The two specific objectives of the Airport Technology R & D Branch, AAR-410, are connected with the joint program objectives. The cooperative effort allows sharing of data and leveraging of resources to further understand the complexities involved with accurate measurement and reporting procedures for winter contaminated runways. The Joint Winter Runway Friction Test Program is a series of agreements with a five-year life span. Three years of testing at Jack Garland International Airport in North Bay, Ontario, Canada has provided a wealth of data which is under review by experts from industry and government. Preliminary analysis has been completed, with reports from the lead agencies expected shortly. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E-17 Committee has established a series of sub-committees to consolidate the standardization process. The testing protocol for this winter has been established and is currently under review.
Related Documents: TP 12584E, "Aircraft tire braking friction under winter conditions: laboratory testing", Fleet Technology Ltd., 1996 TP 12943, "Proceedings of the international meeting on aircraft performance on contaminated runways/Compte rendu de la Réunion internationale sur la performance des avions utilisant despistes chargées de contaminants", TDC, 1996 Contact Project Lead: Ryan King Other points of contact: Tom Yager NASA Langley Research Center Angelo Boccanfuso Transportation Development Center Last Update: 11/29/04 |