The EMASMAXTM shown here, installed in the Engineering Research Facility. This crushable concrete block system took two days to place and contains 220 blocks (44 blocks wide and 11 blocks long). The step-up tiered configuration has eight inch blocks on the perimeter, 14 inch high blocks inside with 20 inch high blocks in the interior. Credit: B.A. Coutermarsh, CRREL.

ERDC-CRREL researchers are cold testing a cellular concrete block safety system designed for aircraft that overrun a runway.

The blocks, known as Engineered Material Arresting Systems (EMAS) EMASMAX^TM (patent pending) and developed by the Engineered Arresting Systems Corp. (ESCO), form a unique safety system. These blocks are installed at the end of the runway, providing safe egress for aircraft.

This study is funded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the EMASMAX^TM product was donated by ESCO for investigation at the CRREL facility.

"EMASMAX^TM is our latest generation system and has not been cold tested," said John Bosco, ESCO principal civil engineer. "We tested previous versions at CRREL more than five years ago. This current study is a more detailed test for cold weather. We are trying to simulate 20 years of Arctic conditions."

The EMAS system was installed with CRREL's Ice Engineering Research Facility in a tiered step-up configuration that mimics a full-scale runway installation.

"We chose CRREL as the testing site because of the unique capabilities of the facility. The room we are testing in is a large-scale, highly-specialized cold room that can run at very low temperatures," said Ryan King, project manager, Airport Safety R&D Section, FAA Technical Center. "And we chose CRREL because of the capable people available to run the tests."

EMASMAX^TMis designed to be placed at the end of a runway to quickly decelerate aircraft with no injuries to passengers or damage to the aircraft. Typically, this system is installed at airports that lack proper runway length, and either have no land available for runway expansion or it is too costly to expand.

Glenn Durell, a CRREL engineering technician, works with a machine that applies tension to the sealing tape within a refrigerated box, simulating a cold environment. Credit: B.A. Coutermarsh, CRREL.

"We are now conducting an Arctic durability study using the EMASMAX^TM system to test the system's performance when exposed to extreme Arctic temperatures," said Barry Coutermarsh, CRREL principal investigator of the study.

According to ESCO, the EMASMAX^TM system has been installed on 29 runways, with four of these sites located overseas. The system has been involved with five "live" arrestments and in all cases there were no injuries to passengers and all aircraft flew soon after.

"Our latest product has been installed at an airport in Cordova, Alaska," said Bosco. "We're fairly confident the product will stand up in extreme cold temperatures, however; we will prove it with this testing."

This broad study is designed to investigate the effects of cold cycling on system components from the tape used to seal the gaps between the blocks to the impact strength of the plastic block cover and will also define field inspection techniques.

"By looking at the combined effect of the cold and humidity on the blocks, we will learn more about the cold weather performance of the system," said Coutermarsh.

So far, the testing appears to be on track and results are as expected. "Testing is going very well—we're getting good preliminary results. There are no real hiccups so far," said King.

 
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