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Pavements 2025

Highway & Airfield Pavement Numerical Modeling and Analytics

POSTER RECEPTION (View list of posters here)

Numerical Analysis and Field Validation of Airfield Pavement Responses - SMART Runway at Hill AFB

Tuesday, June 10, 2025
4:45 PM – 6:00 PM MT
Abstract: This study focuses on the numerical analysis of the SMART Runway at Hill Air Force Base (AFB), Utah, using field data from embedded sensors within the runway alongside numerical simulations to evaluate pavement responses under complex loading scenarios. Data collected from Heavy Weight Deflectometer (HWD) tests and real-time sensors embedded within the pavement structure were analyzed to assess the agreement between predicted and actual pavement responses. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to examine trends with particular attention to stress and strain behavior of the runway layer responses under F-35, F-16, and KC-135, loading conditions. A comparative analysis was performed using elastic isotropic and nonlinear cross-anisotropic modeling approaches, evaluating the agreement between measured field data and simulation outputs to assess the effectiveness of these models in capturing the SMART Runway’s responses. The numerical models were contrasted using a sensitivity analysis to determine the effectiveness of modeling the true behavior of the runway. Through this comprehensive examination, the research aimed to highlight the critical role of advanced testing methodologies in enhancing our understanding of pavement durability and performance.

The findings of this research will be instrumental in advancing our understanding of airfield behavior under complex dynamic loading conditions, contributing to the optimization of performance prediction models for the next generation of airfield pavement analysis and design.

Learning Objectives:

Attendees can expect to learn the following from this session:
  • Describe how the SMART Runway collects live data from aircraft and translates it into quantifiable results for research.
  • Demonstrate the importance of verifying numerical models with live data from the field.
  • Conduct further research regarding the SMART Runway at Hill AFB and deepen our knowledge of airfield pavement design.