US Army Experience with Precast Panels for Military Airfield Pavement Repairs

The evaluation of expedient Portland cement concrete (PCC) repair technologies has been the focus of the pavements research community for decades due to ever decreasing construction timelines. Precast concrete panel technology offers a potential repair alternative to conventional cast-in-place PCC methods, because the panel has gained full strength prior to its use and allows for local concrete material sources to be used in lieu of costly proprietary rapid-setting repair materials. This repaired surface may be trafficked much sooner after placement compared to traditional PCC repair materials, thus eliminating time lost to lengthy curing durations. The objective of this research was to develop a precast panel repair system to conduct expedient or emergency airfield pavement repairs for military operations worldwide. This objective was accomplished by modifying a prototype panel repair system to conduct various sized repairs in a full-scale field test section and then trafficking these repairs to failure. This paper summarizes recent U.S. military experiences in developing and testing precast panels for airfield pavement repairs in a full-scale test section. Recommendations for new panel design configurations, material requirements, equipment items, and phased construction planning are presented. These recommendations are based on full-scale field testing results, including both the timing of repair activities and the performance of the panels under simulated aircraft traffic, and finite element modeling results. These recommendations can be used to improve panel repair performance and expedite installation efforts.