Analysis of skid resistance and braking distance of aircraft tire landing on grooved runway pavement

ABSTRACT

Aircraft landing operations on the wet grooved runway are one of the critical safety concerns for airport agencies. This study aims to predict the friction coefficient between aircraft tires and wet grooved pavement and evaluate the braking distance on the runway. An improved three-dimensional tire-pavement-water interaction model considering squared pavement grooves was developed to evaluate contact force and frictional force at different speeds. The aircraft tire model was validated by the contact footprint and load-deflection curve. The calculated friction coefficients were found to match well with field measurements. The results show that tire wear and water film thickness make significant differences in the friction force between aircraft tires and wet grooved runways. The loss of tread depth degrades drainage capacity between the tire tread and grooved pavement surface. With the increase in speed and water film thickness, the worn tire tends to lose more friction than the new tire. Through the developed approach, the evaluation of hydroplaning speed and braking distance of the landing aircraft during the ground rolling process can be performed. The analysis findings can help airport agencies, aircraft manufacturers, and pilots mitigate the overrun risk of aircraft landing from different aspects.

KEYWORDS:

• Aircraft tire
• runway pavement
• friction coefficient
• braking distance
• tire wear
• water film thickness

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Federal Aviation Administration.