Airport Engineering

Dr Rawid
 Runway
• Runway orientation: the best direction of
runway is the direction of wind flow
• It is not possible throughout the year to get
the direction of wind parallel to runway
• We should check the cross wind component.
• If the component is too much it will interrupt
the safe landing and take off operation.
• Cross wind component should not exceed
24km/hr
 Runway
• The percentage of time in a year during which
the cross wind component remains within the
limit of 24 km/hr is called the wind coverage.
• The runway should be so oriented that the
minimum wind coverage is about 95%.
• The wind data (direction, intensity and
duration) are graphically represented by a
diagram known as wind rose.
 CROSS WIND & HEAD WIND COMPONENTS

Aircraft landing on runway 24 (azimuth of the runway

is 240 degrees, so it is called 24) in a 25-knot wind
blowing from 280 degress azimuth.
Cross wind component = 25 Sin 40 = 16 knots

Head wind component = 25 Cos 40 = 19.2 knots

 Geometric design of runway
• Length
• Width
• Sight distance
• Longitudinal gradient and effective gradient
• Transverse gradient
• Sight distance: any two points 3m above the
runway must be mutually visible within a
distance of half of the runway length
Shaded area shows 3.0 percent of time wind comes from SE
having a speed from 20-25 miles/hr. Cross wind component
not to exceed 15 miles/hr.
Example
Problem
6-1
Azimuth to True North of 90 to 270 degree will permit operations 90.8 percent of time with
Cross Wind component not exceeding 15 miles/hr.
1. Since Primary runway coverage is less than 95 percent, a
Cross Wind runway has to be found.

2. The Cross Wind runway has an orientation of 12 to 192

degrees, this will give an additional wind coverage of 6.2
percent above that provided by the runway oriented 90
to 270 degrees, thus giving a total coverage for both
runways of 90.8+6.2=97 percent.

3. Because of noise-sensitive land uses in the direction of

the optimal crosswind runway, a crosswind runway will
be located at the an orientation of 30 to 210 degrees,
which results in an additional coverage of 5.8 percent.
This runway has been called 3-21 (see diagram). The total
wind coverage for both runways is now 90.8+5.8= 96.6
percent.
Combined Wind Coverage of 96.6 percent for use of either runway
Orientation of Primary runways same as
Wind Rose-derived

freeway

Sample airport layout plan

 Runway patterns/orientation
• Single runway
• Parallel runway
• Intersecting runway
• Divergent runway
Old runway
configuration
7 billion dollar
Modernization
of Chicago
O'Hare
International
Airport
Completed in
2005
Parallel runway
Intersecting runway
Intersecting runway
 Taxiway

Runway
High-speed exit from runway
 Airport pavement
• It is provided for
• Runway
• Taxiway
• Apron
• It should be strong enough to take the aircraft
load without failure and without causing undue
stress on the subgrade
• 10 % of the aircraft load is on the nose gear and
90% on the base/main gear
 Structural design of runway
• Contact area for load= wheel load/tyre
pressure in kg/cm2
• The load taken by one main gear is design load
and it is 45% of the total load of the aircraft
• Types of airport pavement: flexible pavement
and rigid pavement
• Proper grading so that the water can drain
from taxiway, apron and runway
 Airport drainage
• Proper disposal of the surface as well as the
sub surface water from the site of airport is
absolutely essential for the proper and safe
functioning of airport.
• Poor drainage may interfere with the landing
and take off operations. The sub surface water
may weaken the subgrade and thus reduce
the load bearing capacity, resulting in the
failure of pavements of runway
 Airport drainage
• Surface drainage: short duration rain
sometime produce high intensity of rain. The
pavements are designed for maximum
intensity of rainfall (in mm/hr) which is not
likely to occur more them once in a year.
• Run off is calculated from the rainfall
• The minimum velocity of flow in a pipe should
be 0.6m/sec
 Airport drainage
• Sub surface drainage: if the water table is very
near to the surface, perforated pipes are used
to collect the water at some point below
subgrade level and keep the water table lower
than the thickness of airport pavement.
• The perforated pipes are surrounded by
granular material to avoid blockage of pores in
the perforated pipes. These consist of feeding
pipes and main drain
Airport drainage
Airport drainage
Airport drainage
Airport drainage
Also called PC (Point Also called PT (Point
of Curvature) of Tangency)

This angle is Δ
 PT (Point of Tangency)

PC (Point of Curvature)
 Taxiway fillet design geometry terms
PC = Point of Curvature.

PT = Point of Tangency.

Amax = Maximum angle formed between the tangent to the centerline and the longitudinal
axis of the aircraft will occur at the end of the curve when the nose wheel is at the point of
tangency.

d = Distance from the pilot cockpit position to the center of the main undercarriage (if not
given then can be approximated by the wheelbase distance of the aircraft).

R = Radius the nose wheel or the pilot is tracking on the curve.

Bmax = Maximum nose wheel steering angle, the castor angle, the angle between the
longitudinal axis on the nose gear and the longitudinal axis of the aircraft.

w = wheelbase of the aircraft.(note: this is a small w)

F = Fillet radius.
 Taxiway fillet design geometry terms (continued)
u = undercarriage width, that is, the distance between the outside tires on the main gear.

M = Minimum distance required between the edge of the outside tire and the edge of the
pavement, that is, the edge safety margin.

L = The length of the lead-in to the fillet.

W = The taxiway width on the tangent.(note: this is a capital W)

 DECLARED DISTANCES

❑ DECLARED DISTANCES: “Declared distances” are distances the airport owner

declares available and suitable for satisfying the airplane’s takeoff distance,
accelerate-stop distance, and landing distance requirements. The distances are:
TORA, TODA, ASDA, LDA.

❑ Four Declared Distances are commonly reported for each runway. They are TORA,
TODA, ASDA, LDA.

▪ TORA - Takeoff run available. The runway length declared available and
suitable for the ground run of an airplane taking off.
▪ TODA - Takeoff Distance Available. The takeoff run available plus the length
of any remaining runway or clearway beyond the far end of the takeoff run
available.
▪ ASDA - Accelerate-Stop Distance Available. The runway plus stopway length
declared available and suitable for the acceleration and deceleration of an
airplane aborting a takeoff.
▪ LDA - Landing Distance Available. The runway length declared available and
suitable for a landing airplane.
❑ Stopway (SW): The stopway is defined as an area beyond the runway, not less in
width than the width of the runway, centrally located about the extended center-line
of the runway, and designated by the airport authorities for use in decelerating the
aircraft during an aborted takeoff. To be considered as such, the stopway must be
capable of supporting the airplane during an aborted takeoff without inducing
structural damage to the aircraft.

❑ Clearway (CL): A clearway is defined as a rectangular area beyond the runway not
less than 500 ft wide and not longer than 1000 ft in length, centrally located about
the extended centerline of the runway, and under the control of the airport
authorities. The clearway is expressed in terms of a clearway plane, extending from
the end of the runway with an upward slope not exceeding 1.25 percent above
which no object nor any portion of the terrain protrudes, except that threshold lights
may protrude above the plane if their height above the end of the runway is not
greater than 26 in and if they are located to each side of the runway.

❑ Displaced Threshold (DT): A Displaced threshold is a runway threshold located at

a point other than the physical beginning or end of the runway. The portion of the
runway so displaced may be used for takeoff but not for landing. Landing aircraft
may use the displaced area on the opposite end for rollout.
 SOME EXAMPLES OF DECLARED DISTANCES AT VARIOUS
RUNWAYS IN A DENVER (U.S.A) AIRPORT

RWY = Runway

RWY 05: TORA=6500ft TODA=6900 ASDA=6375 LDA=6375

RWY 07: TORA=6704 TODA=7704 ASDA=6518 LDA=6277

RWY 23: TORA=6500 TODA=7500 ASDA=6500 LDA=6375

RWY 25: TORA=6704 TODA=6704 ASDA=6463 LDA=6277

Declared distances for each runway end are
published in the Airport/Facility Directory
(A/FD). For runways without published
declared distances, the declared distances may
be assumed to be equal to the physical length
of the runway unless there is a displaced
landing threshold, in which case the Landing
Distance Available (LDA) is shortened by the
amount of the threshold displacement.
RWY=Runway; SWY=Stopway; CWY=Clearway; DT=Displaced Threshold
• The runway must be long enough to allow an
obstacle-free takeoff by an aircraft with one engine
out. There must be ample paved stopping distance in
case the pilot chooses to abort just before rotating the
aircraft to become airborne. This extra portion of the
runway is called the Stopway.

• On the other hand, the runway length for landing must

be capable of permitting safe braking if touch down
occurs one third of the length of the runway past the
threshold.
DISPLACED THRESHOLD