NASA B757 makes a test run on a snowy runway in Michigan.
Runway water, ice or snow was a factor in more than 100 airplane accidents between 1958 and 1993. Most of those accidents involved fatalities. NASA supports a national goal to reduce the fatal aircraft accident rate by 80 percent in 10 years and by 90 percent in 25 years.
To help accomplish this ambitious agenda, NASA Langley Research Center has partnered with Transport Canada and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in an on-going, 5-year winter runway friction measurement program.
The research effort uses instrumented aircraft, friction-measuring ground vehicles and test personnel from around the world.
Accomplishing these objectives would not only give airport operators a better way to evaluate runway friction and maintain acceptable operating conditions, but would also contribute to reducing traction-related aircraft accidents.
Since testing started in January 1996, 5 instrumented aircraft and 13 ground test vehicles have been evaluated at sites in Canada, the United States, and Norway. The test aircraft have included the Canadian National Research Council's Falcon 20, the FAA's B727, a deHavilland Dash 8, and NASA's B737 and B757. The friction-measuring ground devices have come from a number of international partners. Transport Canada's surface friction tester and electronic recording decelerometer, the Scottish GripTester, the French IMAG, and Norway's RUNAR, ROAR and airport surface friction tester have all contributed data. So have the FAA's runway friction tester and BV-11 trailer, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E-274 skid trailer, and NASA's instrumented tire-test vehicle and diagonal-braked vehicle.
Data collected from 1996--1999 includes nearly 400 instrumented aircraft test runs and more than 8000 ground vehicle runs. Tests were performed on a variety of runway conditions:
Researchers also took manual measurements to monitor conditions before and after a test run series. They recorded ambient temperature; temperatures of pavement surface and snow, slush, or ice; depth of cover material (water, snow, slush, ice); and in the case of snow or slush, density of cover material.
Researchers take measurements before aircraft and ground vehicles conduct their runway tests.
From this substantial friction database, engineers have developed an international runway friction index (IRFI) to standardize friction reporting from different devices and to minimize pilot difficulties in making critical takeoff and landing decisions. An IRFI methodology standard that defines procedure and accuracy requirements is under review for approval by an ASTM committee.
The overall results from this program will increase aircraft safety and the capacity of airports where winter conditions are severe. Some of the results and test procedures may also apply to highway safety.
For more information, visit our Web site: http://sdb-www.larc.nasa.gov/SDB/