Assessment of the Response of Airfield Concrete Pavements in terms of Temperature Variation Compared to the Design Aircraft Wheels' Load

One of the most effective factors regarding the design of airfield concrete pavements is its performance relative to the temperature and static load caused by airplane traffic. This research aims at evaluation of tensions and deformations occurring in concrete slabs at the airfield concrete pavements, arising from temperature variations and the layout of the aircraft wheels design (Airbus 320), in the 3D model and in the SAFE software environment. By analyzing models and outcomes, it is observed that tensions and displacements and deformations created in the slabs under load caused by the temperature, are much higher than the wheel load. Furthermore, by increasing the thickness of the slabs and their dimensions, the stresses caused by the temperature are increased while the stresses caused by the wheels are decreased.