Abstract
A "Smart Runway" project was recently undertaken in Utah through the efforts of the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) of the US Army Corps of Engineers to install advanced sensors into a runway pavement test section and monitor pavement responses and damage accumulation over time due to trafficking with critical aircraft systems. In support of the “Smart Runway” project, laboratory tests were conducted on the subgrade, subbase, and base materials obtained from the Hill Air Force Base (AFB) runway pavement, including grain size distribution, image-based shape analysis, anisotropic resilient modulus tests using an innovative UIUC-FastCell test device, and triaxial shear strength tests. In this paper, the laboratory characterization test results are presented and utilized to verify the field response measurements as obtained from Bender Element (BE) shear-wave transducers and Heavy Weight Deflectometer (HWD) tests. A linkage was established between laboratory and field-testing results through advanced testing, materials characterization, and analysis approaches.