Development of Airport Pavement Condition Evaluation Using Dominant Damage and Grid-Based Analysis

Abstract

Airport Pavement Condition Index (PCI) is a measure of pavement stability represented by an index ranging from 0 (failed) to 100 (best). The PCI evaluation procedure includes a series of steps, which are time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, this study aimed to propose an alternative PCI evaluation procedure that focused on major pavement damage using a grid-based system. The methods used in the analysis included discussions with expert panels and linear & nonlinear regression analysis. The results of the deduct value curve showed good statistical performance with an average RMSE of 1.80 and an average R² value of 0.85. The sample unit size with a grid system of 3×5 m² produced good accuracy with an average standard deviation of 7.89 at the study locations of PKY, TJQ, and TKG airports. Additionally, the PCI value decline model as a function of pavement age produced an estimated PCI decline of 3.23 per year. Grid-based PCI analysis was further proven to improve the accuracy of PCI values and consequently increased the efficiency of runway condition investigation time and costs by 27.30% compared to standard methods. Future studies were recommended to integrate this PCI evaluation procedure with a classification algorithm for airport pavement damage.