Evaluation of m8a1 landing mat with various fix attachments

Author / Creator

Green, Hugh L

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Summary

An airfield runway constructed with M8A1 mat caused damage to tires of aircraft because of sharp edges along the male overlap edges of the mat panels. Among solutions proposed to prevent this damag...

An airfield runway constructed with M8A1 mat caused damage to tires of aircraft because of sharp edges along the male overlap edges of the mat panels. Among solutions proposed to prevent this damage was use of metal strips (fixes) attached to the female edges of the panels. This report describes traffic tests conducted on M8A1 mat, laid on a prepared subgrade, with five types of fixes attached to the rolled edges of the panels. Specially designed load carts simulating C-130 aircraft loading were used to determine if the fixes would alleviate the excessive tire wear, and if they would withstand rolling wheel loads and skidding of the C-130. Results indicated that although the fixes withstood the effects of both traffic and skidding tests, they did not appreciably reduce the tire damage caused by the overlap edges. Therefore, other means of reducing or eliminating the tire damage are recommended. (Author).

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