Intensive operation of airfields can lead to dangerous subsidence of the surface over time. Lifting and stabilizing concrete slabs of the airfield using traditional methods threatens to take the facility out of operation for weeks or months. Restoration of the surface using Premium Technologies technologies will take a few days or even hours.
The subsidence of airfield concrete slabs can be caused by various reasons. Among them are the increase in the load on the airport and the inconsistency of the project with modern requirements, damage to the airfield drainage system, natural wear and tear of the object, and so on. Most often, sagging, cracked or slightly curved concrete slabs of taxiways and runways within the permissible values may not pose a direct threat and not create emergency and dangerous situations. However, problems may arise, for example, with a sharp change in weather conditions. For example, excessive precipitation with a sharp drop in temperature can lead to the formation of a dangerous layer of ice on the surface of the airport pavement.
SOIL REINFORCEMENT UNDER COVERING
The situation can be corrected by operative intervention in the condition of the soil under the concrete slabs of the airfield. To perform the traditional operation of strengthening the soil, lifting and stabilizing the position of the airfield concrete slabs, it is often necessary to completely dismantle the slabs in the area of the subsidence with subsequent restoration of the coating.
At the same time, to perform similar operations of strengthening the soil and leveling the position of the concrete slabs of the airfield using Premium Technologies technologies, it is not necessary to dismantle the coating. It is enough to drill several holes with a diameter of 16 mm in the concrete or in the joints between the slabs and apply a multicomponent geopolymer material to the required depth.
TECHNOLOGY SPECIFICATIONS
The unique property of Premium Technologies geopolymer resins is that they expand and gain high strength just 15 minutes after injection. Immediately after the work, the restored area can be operated in the mode of permissible loads: the stabilized area of the airfield can withstand the full weight of an airliner.
Thus, to fully restore the operational condition of the airfield coating, it is often not necessary not only to close the facility for a long time, but also to change the flight schedule. The necessary work can be performed taking into account traffic, at night, when the natural load on the airport is low. An important advantage of Premium Technologies geopolymer injection technologies is the complete autonomy of the equipment: the equipment and materials required for the work are compactly placed in a mobile complex, which will not create restrictions for the movement of aircraft on the rest of the airfield.
TWO METHODOLOGIES
Two geopolymer injection technologies are commonly used to repair airfield pavement. To strengthen the soil at a depth of several meters, the Deep Lifting injection technology is used. To directly level the position of concrete slabs, the Floor Lifting method is used with injections under the slabs themselves. In this case, the position of the concrete slabs can be easily adjusted in real time during the injection of geopolymer resins. For this purpose, special ultra-precise laser levels are used, capable of recording movement within ± 1 mm.