ACR/PCR Overview Federal Aviation

Administration

Aircraft Classification Rating/

Pavement Classification Rating

Presented to: REDAC Subcommittee on Airports

By: David R. Brill, Ph.D.
Date: March 4, 2020
What’s Coming –
Preview of the ACR-PCR System
• Developed in cooperation with ICAO Aerodromes Pavement
Expert Group (APEG).
– Designated ACR-PCR (Aircraft Classification Rating – Pavement
Classification Rating) System
– Participants included the major aircraft manufacturers, ACI World,
FAA and DGAC-France.
• Same concepts as current ACN-PCN method, but:
– Fully layered elastic-based.
– Uses uniform standard subgrade categories for flexible and rigid.
– NO alpha factor, layer equivalency factors, top-of-base k, etc.
• FAA developed program ICAO-ACR.
– Visual Basic class library computes rigid & flexible ACRs.
– Replacement for legacy ICAO ACN computer programs.
– Open source library – supports linking to any PCN program.

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ACR-PCR Current Status
• Proposed amendment to Annex 14 on ACR-PCR has
gone through State review with no objections.
• After formal adoption by the ICAO Air Navigation
Committee (ANC), there will be a four-year transition
period from ACN-PCN to ACR-PCR:
– Effective date July 2020.
– Full applicability November 2024.
– During transition, both systems will remain available.
• An updated ADM Part 3 with the new procedures will
be posted in the near future.
• Training on ACR-PCR is planned.

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ICAO-ACR Computer Program
• Availability:
ICAO-ACR version 1.25 GUI
– Maintained by FAA.
– Download free of charge:
https://www.airporttech.tc.faa.gov
/Products/Airport-Pavement-
Software-Programs
• Ability to link directly to other
applications that:
– Compute ACR (e.g., for aircraft
gear design).
– Use the standard ACR
computation to evaluate PCR.
• Procedures for linking to ICAO-
ACR will be given in an
appendix to the ADM update.

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 Flowchart of PCR Calculation
START
• Directly uses FAARFIELD
structure and traffic list. 1. Compute ACR of all aircraft
in list at operating weight.
Find maximum ACR.
CALL ICAO-ACR

• Planned replacement for i=1

Find critical aircraft:

COMFAA 3.0 & support 2. Run FAARFIELD Life for the
full aircraft traffic list
Aircraft with the highest CDF
contribution at critical offset.

spreadsheets.
• Method yields uniquely defined 3. Run FAARFIELD Life for the
critical aircraft only.
Equivalent passes = no. of
PCR. passes giving same CDF as
original traffic list.

– No more considering multiple potential 4. Run FAARFIELD Life for

equivalent passes of the
PCRs for different critical aircraft. critical aircraft only.
MGW of critical aircraft =
CALL ICAO-ACR i=i+1

• Implemented in FAARFIELD 2.0

GW giving CDF = 1.0 for the
design life.
PCRi = ACR of critical
– Solves problem of computing PCR for aircraft at MGW

mixed traffic (narrow bodies and LR

aircraft) without unnecessary operating ACR of critical
Remove critical aircraft
weight restrictions.
PCR = max(PCRi) YES aircraft = maximum NO
from traffic list.
ACR in list?

– Seamlessly handles HMA overlays on

flexible pavements. REPORT PCR

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FAARFIELD 2.0 PCR Implementation
• Replacement for current FAARFIELD 1.42
– Release software with next update of AC 150/5320-6.
– Currently in beta test.
– New: Features support for ACR-PCR.
– Will replace COMFAA as primary pavement strength reporting
software in next update of AC 150/5335-5.
• FAARFIELD PCR integration
– Shared aircraft library.
– Use FAARFIELD pavement structure and aircraft list directly.
– No support spreadsheets required.
– Built-in 5010 report generation.
– Much better compatibility with FAARFIELD thickness designs.

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FAARFIELD 2.0 PCR Integration
Aircraft
Library

Aircraft
• Thickness Design
Traffic Mix • Life
FAARFIELD MAIN PROGRAM • Compaction
Pavement • PCR
Structure
INPUT OUTPUT

LEAF FAAMesh FAASR3D ICAO-ACR

Layered Elastic 3D Mesh 3D Finite Element
Analysis Generation Analysis ACR Numbers

FAARFIELD LIBRARIES

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FAARFIELD 2.0 PCR Example
Completed Design:

Pavement Structure

Traffic List

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FAARFIELD 2.0 PCR Example

In the drop-down list,

select PCR.

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FAARFIELD 2.0 PCR Example

Click “Run”

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FAARFIELD 2.0 PCR Example

PCR displays here:

PCR 704/F/B/X/T
Tire pressure &
Percent GW on Gear
are correct for PCR

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PCR Graph • Critical aircraft is A340-600.
• All using aircraft ACR are < PCR.
• PCR is consistent with
FAARFIELD 2.0 thickness design.

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Thank you!

http://www.airporttech.tc.faa.gov/
[email protected]

Acknowledgments:
FAA Airport Technology R&D Branch:
Dr. Michel Hovan, Branch Manager;
Jeff Gagnon, Airport Pavement Section Manager

FAA Airport Engineering Division:

Doug Johnson; Greg Cline
SRA International:
Dr. Izydor Kawa; Dr. Qiang Wang; Dr. Yuanguo Chen; Dr. Kairat Tuleubekov; Shawn Hershman
ARA:
Tim Parsons; Richard Speir; Aliasghar Dormohammadi; Maoyun Li
APEG:
Cyril Fabre; Liana Ding; Prisca Nkolo; Michael Broutin; Guilhem Blanchard; John Cook; Greg White

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ACR Methodology – Principles
Similar to ACN, except:
• All structures are layered elastic
(rigid and flexible).
• Retains 4 standard subgrade Mathematically
categories, but defined by Evaluation Landing Gear - Derived Single
modulus (E) not CBR or k. Load at Max. CG Wheel Load (DSWL)
• Flexible ACR considers all wheels Operating Defined tire
pressure
in the main landing gear. tire pressure
= 1.5 MPa
• Standard tire pressure increased
t t
to 1.5 MPa.
• Standard coverages increased to
Vertical strain at top of subgrade
36,500 for flexible ACR. computed by LEA
• DSWL expressed in 100’s (not
1000’s) of kg.
The ACR numerical value is defined
• For most aircraft, ACR numerical
values are approximately 10X as two times the DSWL (expressed
higher than equivalent ACN. in hundreds of kilograms)

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ACR-PCR Subgrade Categories
Category A B C D
Strength High Medium Low Ultra-Low
E Value, MPa 200 120 80 50
Range, MPa E ≥ 150 150 > E ≥ 100 100 > E ≥ 60 60 > E

• Categories are defined by E, not CBR or k.

• Same categories for rigid and flexible pavements.
• All values defined at top of subgrade.

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