Volume 26 Issue 8
Aug.  2026
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XU Ling, ZHAO Zi-feng, LIU Shi-fu, WANG Shu-yi, XIAO Fei-peng, LAI Yuan-wen. Polyurethane concrete overlay and its applicability for airport pavement under heavy aircraft loading[J]. Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, 2026, 26(8): 88-101. doi: 10.19818/j.cnki.1671-1637.2026.238
Citation: XU Ling, ZHAO Zi-feng, LIU Shi-fu, WANG Shu-yi, XIAO Fei-peng, LAI Yuan-wen. Polyurethane concrete overlay and its applicability for airport pavement under heavy aircraft loading[J]. Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, 2026, 26(8): 88-101. doi: 10.19818/j.cnki.1671-1637.2026.238
shu

Polyurethane concrete overlay and its applicability for airport pavement under heavy aircraft loading

doi: 10.19818/j.cnki.1671-1637.2026.238
  • 1.

    College of Civil Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, Fujian, China

  • 2.

    Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55414, Minnesota, USA

  • 3.

    Key Laboratory of Road and Traffic Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, China

Funds:

National Natural Science Foundation of China 51861145402

More Information
  • Corresponding author: LAI Yuan-wen, professor, PhD, E-mail: laiyuanwen@fzu.edu.cn
  • Received Date: 2025-12-07
  • Accepted Date: 2026-03-23
  • Rev Recd Date: 2026-01-27
  • Publish Date: 2026-08-28
    Abstract
  • To effectively delay rutting in asphalt overlays of airport pavement and surface damage in repaired cement pavement, a study was carried out on airport pavement overlay technology based on polyurethane concrete and its applicability. Mechanical property tests at different curing temperatures were conducted to evaluate thermosetting characteristics and the potential for construction without suspending flight operations at different time stages. The pore distribution characteristics of polyurethane concrete composite specimens were quantitatively analyzed based on CT scanning. A 700 000-cycle full-scale accelerated loading test based on MLS66 was conducted in combination with fiber Bragg grating sensor deployment. Through rutting curve acquisition and surface and interlayer performance tests, the formation mechanism of rutting deformation and the interlayer failure mode of polyurethane concrete pavement were analyzed. Research results indicate that increasing the curing temperature significantly accelerates the curing rate of polyurethane binder and the formation efficiency of concrete strength. Polyurethane concrete has small-volume, high-density pore characteristics and better pore sphericity and compactness. After 700 000 wheel rolling cycles, the rigid skeleton and elastic binder system of polyurethane binder present unique W-shaped rutting deformation, and its high elasticity and high crosslinking density cause lateral load transfer and trigger a rebound effect. Compared with longitudinal strain, its transverse strain is more sensitive to wheel load, and the directly affected areas of the left and right wheel ruts reach 963 mm2 and 771 mm2, respectively. Its skid resistance and macrotexture are well retained, and its interfacial bonding strength is higher than the shear strength of cement concrete itself. Analysis of the rutting formation mechanism and dynamic mechanical response characteristics of polyurethane concrete pavement based on full-scale accelerated loading tests can provide technical support for airport pavement overlay and construction without suspending flight operations.

     

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