The Impact of a Geogrid System on Load-Bearing Capacity of Natural Airfield Pavements

Natural airfield pavements divide into soil and turf pavements. Turf pavement is a soil pavement covered with a developed grass layer that reduce soil moisture level, thus increasing its' resistance and extending exploitation period. Natural airfield pavements are formed through appropriate ground preparation. This pavement should be constructed in such a way as to have sufficient load-bearing capacity, which directly affects the safety of flight operations by aircraft. The current research indicates that a significant part of natural airfield pavements in Poland does not meet the requirements for load bearing capacity and require reinforcing. The article provides an example of reinforcing the natural airfield pavement with a system of geogrids. The paper describes what research was performed in order to measure the load-bearing capacity of natural airfield pavements and analyses the obtained results.