Influence of Differential Displacements of Airport

Pavements on Aircraft Fuelling Systems

A. L. Rolim1, L. A. C. M. Veloso2, H. N. C. Souza3, P. L. de O. Filho1

and L. V. de A. Monteiro1
1
INFRAERO - Brazilian Airports Infrastructure Company
2
UFPA - Federal University of Para, Brazil
3
IME - Military Institute of Engineering, Brazil

Abstract. This paper reviews an analytical and experimental investigation of an

airport pavement after the occurrence of a ductile rupture on a pipe from an aircraft
hydrant fuelling system. In order to identify the causes of the rupture, numerical
analysis were carried out to evaluate the vertical and horizontal displacements of
the pavement imposed on hydrant pit boxes. Parameters that could validate the
numerical model were obtained by means of experimental analysis of the
pavement. Therefore, information such as thermal expansion of the airport
pavement due to weather conditions and to aircraft jet blast was evaluated. Also,
the effects of a high loading caused by aircraft wheels and other airport service
vehicles on the pavement, and settlement or movement of adjacent apron were
considered.

1 Introduction
1.1 Background

In October 2008, a leakage of aircraft fuel (JET-A1) was found at a thermal

expansion joint located between an apron concrete pavement and a Pit box of an
aircraft fuelling system at the International Airport of Belem, Brazil. The leakage
was caused due to a rupture of a hydrant pipe elbow. In January 2009, a report was
issued by the IPT (Technology Research Institute) assuring that the crack of the
metal pipe occurred by a mechanism of ductile fracture due to bending stresses [1].

After this report, an “in-situ” investigation started with the support of the Federal
University of Para. The purpose of this research was to determine the possible
causes of the rupture, based on experimental tests at the same location of the
2A. Rolim1, L. Veloso2, H. Souza1, P. Filho1 and L. Monteiro1

failure, analysing the pavement mechanical behaviour and its correlation with the
problem.
An excavation was performed after the leakage in order to drain the fuel and
extract the fractured pipe section, as shown in Figure 1a.

Elbow located under the pit

a) b)

Figure 1. (a) Pit box of the aircraft fuelling system and (b) the fractured elbow [1]

2 Experimental Tests Design

2.1 Apron Layout

The test was performed on an airport apron that consists of a concrete pavement 20
meters wide by 40 meters long, composed by 64 adjacent slabs. The pavement
layout is shown in Figure 2.
Influence of Structural Airport Pavements Behaviour on Aircraft Fuelling Systems 3

Figure 2. Airport rigid pavement layout

2.2 Instrumentation

The main objective of the instrumentation was to obtain accurate data in order to
evaluate the structural airport pavement behaviour under aircraft and service
vehicle loadings and weather conditions. Experimental tests were carried out
during regular airport operation. Ten strain gages were placed on the surface of the
pavement to measure strain values. These gages were connected to a data
acquisition system that recorded the strains as the aircraft wheel passed over the
pavement, and it was enabled to record a 10 Hz frequency of data sampling.

Figure 3. Instrumentation layout

4A. Rolim1, L. Veloso2, H. Souza1, P. Filho1 and L. Monteiro1

The pavement temperature was measured using equipment enabled to receive the
analogical signal of three thermo-resistive sensors and send the collected data
already as a digital signal by means of binary bases, containing IP address, and
data function with error analysis to the Airport network infrastructure. Therefore, it
was possible to evaluate a real time data collection remotely, at the engineering
office located eight hundred meters far from the airport operational area.

Finally, the rotation of the plate was monitored using two inclinometers installed in
the lateral surface of the pavement, one for each direction, as shown in Figure 3.

3 Pavement Modelling
3.1 Pavement Model Overview

Finite element software SAP2000 was used to model the influence of aircraft
loadings and weather conditions over the concrete pavement and also to verify if
the displacement caused by its mechanical behaviour would be able to cause the
aircraft fuelling system pipe rupture.

The pavement material properties considered in this study were the same adopted
in its original design. The concrete pavement had compression strength of 42 MPa
and 38 cm deep. A three-dimensional concrete pavement section was analyzed,
Figure 4. The pavement section was placed on a 10 cm-deep concrete base, with 15
MPa compression strength and subgrade layer represented by Winkler foundation
[2]. Solid elements were used to mesh the model with the nodes coincident with
strain gages locations.

Figure 4. Pavement Model

Influence of Structural Airport Pavements Behaviour on Aircraft Fuelling Systems 5

Also, one type of aircraft, Airbus 320 (A320), was investigated, which represents
the highest aircraft load over the apron. It was considered a quasi-static analysis to
simulate the aircraft passage on the pavement. Table I shows the main
characteristics considered in this model for this aircraft, according to Airbus
Manual [3].

According to the data exhibited on Table I, it was considered concentrated moving

loads of 113.1 kN and 125.8 kN corresponding to nose and main gear tires on the
lanes showed in Figure 4.

A320
Number of passengers 180
Maximum takeoff weight 75900 Kg
Maximum ramp weight 75500 Kg
Nose gear tire pressure 1.103 x 106 N/m²
Main gear tire pressure 1.227 x 106 N/m²

Table I – Aircraft characteristics

In this study the temperature gradient was assumed to be bilinear throughout the
pavement thickness, one linear gradient distribution from top to mid and other
from mid to bottom considering the measured temperatures of a typical day. The
temperature gradient was applied in the FE model in order to take into account
weather conditions effects, as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Temperature gradient in ºC

6A. Rolim1, L. Veloso2, H. Souza1, P. Filho1 and L. Monteiro1

3.2 Pipe Model Overview

Finite element software ANSYS was used to estimate the influence of plates
movement over the pipe. After the validation of the pavement model, values of
displacement were obtained and applied to the pipe at the same direction of the
thermal dilatation of the pavement influence.

The uniaxial element PIPE16 was used for the straight section of the pipeline
considering tension-compression, torsion, and bending capabilities. The PIPE18
was used for the elbow, because this type of element considers a curved element,
the geometry, the pipe diameter, radius of curvature, wall thickness, flexibility
factors, internal fluid density and corrosion thickness allowance [4, 5], Figure 6.

Figure 6. Pipe modelling

The pipe section and properties adopted to build the model were the same
presented at the fuelling system project and IPT report. The straight part of the pipe
section measured approximately 0,17m of outside diameter and after it a reduction
was considered and the elbow section measuring 0,09 m of outside diameter.

4 Results and Analysis

4.1 Experimental Results

All tests were performed during one week beginning on 22 July 2011. After it, the
collected data was organized. Figure 7-a shows the temperature measured at the
pavement surface, mid-section and base, while Figure 7 -b shows the surface and
surface-base gradient temperatures measured at the same period.
Influence of Structural Airport Pavements Behaviour on Aircraft Fuelling Systems 7

a) b)

Figure 7. Pavement measured temperatures from 22 to 28 July 2011. (a) Surface,

mid and base pavement temperatures. (b) Surface and surface-base gradient

It is possible to notice the cyclic behaviour of the temperatures during one day
period (24 hours). Both base and mid temperatures are in phase but slight out of
phase compared with surface temperature, Figure 7-a. Comparing the surface and
surface-base gradient temperatures, Figure 7-b, they are in phase and the
temperatures variations have the same magnitude, approximately 12°C.

Although the pavement monitoring was not performed at the same period of the
fuel leakage, the climate in the north of Brazil is equatorial, and the ambient
temperature suffers small variations along the year. Figure 8 presents the daily
ambient temperature variation measured in Belem International Airport at the
period of the pipe failure, October 2008.

Figure 8. Daily ambient temperature variation during October 2008

As expected, the maximum daily ambient temperature variation at the period of the
pit box accident has approximately the same magnitude of the surface temperature
pavement and surface-base gradient measured during the pavement monitoring.
8A. Rolim1, L. Veloso2, H. Souza1, P. Filho1 and L. Monteiro1

Figure 9-a shows the strain measured near to the pit box and the Figure 9-b shows
the correlation of a typical measured strain and the surface-base gradient
temperatures. In the Figure 9-a, the strain gage 6 (SG-6) signal presented a
different behaviour compared to the two other signals measured along the same
direction.

a) b)

Figure 9. Measured strain close to the pit box and surface-base gradient
temperatures

The SG 6 was the strain gage fixed on the closest concrete surface to the pit box.
An inspection evidenced that the concrete surface had been repaired with grout
after damages caused by the pit box excavations. In the Figure 9-b, the measured
strains also presented a cyclic behaviour. However, it is not in phase with the
surface-base gradient temperature. Certainly, it is related with the complex thermal
behaviour of the pavement.

A thermographic camera was used to measure the temperature on the pavement

surface due to the aircraft jet blast. The jet blast influence on the pavement surface
temperature is related with aircraft operation and type. Usually, the aircraft stops
on the apron with engines turned off. Figure 10 shows the great observed pavement
heating due to the jet blast where the surface temperature around the aircraft
turbine reached more than 150° C.
Influence of Structural Airport Pavements Behaviour on Aircraft Fuelling Systems 9

Aircraft Turbine

Pavement surface

Figure 10. Thermal influence of Aircraft turbine

Despite the high localized temperature just below the turbine of the aircraft,
analysing the measured strains, at the periods of aircraft arrival, it was not possible
to identify large increase in measured strains due to the jet blast.

4.2 Numerical Analysis

After evaluating the experimental results to perform a calibration of the FE model,

it was obtained a lateral displacement of approximately 0.7 mm, as shown in
Figure 11.

Figure 11. Lateral displacement of the pavement (0.697 mm)

The pipe bending stresses were evaluated considering the maximum lateral
displacement of the concrete pavement obtained with the pavement FEM model.
Figure 12-a shows mechanical behaviour of the pipe considering the direction in
which the pavement moves towards the pipe, and Figure 12-b shows the opposite
direction of the displacement.
A. Rolim1, L. Veloso2, H. Souza1, P. Filho1 and L. Monteiro1
10

a) b)
Figure 12. Pipe stresses (N/m2)

Figure 12-a represents the situation of the heating of pavement where it moves
towards the pipe, while Fig 12-b corresponds the cooling of the pavement. Tensile
stresses in the region where it was observed the fracture occur with the pavement
cooling. The pipe maximum tensile stresses reached only 0.055 MPa.

5 Discussion and Concluding Remarks

According to API 1540 recommendation, the aircraft fuelling system design should
consider that high loadings can be imposed on hydrant pit boxes from aircraft
wheels, tugs, and other service vehicles or from settlement or movement of
adjacent aprons to prevent the transmission of these loadings to hydrant risers (to
which the hydrant pit valve is fitted). Each hydrant pit valve should be effectively
isolated from its hydrant by means of a sealing arrangement that can accommodate
both lateral and vertical differential movement [6]. Also the fuel line shall enter the
side of the pit; bottom entry shall not be allowed [7].

Therefore, based on the results of this study, the following conclusions have been
drawn:
 The original design of the pit box does not attend to international
recommendations;
 The temperature gradients of the studied pavement under traffic load
caused a maximum lateral displacement of approximately 0.7 mm;
 Considering the maximum lateral displacements, the pipe stresses are
many times inferior to the pipe´s strength.

Acknowledgements
This work was supported by INFRAERO and the Civil Engineering Department of
the Federal University of Para. Special thanks are given to the engineer Silvio
Influence of Structural Airport Pavements Behaviour on Aircraft Fuelling Systems 11

Souza for his technical support in test planning and organization. The authors
would also like to express their appreciation to the engineer Jackson Marques Reis
for his assistance presented within. The contents do not necessarily reflect the
official views and policies of the INFRAERO. The paper does not constitute a
standard, specification, or regulation.

References
[1] IPT – Institute of Technical Research (2009). Failure Analysis of an Elbow
of Aircraft Fueling System Pipeline (Institutional Report), São Paulo – Brazil.

[2] Caliendo, C. and Parisi, A. (2010). Stress Prediction Model for Airport
Pavements with Jointed Concrete Slabs, Journal of Transp. Engineering, vol. 136,
n. 7, p. 664-677.

[3] Airbus S. A. S. (2005). Aircraft Characteristics for Airport Planning, Issue:

Sep 30/85, Rev. May 01/11

[4] ANSYS 11 (2008). Ansys Elastic Curved Pipe Tutorial.

[5] Sam Kannappan, P. E. (1986). Introduction to Pipe Stress Analysis, John

Wiley and Sons, New York.

[6] American Petroleum Institute - API (2004). Design, Construction,

Operation and Maintenance of Aviation Fuelling Facilities, Energy Institute,
London.

[7] SAE – Aerospace (2006). Aviation Fuel Facilities Aerospace Recommended

Pratice, SAE International, USA.