AIRPORT DRAINAGE

BITS Pilani
Hyderabad Campus
 AIRPORT DRAINAGE

• Purpose of Drainage

• Design storm for surface runoff

• Intensity and duration pattern for the design storm

• Amount of runoff

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

 NEED FOR RUNWAY DRAINAGE

• Adequate drainage system for the removal of surface

and subsurface water is vital for the safety of aircraft
and for the long service life of the pavements

• Improper drainage results in the formation of puddles

on the pavement surface which can be hazardous to
aircraft taking off or landing

• Landing on the runway pavement with poor drainage

can also result in the early deterioration of pavements.

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

 AQUAPLANING

Aquaplaning or hydroplaning by the tires of a road vehicle, aircraft or other

wheeled vehicle occurs when a layer of water builds between the wheels of
the vehicle and the road surface, leading to a loss of traction that prevents
the vehicle from responding to control inputs. If it occurs to all wheels
simultaneously, the vehicle leads to uncontrolled slide.

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

AQUAPLANING

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Aquaplaning

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

AQUAPLANING

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

 AQUAPLANING

• Aquaplaning was the factor in an accident to Qantas

Flight1 when it ran off the end of the runway in Bangkok in
1999 during heavy rain.

• Aircraft which can employ reverse thrust braking have the

advantage over road vehicles in such situations, as this type
of braking is not affected by aquaplaning, but it requires a
considerable distance to operate as it is not as effective as
wheel braking on a dry runway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfFZ2-Am-Zk – Reverse Thrust

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

 AQUAPLANING

• Dynamic Aquaplaning
• Reverted Rubber Aquaplaning
• Viscous Aquaplaning

Any one of the three can render an aircraft partially or

totally uncontrollable anytime during the landing roll

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Airport Drainage

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Airport Drainage

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Design storm for surface run off

• FAA recommends that for civil airports, the drainage

system be designed for a storm whose probability of
occurrence is once in 5 years

• The designs should, however be checked with a

storm of lesser frequency (10 to 15 years)

• Drainage system for military airfields is based on a

2-years storm frequency

• Rainfall intensity is expressed in inches per hour for

various durations of a particular storm.
BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus
Design storm for surface run off

FAA adopts the following formula for the calculation of amount

of run off

Q = CIA
Q = Run off from the drainage basin (ft/sec)
C = Ratio of runoff to rainfall (coefficient of runoff)
I = Rainfall intensity (inch /hour)
A = Drainage area in acres

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Coefficient of Runoff (FAA)
Types of Surfaces Factor C
All water tight roof surfaces 0.75-0.95
Asphalt runway pavements 0.80-0.95
Concrete runway pavements 0.70-0.90
Gravel or Macadam pavements 0.35-0.70
For impervious soils (heavy)* 0.40-0.65
Impervious soils with turf* 0.30-0.55
Slightly pervious soils* 0.15-0.40
Slightly pervious soils with turf* 0.10-0.30
Moderately pervious soils* 0.05-0.20
Moderately pervious soils with turf* 0.00-0.10
* For slopes from 1 to 2 % BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus
DESIGN STORM FOR SURFACE RUN OFF

For drainage basins consisting of several types of surfaces

with different infiltration characteristics, the weighted run
off coefficient should be computed as:

C=(A1C1 + A2C2 +A3C3)/(A1+A2+A3)

Where
A1, A2, A3 = areas of different types of surfaces
C1, C2, C3 = respective coefficient of runoffs

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

DRAINAGE EXAMPLE

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

SURFACE AND SUB-SURFACE DRAINS

• The pipes diameter is determined based on the discharge

• Pipes - Perforated Metal, Concrete on Vitrified Clay

(Non crystalline amorphous solid - Glass)

• Pipes - 6” diameter with a minimum slope of 0.15 % and minimum

filter material of 6” surrounding the drain

• For cleaning and inspection – Manholes and risers

• The corps of engineers recommend that manhole be placed at

intervals < 1000 ft

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

SURFACE AND SUB-SURFACE DRAINS

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

 SURFACE DRAINAGE

• Water from a discharge area is collected into the storm drain by

means of inlets

• The inlet structures consists of a concrete box, whose top is

covered with a grating made of cast iron or reinforced concrete.

• Cover is designed to takes aircraft wheel loads

• The inlets are spaced from 200 – 400 ft.

• Support locations of inlets depend on the configuration of the

airport and on the grading plan.

• The design should be such that entire quantity of surface run off
should be removed in 1 to 2 hours following the rain storm.
BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus
SURFACE DRAINAGE

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

 Ponding

https://www.slideshare.net/srinivas2036/airport-drainage-47193829

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Ponding

If the airport area is subjected to high rainfall

intensities, ponding of water is done to
accumulate water for some time and then allow
it to enter the drains.
Allowing the ponding of water reduces the size of
drains.
Water is collected in catch basin and carried away
by storm sewer.

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

 PONDING PROVIDED

• When ponding is provided the volume of possible storage

is calculated by the formula:
V = 1/3 [b*(A+B+AB)]
V = volume of pond in m3
b = height of pond in meters
A = area of upper surface of pond in m2
B = area of lower surface of the pond in m2

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

 SUB SURFACE DRAINAGE

• Functions of subsurface drainage are to:

• Remove water from a base course.
• Remove water from the sub grade beneath a pavement.
• Intercept, collect and remove water flowing from springs
and previous strata.
• Base drainage is usually required:
• Where frost action occurs in the sub-grade beneath a
pavement.
• Where the ground water is expected to rise to the level of
base course.
• Where the pavement is subjected to frequent inundation
and the sub-grade is highly impervious and sub surface
waters from adjacent areas are seeping towards the airport
pavements.
BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus
Methods for draining sub-surface
water
Base course are usually drained by installing sub-
surface drains adjacent to and parallel to the edge
of pavement.
The pervious material in the trench should extend
to the bottom of base course and center line of the
drain pipe should be placed a minimum of 1 ft
below the bottom of the base course.
Sub grade is drained by pipes installed along the
edge of the pavement and the center line of the
drain should be placed at edge.

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Environmental Impact
Assessment
• Pollution Impact
Air pollution
Noise pollution
Water pollution
Pollution during construction
• Social Impacts
Land development
Displacement and relocation
Displacement of recreational, historical and natural assets
• Ecological factors
Wild and water life
Flora and fauna
Endangered species and birds
• Engineering factors
Flood hazards
Energy and natural resources
• Economic factors
Cost-benefit analysis

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Thank you

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus