Characterization of the Mechanical Behavior of Runway Strips during Veer-Off Incidents

Runway excursions pose risks that can implicate the operational safety of landings and takeoffs, cause damage to aircrafts, and result in financial and human losses. To mitigate these risks, it is essential to evaluate the mechanical behavior of runway strips, considering the stresses generated by the interaction between landing gears and the surface. This study aims to characterize the interaction between aircraft landing gears and the surfaces of runway strips during landing and takeoff veer-off. Simulations were conducted using the finite element method with the SIMULIA ABAQUS Student Edition 2020. The developed model considered eight structural configurations of runway strips composed of different materials and the impact of four different aircraft models on the surface, resulting in a total of 32 analyzed combinations. The simulations evaluated the influence of resilient modulus (MR), layer thicknesses, and different landing gear configurations on the surface deformations of the runway strips. Results indicated that the analyzed structures presented adequate structural capacity without significant displacements. A sensitivity analysis was conducted considering structures with surface layer thicknesses of 0.15, 0.25, and 0.35 m, with 12 MR combinations and four aircraft, totaling 144 simulations. It was observed that displacements vary nonlinearly as a function of MR, with thickness effects being more pronounced at lower MR values. The findings revealed that surface displacements on the runway strips are influenced by MR, layer thickness, and specific aircraft characteristics. Aircraft with lower operational weights may cause greater displacements due to landing gear configuration and load distribution. Additionally, the interaction between MR and thickness showed that less rigid materials exhibit greater displacements in thicker layers, while more rigid materials are less impacted.