FAARFIELD Training in Australia

Dr. David Brill and Dr. Navneet Garg of the Airport Technology Research & Development Branch (ATR) conducted the FAA FAARFIELD 2.0 Hands-on Training and ICAO ACR-PCR (Aircraft Classification Rating-Pavement Classification Rating) Training on May 9, 2023 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. The workshop was conducted in association with the Australian Airports Pavement & Lighting Forum 2023.

The training spotlights FAA’s role as a global leader in aviation safety and efficiency. FAARFIELD 2.0 (FAA Rigid and Flexible Iterative Elastic Layered Design) was introduced in June 2021 and is the FAA’s standard software for airport pavement thickness design and evaluation (AC 150/5320-6G) and pavement strength reporting using the ACR-PCR method (AC 150/5335-6D). In 2020, the ICAO Council adopted the ACR-PCR system as the world standard for airport pavement strength reporting. In 2022, the FAA adopted 150/5335-5D, which provides guidance for airports publishing PCR.

The 6-hour workshop covered pavement thickness design, the concepts of ACR-PCR, the key changes that make ACR-PCR easier to use than the legacy system, and examples of PCR computations using FAA’s FAARFIELD 2.0 software. Thirty individuals from three countries attended, including consulting engineers, representatives of government and military organizations, and academia.

In addition to presenting the workshop, Dr. Brill and Dr. Garg attended the Australian Airports Association Pavements Workshop and Pavement & Lighting Forum 2023 and gave the following presentations:

Dr. Brill:
1. FAA Rigid Aircraft Pavement Research
2. FAA Research Topics on Airport/Aircraft Interaction

Dr. Garg:

1. FAA Flexible Aircraft Pavement Research
2. FAA Pavement Design Method, Material Specifications and Funding: An Integrated System

During the conference, Drs. Brill and Garg met with staff from Melbourne Airport, Hong Kong Airport, consultants, and University of the Sunshine Coast.

Dr. David Brill | david.brill@faa.gov
Dr. Navneet Garg | navneet.garg@faa.gov