Compacted-Snow Runways: Guidelines for Their Design and Construction in Antarctica

• Main Authors: Russell-Head, David S., Budd, William F.
• Other Authors: MELBOURNE UNIV PARKVILLE (AUSTRALIA)
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1989
• Subjects: Terminal Flight Facilities; Civil Engineering; *SNOW; *RUNWAYS; LOADS(FORCES); SITES; PAVEMENTS; SURFACES; CONSTRUCTION; ICE; WHEELS; BACKGROUND; LOW DENSITY; RANGE(EXTREMES); AIR TRANSPORTATION; SEA ICE; ANTARCTIC REGIONS; GLACIERS; SKIS; ICE CAPS; AIRCRAFT; EXPOSURE(GENERAL); Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica; Ice cap; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA208910; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA208910

Only small areas near the margins of the ice cap in Antarctica are ice-free, and only a few of these exposed sites are suitable for the construction of conventional runways. Wheeled aircraft have operated successfully on hard sea ice and exposed glacial ice, and skis have been fitted to a wide range of aircraft for use on snow. There has been a resurgence of interest in making snow runways suitable for use by conventional wheeled aircraft. Laboratory and field work has confirmed that low-density surface snow can be compacted in several ways to yield strong, uniform, load-bearing pavement that can support heavy wheeled aircraft. The Soviets have constructed several full-scale runways in Antarctica. This report provides some of the technical background for the design and construction of compacted-snow runways in Antarctica. The technology is not particularly difficult, and it's likely that the next few decades will see substantial changes to Antarctic air transportation as more snow runways are constructed throughout the continent.