Runway Application Description

Surpro was designed to measure runways and contains several features to make runway data collection faster, safer and more accurate.  For runway applications Surpro provides the following features:
High speed of data collection reduces operators' exposure to traffic hazards.  Two ultra-bright flashing LED lights make the Surpro profiler more visible in the field.
Patented[1] rolling inclinometer with Inertial Stabilizer loaded damped suspension to ensure stability and accuracy for all speeds and surface conditions by ensuring profiler wheels are always in contact with runway surface.
High accuracy results at data collection speeds up to 4 km/hr (2.5 mile/hr) while achieving accuracy comparable to low speed devices such as Dipstick at 0.24 km/hr (0.15 mile/hr)
Class 1 profiling performance
Fully automated data collection for longitudinal and transverse (cross slope) profiles
Adjustable wheel and sample spacing of 250 mm, 12" and 300 mm to comply with various standards
User selectable sample intervals from 0.05 to 1m (1.97 to 39.4") can be any value smaller, equal to, or larger than wheel spacing
Very high accuracy and repeatability

Unfiltered true elevation profiles (similar to rod and level and Dipstick[2])
Boeing Runway Roughness Criteria Analysis Module that strategically and optimally finds bumps and dips and proposes optimized grind/fill strategies to achieve acceptable runway roughness with minimum grinding or filling
Built in programmable digital filters (3rd Order Butterworth) and moving average filters
Prints profile and roughness information on-site using mobile printer[3] without a notebook computer
Produces complete, high quality graphs and tabular text reports
Can be checked on a commercial aircraft as passenger luggage
Permanently stored calibration; does not require calibration for every use
Battery life 20 hrs without motor drive connected
Durable and weather resistant (no laptop computer exposed to the elements)
Optional FM radio remote controlled motor drive enables data collection at 2.5 mile/hour
Various Runway Uses
Management and maintenance of any runway surface
Acquisition of new pavement profile data for comparison with end-product specification for contract bonus/penalty determination
Identification and correction of traveled surface defects to achieve target roughness indices (using Boeing Runway Roughness Criteria Analysis Module)
Calibration site establishment
Equipment performance verification
Description of Typical Runway Use
Transport to site by air or vehicle. Surpro weighs only 20.4 kg (42 lb) and fits in a typical car's trunk.
Unload from vehicle and assemble in about 5 to 10 minutes.
Calibration values are permanently stored in Surpro but calibration can be accomplished or verified in about 5 to 10 minutes.
  Calibration of level is accomplished by performing a small closed loop profile.
  Verification is accomplished by placing a test block under either of Surpro's wheels.
Set up Surpro using simple keypad, backlit 4 line LCD display and menu system.
  Enter description of site being testing (menu general data fields)
  Enter control parameters and other options as appropriate (menu control data fields)
  Enter profiling direction (forward or reverse)
Press RUN and collect data by pushing Surpro at any speed up to the specified maximum. Data collection can be interrupted without influencing the data.
Press STOP and save file to permanent on-board storage.
View results and key data parameters using RECALL key.
Print reports using PRINT key.
Create report data files for later use using PRINT key.
Transfer profile data (PFL, ERD, EVT) and report data (TIF, BUM) files to a laptop computer using SEND key.
Analyze and filter data with ICC SurPRO Utility software.
Erase data in preparation for another run using CLR key.
Analysis and Reports
Road analysis, including IRI, RN, PRI or PI can be performed on runways as well. See Road Applications for more information.
Graph of entire unfiltered profile with title block summary of all key profiler configuration, test description and test result data.


 
User may also design a custom filter and produce a filtered profile report.
Boeing Runway Roughness Criteria Analysis Module support:
  Graphical report identifying each bump and showing start and end; length; height; recommended grind start, end and depth.


 
  Boeing Roughness Criteria for Isolated Bumps scatter graph plotting each bump according to height and length to determine if it is Acceptable, Undesirable or Temporarily Acceptable (also Acceptable after 1995), Excessive or Unacceptable.


 
  Tabular report showing bump start and end; length, height; recommended grind start, end and minimum depth to achieve user specified criteria line (Acceptable, Undesirable or Temporarily Acceptable (also Acceptable after 1995), Excessive or Unacceptable) with minimum grinding or filling. Detailed multiple pass grinding plan.

Sample Aviation Bumps Report
 


Taking Corrective Action to Restore Smoothness

Bumps classified in each of the four roughness categories shown on the chart may be interpreted as follows.
"Acceptable" - Bump height/length combinations falling in this region should not adversely affect the majority of aircraft operations.
"Undesirable or Temporarily Acceptable" - Bumps in this category may be experienced as rough by certain but not necessarily all aircraft. In this region, many variables will determine the roughness response of an aircraft to the bump including the location of the bump in the aircraft's takeoff/landing run, the aircraft operating speed, the aircraft ground-borne mass when the bump is encountered and the shock absorption properties of the aircraft landing gear. Depending on the nature of the bump, corrective action should be undertaken whenever feasible to reduce the bump height/length ratio into the "acceptable" category.
"Excessive" - Most classes of turbojet aircraft will experience objectionable roughness when operating over bumps of this magnitude regardless of the other variables that influence roughness response as described in Section 2 above. Aircraft manufacturers may recommend and airlines may consider the suspension of aircraft operations on surfaces containing bumps of "Excessive" magnitude. Bumps in the "Excessive" category should be corrected immediately.
"Unacceptable" - Bumps in this category will be found objectionable by all aircraft and should either be corrected immediately or operations over such bumps suspended.
Surpro identifies the recommended grind start, end and minimum depth to achieve user specified criteria line (Acceptable, Undesirable or Temporarily Acceptable (also Acceptable after 1995), Excessive or Unacceptable) Corrective action for isolated bumps may take the form of general resurfacing overlays if the roughness is extensive throughout the pavement, leveling of depressed areas or surface grinding to remove material creating the objectionable bump.

User Specified Menu Parameters for Road Analysis

Menu parameters highlighted in bold in the surmenus.txt file, as shown following, can be set by the user using Surpro's menu system to customize for user's specific runway profiling and analysis needs.

C01_'C|1{System Units}Imperial (feet)~Metric (meters)~2^
C02_'C|1{Direction Label}N~S~E~W~A~D~6^
C03_'C|1{Lane Label}1~2~3~4~5~6~7~8~4^
C04_'C|1{Wheelpath Label}L~R~C~3^
G01_'A|80{Route}ask?~^
G05_'A|80{County}ask?~^
G06_'A|80{Operator}ask?~^
G02_'N|80{Project Number}ask?~^
G03_'A|80{Contractor}ask?~^
G07_'A|80{Other1}ask?~^
G08_'A|80{Other2}ask?~^
C05I'N|12.3{Start Dist (ft)}ask?~0.0^
C05M'N|12.3{Start Dist (m)}ask?~0.0^
C06I'N|12.3{Start Elev (ft)}ask?~0^
C06M'N|12.3{Start Elev (m)}ask?~0.0^
C07I'C|1{IRI Precision}1 decimal~2 decimals~3 decimals~3^
C07M'C|1{IRI Precision}1 decimal~2 decimals~3 decimals~2^
C08I'C|1{IRI Sction Lgth (ft)}132~264~528~1056~2640~5280~1^
C08M'C|1{IRI Sction Lgth (m)}25~50~100~200~250~500~1000~2000~2^
C09_'C|1{PRI Simulation}California~Rainhart~Str8edge~1^
C10I'C|1{Str8edge Lgth (ft)}5~10~15~20~25~30~4^
C10M'C|1{Str8edge Lgth (m)}1.5~3~4.5~6~7.5~3^
C11I'C|1{PRI Precision}1 decimal~2 decimals~3 decimals~3^
C11M'C|1{PRI Precision}1 decimal~2 decimals~3 decimals~2^
C12I'C|1{PRI Round To (in)}0.0~0.025~0.05~0.1~0.2~5^
C12M'C|1{PRI Round To (mm)}0.0~0.25~0.5~1~2~1^
C13_'C|1{PRI Filter Type}No Filter~3rd Ord Bwth~Moving Avg~2^
C14_'C|1{PRI Show Scallops}No~Yes~2^
C15_'C|1{PRI Show Bumps}No~Yes~2^
C16_'C|1{PRI Show Dips}No~Yes~2^
C17I'C|1{PRI Sction Lgth (ft)}132~264~528~1056~2^
C17M'C|1{PRI Sction Lgth (m)}25~50~100~200~3^
C18I'C|1{PRI Blnkng Band (in)}0.025~0.05~0.1~0.15~0.2~0.25~2^
C18M'C|1{PRI Blnkng Band (mm)}0.5~1~1.5~2~2.5~3~3^
C19I'C|1{PRI Mx Sclp Wid (ft)}10~25~50~2^
C19M'C|1{PRI Mx Sclp Wid (m)}3~7.5~15~2^
C20I'C|1{PRI Mn Sclp Wid (ft)}1~2~5~2^
C20M'C|1{PRI Mn Sclp Wid (m)}0.3~0.61~1~3^
C21I'C|1{PRI Bump Templ (in)}0.2~0.3~0.4~0.5~2^
C21M'C|1{PRI Bump Templ (mm)}6~7~8~9~10~11~12~3^
C22I'C|1{PRI Mx Bump Wid (ft)}10~25~50~2^
C22M'C|1{PRI Mx Bump Wid (m)}3~7.5~15~2^
C23I'C|1{PRI Mn Bump Wid (ft)}1~2~5~2^
C23M'C|1{PRI Mn Bump Wid (m)}0.3~0.61~1~3^
C24I'C|1{Wheel Spacing (ft)}0.82021~0.98425~1.0~1^
C24M'C|1{Wheel Spacing (m)}0.250~0.300~0.3048~1^
C25I'C|1{Dist Calibr. (ft)}50~100~150~200~250~500~1000~2000~1^
C25M'C|1{Dist Calibr. (m)}10~25~50~75~100~200~250~500~2^
C26_'C|1{Printer Paper Size}Letter~Legal~1^
C27_'C|1{Profile Direction}Ascend/Incr/+~Descend/Decr/-~1^
C28_'C|1{Use Long Menu}No, Short Menu~Yes, Long Menu~1^
C29I'N|12.3{End Elevation (ft)}ask?~0.0^
C29M'N|12.3{End Elevation (m)}ask?~0.0^
C30I'N|12.3{End Distance (ft)}ask?~17^
C30M'N|12.3{End Distance (m)}ask?~0.0^
C31_'C|1{Use Start Dist}No~Yes~1^
C32_'C|1{Use Start Elev}No~Yes~1^
C33_'C|1{Use End Dist}No~Yes~1^
C34_'C|1{Use End Elev}No~Yes~1^
C35_'C|1{Use Section Fixed}No~Yes~2^
C36_'C|1{Use Section Ctrl}No~Yes~2^
C37_'C|1{Use Ron/Roff Ctrl}No~Yes~2^
C38I'C|1{Sample Dist. (in)}0.5~1~2~5~9.84252~10~11.81102~12~1^
C38M'C|1{Sample Dist. (cm)}1~2~5~10~25~30~50~100~5^
C39_'C|1{Use Cross Axis}No~Yes~1^
C40_'C|1{Use Motor Drive}No~Yes~1^
C41I'N|12.3{TDi Limit (in)}ask?~1.2^
C41M'N|12.3{TDi Limit (mm)}ask?~2.0^
C42I'N|12.3{TDCi Limit (in/ft)}ask?~3.0^
C42M'N|12.3{TDCi Limit (mm/m)}ask?~4.0^
C43I'N|12.3{LDi Limit (in)}ask?~1.0^
C43M'N|12.3{LDi Limit (mm)}ask?~2.0^
C44I'N|12.3{LDCi Limit (in/ft)}ask?~3.0^
C44M'N|12.3{LDCi Limit (mm/m)}ask?~4.^
C45I'N|12.3{dmax Limit (in)}ask?~.34^
C45M'N|12.3{dmax Limit (mm)}ask?~2.1^
C46I'N|12.3{Section Area (ft2)}ask?~654.321^
C46M'N|12.3{Section Area (m2)}ask?~0.0^
C47_'C|1{Enable Graph Display}No~Yes~2^
C48I'C|1{IRI LowPas Filt (ft)}0~3~4~5~6~8~10~12~3^
C48M'C|1{IRI LowPas Filt (m)}0~0.6~1.25~2~2.4~3~3.5~4~3^
C49I'C|1{IRI HiPass Filt (ft)}30~50~75~100~200~300~400~800~4^
C49M'C|1{IRI HiPass Filt (m)}10~15~20~25~30~50~100~200~5^
C50I'N|12.3{IRI Target (in/mi)}ask?~63.36^
C50M'N|12.3{IRI Target (m/km)}ask?~1.25^
C51I'N|12.3{Max Grind (in)}ask?~0.787^
C51M'N|12.3{Max Grind (mm)}ask?~20^
C52_'C|1{IRI Bump Strategy}Severity~Worst First~Medium~Shallow~1^
C53_'C|1{IRI Fill Dips}No~Yes~1^
C54_'C|1{Aviation Bumps}Acceptable~Accept95~Excessive~1^
C55I'N|12.3{IRImovavgwave (ft)}ask?~24.606^
C55M'N|12.3{IRImovavgwave (m)}ask?~7.5^
C56I'N|12.3{Chord Limit (in)}ask?~0.197^
C56M'N|12.3{Chord Limit (mm)}ask?~5^
C57_'C|1{Bump Type}Horizontal~Tangential~2^
C58I'N|12.3{Grinder Depth (in)}ask?~0.118^
C58M'N|12.3{Grinder Depth (mm)}ask?~3^
C59I'N|12.3{Min Grind Lgth (ft)}ask?~6.562^
C59M'N|12.3{Min Grind Lgth (m)}ask?~2^
C60I'C|1{IRI Mx Bump Wid (ft)}10~25~50~75~2^
C60M'C|1{IRI Mx Bump Wid (m)}3~7.5~10~15~20~5^
Runway Profiling Standards and Practices Supported
Road Profiling Standards and Practices may also be applicable. See the page for Supported Standards and Practices for more information.
E2133-03 (2003) Standard Test Method for Using a Rolling Inclinometer to Measure Longitudinal and Transverse Profiles of a Traveled Surface
D6-81746 Runway Roughness Measurement Quantification, and Application – The Boeing Method (Both 1975-1994 Boeing Runway Roughness Criteria and 1995-? Boeing Runway Roughness Criteria)
Reference Material: Sayers, Michael W. and Steven M. Karamihas. The Little Book of Profiling - Basic Information about Measuring and Interpreting Road Profiles. University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, 1998

[1] US Patent #6,775,914, Canadian Patent Pending
[2] Dipstick is a trade name of FACE Corporation
[3] Recommended printer: HP Deskjet 450ci Mobile Printer