Preliminary Investigation of General-Purpose Mat/Panel Materials

The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of a general-purpose mat/panel for the theater of operations for multiusages other than as aircraft landing mats and to establish criteria for future design of such mat/panels. Several test sections werw used to test 11 different fabricated designs of materials and several additional materials were tested as potential items. Accelerated traffic was applied using an M54, 5-ton military truck loaded with 20,000 lb for a gross load of 40,000 lb and with tires inflated to 70 psi. Comparative laboratory tests of the structural properties of the panels were also conducted. Four of the panels sustained the maximum crush test of 1250 psi. From these tests, the following criteria were established as a guideline in further testing and developing a general-purpose mat/panel: The panels must be capable of sustaining 3000 passes of the M54 truck with gross weight of 40,000 lb using tires inflated to 70 psi on a loose dry sandy soil. Individual mats must be of such size, shape, and weight as to be handled by two men. Panels must be provided with connectors on all edges. Panels must be coated with an antiskid to provide a coefficient of friction between 0.4 and 0.8 when wet or dry. Panels must withstand a crushing load of 1250 psi, as determined when using a container corner. Mats must support 400 lb per ft of width at a maximum deflection of 4 in. when tested as a beam using a 10-ft span and 1/3-point loading. Mats must support 4000 lb per ft of width at a maximum midpoint deflection of 4 in. when tested as a 12-ft column. Multimillion square feet production cost should be approximately $3.00 per sq ft.