Automated runway groove measurement and evaluation

Grooves are frequently used on airport runways to address safety concerns by improving frictional properties and drainage capacity during wet weather. Groove performance deteriorates over time mostly due to traffic loading, accordingly periodic measurement and evaluation of groove dimensions are important for runway to maintain adequate frictional properties and avoid hydroplaning risks. However, such evaluation is difficult to perform due to lack of sufficient technologies to identify shallow and abrasive or worn grooves. This paper proposes new methodologies for automatic airport groove identification, measurement, and evaluation using high resolution texture data collected by point laser based profiling equipment developed by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Euler-Bernoulli beam filter and geometry contour based algorithms are developed to locate dips within a profile for potential groove identification. Subsequently improved moving average filter, forward and backward traversal methods are implemented to determine the starting and ending positions of each dip. Finally groove dimensions are computed per the FAA AC No. 150/5320-12C. The algorithm performance of the proposed method is evaluated based on Precision-Recall (PR) graphs with that of the FAA ProGroove software. Results indicate that the proposed methodology is more robust and accurate in runway groove identification. With the proposed method, operators of airfield runway pavements have a robust tool set to access groove performance and provide corrective maintenance actions.