Chengdu Tianfu International Airport was officially put into operation on June 27. Both the intelligent runway technology and the asphalt composite isolation layer technology led by the College of Transportation Engineering of Tongji University were applied in the airfield runway engineering project of Chengdu Tianfu International Airport.
Chengdu Tianfu International Airport was not only a major strategic layout made by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council with an eye on the overall situation, but also the largest civil transport airport to be built during China's 13th Five-Year Plan. The intelligent runway system built on the No.1 west runway of Chengdu Tianfu International Airport had for the first time achieved the comprehensive sensing of the runway, providing valuable experience and demonstration for the building of airports that are safe, green, smart, and passenger-friendly in China. The application of asphalt composite isolation layer technology could alleviate the problem of the voids beneath the slab, which was significant for extending the service life of the runway. The whole college gave full play to their professional advantages in planning, design, management and construction to escort the new Chengdu airport, the "Wings of Tianfu".
Rendering of Chengdu Tianfu International Airport
The Intelligent Runway Project of Chengdu Tianfu International Airport was led by Professor LING Jianming of the College of Transportation Engineering, with the participation of more than 10 teachers, doctoral students and postgraduate students in the research group. The project management team had spent nearly five years burying over 600 sensing devices with various functions to monitor the runway's operation in real time. From construction to operation, the structural and status information of the runway was collected in real time, and the data management systems were used for unified analysis and expression to enable the detection and early warning of runway safety hazards, and to provide scientific support for the runway construction and maintenance as well as the operational safety of the airfield area. The project made up for the deficiencies in the quantity and type of sensors and the system integration in the existing engineering projects, and it was at the leading edge in airfield runway technology at home and abroad.
Teachers and students surveying at the site
Intelligent runway system of Chengdu Tianfu International Airport
Analysis of structural and status information of the airport runway by using data management systems
The asphalt composite isolation layer technology was researched and developed by Professor XIAO Feipeng and Professor YUAN Jie of the College of Transportation Engineering, in conjunction with JIANG Changshan, the national engineering survey and design master of the Civil Aviation Design and Research Institute and part-time professor of Tongji University et al. Through the material and structural innovation of the isolation layer, the moisture was blocked from the pavement into the semi-rigid base course, effectively alleviating the problem about the voids beneath the cement pavement slab. From material selection to structural design, from the construction process to maintenance method, from indoor test to field testing, the R&D team had carried out field testing, application and technology optimization in multiple hub airports in China, covering an area of more than 1.03 million square meters, which was the first time in Chengdu Tianfu International Airport. The team had spent more than five years compiling the Technical Guideline of Asphalt Isolation Layer for Cement Concrete Pavement of Civil Transport Airports, which was of great significance to improving the service life of the runway. This project made up for such deficiencies as poor durability and insufficient isolation of geotextile isolation layer in existing projects, and it was the first and leading-edge application in the airfield runway technology at home and abroad.
On June 29, Sichuan Radio and Television's first engineering science and technology documentary Wings of Tianfu (Chengdu Tianfu International Airport) reported on Chengdu Tianfu International Airport's intelligent runway technology and asphalt composite isolation layer technology. The person in charge of the university said that in the future, all the people of the college would work together to propel the "Four Characteristics Airport" development with the help of the team's rich research results, promote China's development from a "large transportation country" to a "strong transportation country" and make contributions to turning China into a great modern socialist country in all respects.
