Severe slab-stepping (slab-faulting) problems have been observedduring the past 5 years in the takeoff areas of Runway 06R/24L, themain runway at Lester B Pearson International Airport in Toronto. The magnitude of this slab stepping of the plain portland cement concrete pavement is such that complaints about roughness were being received and airport management was concerned that the functional service life of this critical facility was being reduced. A comprehensivefield evaluation of the slab stepping was undertaken to determine its cause, extent, and severity to develop practical rehabilitation alternatives for Transport Canada to consider. This field program included the treatment, on a trial basis, of a short section of the runway using diamond grinding equipment to remove the slab stepping. In1989 the trial grinding section was resurveyed and no significant slab stepping was observed. In 1991 a contract was let to complete full-scale precision diamond grinding of the concrete in the takeoff areas of Runways 06R and 24L and on Taxiways Bravo and Echo. Postgrinding precision profiling was completed, and pavement roughness was found to be well within commonly accepted standards.
Abstract