Perth Airport Taxiways Resupported by URETEK

Airport Taxiways

Client: West Australian Airports Corporation.

The Location: Gates 13 & 14 Perth Domestic airport.

The Problem: Airport Taxiway Slabs 'Pumping'

The slabs in these taxiway areas were pumping and cracking under the load of the aircraft as they travel at their slowest in this area as they come to a stop at the gates.

These two gates are the only ones that service 747 aircraft.

The problem location involved an area of approx. 2,000 m² and 900 lineal metres of joints.

The slabs were 350 mm thick, doweled and keyed. Poor joint seals had been allowing water ingress beneath the slabs. They had never been designed for today’s loads.

The Solution: Uretek Expanding Resin Injection under the Taxiway Slabs

Injections of Uretek expansive resins were made in a grid pattern over the entire area to be treated, as well as stitching all joints.

The slabs were drilled full depth with 400 mm drill bits and injected until positive support was achieved (which was indicated by 1 mm of lift being shown by laser monitoring). The operations crew comprised 5 men using two injection guns.

Uretek crews worked night shifts to prevent any interruption to the aircraft schedules. (11.00 pm to 10.00 am with a break in between at 4.00 am to 5.45 am to allow a flight in and out).

The project took 5 shifts to complete.

The Result: Taxiway Slabs to take 747s well into the Future

Perth Airport was corrected to allow 747 usage well into the future, in just five nights: much less time than removal and replacement of the concrete slabs and at a far lesser cost.

Removal and replacement would have entailed huge disruption to airport operations and significant interruption to flight traffic over a lengthy period…apart from entailing greater expense.

The Uretek resupport solution saved time, money and disruption. 

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