Finite Element Modeling of Airfield Aluminum Matting System

Airfield aluminum matting systems are prefabricated panels that are compact and easily transportable. They have been mainly used for expedient construction of temporary airfields, rapid airfield repair or to provide maneuvering support for military aircraft, and it has rarely been used in civil aviation, due to lack of design and construction specifications. Because of the limited use, matting systems had very few studies to explain its behavior under different circumstances, and previous evaluations have commonly been restricted by full-scale testing, with only a few numerical models found in the academic environment. However, knowing the practicality of the material, matting systems are being considered to be used under the long term and extreme weather conditions, such as in remote northern communities in Canada. For this purpose, a finite element model of aluminum panels laid on a soft soil has been built in the ABAQUS FEA Software adopting a solid element to represent the soil, shell elements for the panels, and hinge-type connections along the panels. The model was used to predict stress and strain along the panel set under static loads. After validated with full scale results, different soil stiffness was tested in order to assess the panel's behavior under certain conditions.