Enhancing Winter Runway Safety: A Comprehensive Analysis of Friction Measurement

Worldwide, the aviation industry experienced substantial financial losses of $4 billion in 2019 due to runway excursions. These incidents, notably prevalent during winter, are exacerbated by adverse weather conditions, such as snow, slush, ice, brine, and water, compromising the runway surface. Runway excursions are frequently linked to insufficient braking capabilities, thereby making them a significant contributing factor. An accurate assessment of runway skid resistance is imperative, necessitating the use of a correct testing methodology. However, operators need to help navigate the many measurement devices available worldwide. This review comprehensively analyzed diverse in situ and laboratory skid resistance measuring devices for runway concrete under winter conditions. The apparatuses were classified based on their principle with the associated standard, measurement index, advantages, drawbacks, and specific applications. Some article insights and methodologies are discussed, in which these devices were used to measure skid resistance under winter conditions. Finally, based on different studies, it was determined that the best way to relate the current skid resistance values is by their interfacial condition (dry, wet, or ice), where the highest value of each range represents the dry condition, and zero is the most slippery.