THE INFLUENCE OF TRANSVERSE GROOVE SPACING ON HYDROPLANING RISK AT AIRPORT

Hydroplaning is a dangerous phenomenon during operations at airports that causes loss of control of aircraft during takeoff and landing. In tropical climates with high average annual rainfall like Vietnam, the risk of hydroplaning is very high. Currently, the commonly used solution is to cut transverse grooves on the runway surface. To evaluate the influence of groove spacing on hydroplaning, the article uses CFD simulation with Ansys Fluent software to determine the impact of grooves spacing for 2 cases of A350-900 and A321-200 aircraft. From the research results, it can be affirmed that the smaller the grooves spacing, the more risk of hydroplaning is reduced. To ensure the stability of the structure, the grooves spacing should not be less than 38 mm (center-to-center) according to the recommendations of FAA and many aviation organizations under ICAO.