FOAMED GLASS COMPOSITE ARRESTOR BEDS AND METHODS FOR MAKING AND USING THE SAME

• US 20160097170A1
• Filed: 12/11/2015
• Published: 04/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Earthstone International LLC (Iron Out Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Earthstone International LLC (Iron Out Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ungerleider, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,637,246 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/025 using decelerating or arresting beds
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 11/007 Foam glass, e.g. obtained by incorporating a blowing agent and heating
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 3/087 containing calcium oxide, e.g. common sheet or container glass
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/24 porous, e.g. foamed glass
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2111/00612 as one or more layers of a layered structure
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2111/0075 for road construction
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 28/04 Portland cements
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 30/00 Compositions for artificial stone, not containing binders
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 38/08 by adding porous substances
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 3/003 characterised by material or composition used, e.g. waste or recycled material E01C3/006, E01C3/04 and E01C3/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 7/142 Mixtures or their components, e.g. aggregate E01C7/147, E01C7/355 take precedence; different layers of different composition E01C7/14
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 9/007 Vehicle decelerating or arresting surfacings or surface arrangements, e.g. arrester beds road surface configuration or surface arrangements for enforcing reduced speed, e.g. speed-control humps E01F9/529; Escape roads, e.g. for steep descents, for sharp bends
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 9/04 comprising slabs, panels, sheets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 9/0457 having closed internal cavities

Abstract

A method of making a foamed glass composite engineered material arresting system for aircraft arrest, including heating glass frit to a temperature of between about 1500 degrees Fahrenheit and about 1900 degrees Fahrenheit, softening the frit to define a viscous glass material, and foaming the viscous glass material to yield a foamed glass body. The foamed glass body is then cooled, positioned in a bed located adjacent an airport runway, and at least partially surrounded with a structural matrix material to define a composite bed portion. The foamed glass body is incompressible and fails with a crushing failure mode.

Claims

1. A method of producing an arrestor bed for slowing an aircraft overrunning a runway, comprising:

a) paving an area immediately beyond the end of a runway with foamed glass aggregate to define a bed; and

b) covering the bed with a layer of cementitious material to define a composite bed.

2. The method of claim 2 and further comprising:

c) crushing at least a portion of the composite bed with an oncoming aircraft, wherein crushing the at least a portion of the composite bed removes kinetic energy from the oncoming aircraft to slow the oncoming aircraft;

wherein the composite bed is generally resistant to fire;

wherein the composite bed as at least 50 volume percent foamed glass aggregate; and

wherein the foamed glass aggregate has a crushing strength between 50 PSI and 200 PSI.

3. The method of claim 2 and further comprising:

d) contouring the surface of the arrestor bed to define a series of raised ‘

speed bumps’

.

4. A method of fabricating an aircraft arrestor bed, comprising:

a) introducing a structural matrix material to plurality of foamed glass aggregate bodies to define an admixture;

b) forming the admixture of foamed glass aggregate bodies and structural matrix material into an arrestor bed adjacent the end of a runway;

wherein the arrestor bed is at least about 50 volume percent foamed glass aggregate;

wherein the foamed glass bodies have crushing failure modes;

wherein the foamed glass aggregate have strengths of at least 50 PSI; and

wherein the arrestor bed will preferentially crushingly fail instead of slide over itself under the compressive and torsional loads produced by an aircraft rolling over the runway safety area.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the composite bed is at least about 90 volume percent foamed glass bodies;

wherein the foamed glass bodies have a closed cell structure;

wherein the foamed glass bodies have a crush strength of at between about 50 PSI and 200 PSI, and wherein the foamed glass bodies have densities of between about 6 lb/ft³ and 14 lb/ft³; and

wherein the foamed glass bodies have compositions in the range around 70 weight percent SiO₂, around 13 weight percent Na₂O and around 10 weight percent CaO with the remainder being other metal oxides.

6. The method of claim 4 and further comprising:

contouring the surface of the arrestor bed to define a series of raised ridges.

7. A method of making a foamed glass composite engineered material arresting system for aircraft arrest, comprising:

a) heating glass frit to a temperature of between about 1500 degrees Fahrenheit and about 1900 degrees Fahrenheit;

b) softening the frit to define a viscous glass material;

b) foaming the viscous glass material to yield a foamed glass body;

c) cooling the foamed glass body;

d) positioning the foamed glass body in a bed located adjacent an airport runway; and

e) at least partially surrounding the foamed glass body with a structural matrix material to define a composite bed portion;

wherein the foamed glass body is incompressible with a crushing failure mode.

8. The method of claim 7 and further comprising:

f) combining a plurality of composite bed portions to define a composite bed;

f) rolling an oncoming aircraft over the composite bed;

g) at least partially crushing the composite bed with the oncoming aircraft; and

h) slowing the oncoming aircraft;

wherein upon at least partially crushing the composite bed removes kinetic energy from the oncoming aircraft.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the composite bed is at least about 80 volume percent foamed glass.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the structural matrix is cementitious.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the foamed glass bodies have a closed cell structure.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the foamed glass bodies have a crush strength of between about 50 PSI and about 200 PSI.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein the foamed glass bodies have a crush strength of at least about 100 PSI, and wherein the foamed glass bodies have densities of between about 6 lb/ft³ and 14 lb/ft³.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein the foamed glass bodies have compositions in the range about 70 weight percent SiO₂, about 13 weight percent Na₂O and about 10 weight percent CaO with the remainder being other metal oxides.

15. The method of claim 7 wherein the composite bed has a principal compressive failure mode of crushing and wherein the composite bed will preferentially crushingly fail instead of slide over itself under excessive compressive and torsional loads.

16. The method of claim 7 wherein the composite bed is a concrete defined by foamed glass bodies suspended in a cementitious matrix.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the foamed glass bodies comprise an arrestor bed aggregate and wherein the composite bed a poured arrestor bed.

18. The method of claim 7 wherein the composite bed defines a plurality of adjacent prefabricated composite bed portions.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the cementitious material is Portland cement.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the cementitious material is a phosphate cement.