Study of admixtures and their effects on the behavior of ultra-lightweight concrete for use in soft Ground Arrestor Systems

Increase in the demand for air travel safety has promoted the development of Ground Arrestor Systems (GAS). Currently, GAS has been deployed in many of the airports throughout America and is called as Engineered Material Arrestor System (EMAS). The present EMAS is designed to decelerate the speed of the aircraft in order to bring it to complete rest without any causalities and not causing much damage to the aircraft. But the present GAS that's in use is considered expensive as well as labor intensive. Efforts are being made by the Strong Company, to develop a mixture that can be used as a replacement for the present material that is being used in GAS construction. The research program described in this thesis examined the behavior of ultra-lightweight concrete with variation of chemical admixtures. Different concrete mixtures were batched and tested for fresh and hardened properties to develop the ultra-lightweight concrete that can meet the requirements provided by FAA in advisory circular AC 150/5220-22A.