On runways, the surface can be grooved in order to minimize aquaplaning following heavy rain. Thanks to this technique, the surface water film flows into the grooves and as a result the peaks between grooves will still be in contact with the aircraft tyres. In order to maintain the macro texture and micro texture onto the runway, the airport authorities have to carry out rubber removal operations. Without this macro and micro texture the friction level of the runway surfaces is to low and dangers situations can easily happen.
That’s why Blastrac together with their valuable customer used its 2-45DTM truck mounted shot blaster to remove rubber on grooved runway. The results were very convincing for the airport authorities and after measurement, we could easily see that the friction level improved after the machine operation. There was no steel shot between the grooves and the surface was directly ready to be used again (no need to dry the surface, and in case of an emergency the Blastrac 2-45DTM can leave the runway within seconds). By shot blasting the grooved runway, you can get the friction level of the surface back at its origin condition. It avoids having slippery surfaces when it’s raining and it improves the security of both aircrafts and passengers.
The Blastrac 2-45DTM is the best and most cost effective solution to remove rubber on runways. Because of its high performance and reliability, it is possible to treat a surface up to 3000 m2 per hour on runways. You can see some pictures of the demonstration. Blastrac is proud to announce that after this successful demonstration the customer has immediately purchased the machine as they see a lot of potential for the 2-45DTM for both highway and airport applications.
