The design and fabrication of new aircraft tires is a complex process that is dictated by numerous performance requirements. Typically, tire performance is demonstrated based on the operational loads and speeds required for successful takeoff and landing, however actual tire wear remains uncontrolled. The USAF developed a test program that uses runway surface replicas for tire wear prediction. Currently, these replicas are fabricated by specialized concrete manufacturers, which is expensive, time consuming, and precludes precise imitation of runway surfaces. One way to create exact runway replicas is to scan the actual runway surface to generate 3D data files, and fabricate tiles using additive manufacturing (AM). In Phase I, UTC successfully demonstrated the ability to fabricate replicas of runway surfaces with a Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) AM technique. In Phase II, UTC will scale the process up to full-size tiles and fully characterize the performance of fabricated parts intended for use by the AF LGTF to support laboratory tire wear testing. AM of test tiles presents an exceptional opportunity for accelerated production of high-fidelity runway surface replicas. Moreover, AM offers production stability as the government could own the equipment or outsource tile fabrication and thus control the production workflow.
