Company uses layer-by-layer scanning to map runway pavement

Airports are using a vehicle-mounted pavement inspection system to build a digital model of runway asphalt one layer at a time, according to XenomatiX, the company behind it. The setup combines LiDAR, a camera and GNSS in a single pavement inspection platform, turning an ordinary vehicle into a surveying tool.

XenomatiX says airports use the data for more than routine runway checks. They also apply it to learn about the pavement surface and to support work on the structure of a new runway.

New runways are built in multiple layers, each of which must meet strict controls for geometry, smoothness and surface performance. The scanning process reproduces the asphalt layer by layer, producing detail on where cracks are and how the pavement is performing. It picks up millimetre-level variations and reveals small surface cracks.

Processed data yields pavement condition indicators including PCI, rutting and IRI, and maps defects under ASTM D5340, the standard cited for airport pavements. Each defect can be tied to its exact position on the runway, so operators can see both the nature of a problem and its location.

The company says it works with airports in Europe, from small and military airfields to major hubs, and also in Japan.