The most significant reason to be concerned about the build up of rubber
deposits is SAFETY. If you operate an airport with large jet aircraft,
you will eventually have a deterioration of the pavement skid-resistance,
or a reduction in friction coefficients, which is a problem for aircraft
tires to grab and safely stop the aircraft.

One of the main causes of ground-based accidents is a runoff event.
When an aircraft skids off of the runway, whether the pilot is unable
to brake soon enough upon landing or when having to abort a takeoff,
the pavement surface will be carefully examined as a contributing factor.

There are several factors that contribute to surface deterioration, but
the one that is easy to recognize, simple to correct and relatively inexpensive
to do is AIRFIELD RUBBER REMOVAL.

The material that accumulates on the runway surface is no longer rubber like
that on the tires of the airplane that put it there; that rubber is relatively
soft and flexible and designed to absorb some of the shock of the landing aircraft.

The aircraft tires are stationary just before they touch the ground, but at the
moment they touch, literally where the rubber meets the runway, and for about
1000 feet or 300 meters, that tire is gaining rotation speed. During that time,
the tires are under thousands of pounds of pressure between the tire and the surface,
right at the interface, that causes considerable friction and heat.

The heat created causes a polymerization of the rubber, or a chemical reaction,
turning it into a very hard material that is spread on that 300 meters of
runway surface in a thin layer.

HIGH PRESSURE WATER BLASTING

Traditional rubber removal techniques simply cannot compete with the 2,800 bar
ultra high-pressure water blasting technology in terms of rubber removal effectiveness,
speed and the quality of the surface left behind. Almost 100% of the rubber is removed,
providing the best possible friction values and no measurable damage to surface structure.
Our high-qualified system uses a rotary device which is a truck-mounted system and moves
slowly along the surface to be cleaned. Pressures up to 40,000 PSI are attained and
only 8 gallons of water per minute are used. There is a hydraulic effect of the water
that actually penetrates the surface, effectively cleaning the rubber deposits as well
as helping to improve the friction characteristics of the pavement surface.
The benefits of using Arcobaleno Service equipment are:

• the speed with which rubber is removed
• the cost efficiency of the process (water is generally provided)
• the improved friction characteristics of the pavement due to the penetration of the water
• the ease of getting off the runway in the event of an emergency.

SHOTBLASTING

Shotblasting propels abrasive particles onto the runway surface, which blasts the
contaminants from the surface. The shotblaster can be adjusted to produce the desired
surface texture, is environmentally clean since the entire operation is self-contained.

The primary reason for using a shotblaster would normally be for another purpose other
than removal of rubber deposits. Generally, it is used for resurfacing or retexturing
pavement surfaces, specifically roads.