Airfield Marking Handbook
IPRF/FAA
Project No. 01-G-002-05-1
Primary Investigator
Donna Speidel,
President – Sightline, LC
Sightline, LC (Airport Marking Consultants)
is the author of the
Airfield Marking Handbook.
The project was administered by the
Innovative Pavement Research Foundation
under a Cooperative Research Agreement
with the Federal Aviation Administration
NAVAIDS
Signs
If a sign is unlit or broken, it gets replaced.
Lights
If a taxiway light is malfunctioning, it gets fixed.
Markings
But how do you know when the markings are
“broken”?
Marking Standards
FAA AC 150/5340-1J
USAF ETL 04-2
USN UFGS 32 17 24.00 10
USACE TM 5-823-4
Describes WHAT the markings are,
WHEN you’re supposed to use them
and WHERE they belong.
Markings
 Airport Marking Importance



Guide
Clarify
Define
Lack of clear, distinct markings
Runway Incursions
Visibility of Markings
Contrast of markings (black border)
“The contrast of markings on light colored
pavements can be increased by outlining them
with a black border at least 6-inches in width.”
AC 150/5340-1H, dated 8/31/99 (FAA)
Visibility of Markings
Use of glass beads:
“Markings that cannot be seen by pilots and
others operating on marked surfaces are useless.”
AC 150/5340-1H, dated 8/31/99 (FAA)
Visibility of Markings
Markings should be as visible during darkness
as they are in the daylight.
Visibility of Markings
 Quality Application
All the efforts to increase visibility
with black borders, glass beads and
new designs are futile if markings
are not applied well.
Objectives of the handbook
1. What can be done to increase the life-cycle
of airfield markings?
2. What constitutes a “quality” marking?
3. When is a marking functional and when
is it “unsafe”?
4. What is a good application v. a poor one?
Roundtable Discussion
30 industry participants met in Kansas City on
June 15, 2006:
 airport engineering consultants,
 FAA staff,
 airport management,
 maintenance personnel,
 striping contractors,
 material manufacturers, and
 military airport managers
Top FIVE Industry Issues
1. Application Procedures
2. Surface Preparation
3. Pavement Marking Removal
4. Material Selection
5. Project Specifications
Handbook Organization
1.
Project Specifications
2. Material Selection
3. Surface Preparation
4. Pavement Marking Removal
5. Application Procedures
Project Specifications
1. Address the standard specifications and
guidance literature, emphasizing the need to
customize specifications to fit the project.
2. When is maintenance necessary?
3. Develop measured and detailed techniques for
quality assurance.
4. Create a tool kit for inspection of marking
application.
Marking Maintenance
Who’s watching?
 Markings degrade slowly due to:
 traffic (worn marking)
 sunlight (UV deterioration)
 rain (paint absorbs water, expands and contracts)
 snowplows, sweepers
 contaminants (oils, rust deposits, algae, rubber)
 loss of retro-reflectivity
Marking Maintenance
Prevent degradation due to:
Poor Application Practices
Worn Markings - over 50% of paint is gone.
Faded Markings
Nighttime visibility is poor to bad:
Obscured Markings
Project Specifications
 Evaluate actual site conditions, specify remediation.
 Evaluate condition of pavement under markings.
 Evaluate surface preparation methods and quantities.
 Determine amount, type, and degree of marking removal.
 Select materials appropriate to the airport environment.
 Specify materials arrive in sealed containers.
 Verify material types and quantities.
Material Selection
1. Observe the different marking materials
already approved for use on airports, noting
the advantages and disadvantages of each.
2. Develop criteria for deciding the best materials
suited for a project based on pavement
surfaces, existing markings, airport weather
conditions, and airport operations.
3. Review current material testing procedures.
Material Selection
 Materials
are selected based on the airport environment.
 Select
materials suited for the pavement or existing
coatings.
 Glass
beads are selected appropriate to the type and
thickness of coating specified as well as airport needs.
 Temporary
marking materials are selected for
“removability”.
 Materials
are sampled directly from equipment guns.
Surface Preparation
1. Create an effective definition of surface
preparation.
2. Develop ways of determining when surface
preparation is necessary, if not always.
3. What equipment is best suited to do the work?
Surface Preparation
Definition:
Surface preparation is the cleaning
of anything that would prevent the
bond of the new coating to either
the pavement or existing coatings.
“Seventy-five percent of all material failures
are attributable to deficient surface
preparation and/or application. The unit
cost of repair is normally two and one half
times higher than the original material
application unit cost and frequently results in
lower quality due to adverse application
conditions. This analysis does not include
the potentially staggering cost of down-time
and loss of facility production.”
S. G. Pinney & Associates
Surface Preparation
 Perform

surface preparation before painting to remove:
Loose and poorly bonded paint.

Curing compound on new concrete.
Algae.
Rust discoloration.
Oily substances including jet blast residue.

Heavy rubber build up.



 Waterblasting
is best method for surface preparation.
 Sweep,
blow with air, or rinse with water after preparation.
 Specify
surface preparation as a separate bid item.
Surface Preparation

Adequate surface preparation will:




Prolong the life of the markings.
Save valuable airport funds.
Prevent paint build-up/pavement damage.
Reduce FOD.
Pavement Marking Removal
1. Define paint removal.
2. Define different types of removal encountered.
3. Define the degrees of removal required.
4. Describe type(s) of equipment and effectiveness
on varying pavement conditions, thickness of
and types of existing coatings.
5. Define pavement damage.
Pavement Marking Removal
Definition:
 Pavement marking removal is the
mechanical eradication of markings
from the pavement to a specified degree.
There are several reasons airports remove
markings, and each situation requires
different degrees (or percentages) of
eradication.
Pavement Marking Removal
 Degree of removal is defined in specifications.
 Markings are removed, not “blacked” out or obscured.
 Equipment is specified based on conditions.
 Test strips indicate capability of equipment and operator.
 Shotblasting is effective on non-grooved surfaces.
 Waterblasting is effective on most surfaces.
 The scar is thoroughly cleaned before applying markings.
 Waste water and debris are contained, characterized,
and properly disposed of.
Pavement Marking Removal
All marking removal
methods will leave a
scar.
Handbook definition:
Scarring is removal of the
texture with some
exposed aggregate.
Pavement Marking Removal
PRE-EXISTING DAMAGE
Pavement Marking Removal
Pavement damage can be subjective.
Handbook definition:
Damage occurs when more than 25 percent
of the depth of the nominal-size aggregate
diameter is uniformly exposed across the
pavement, and some of the aggregates are
loose.
Application Procedures
1. Evaluate equipment commonly used.
2. How is equipment calibration performed to ensure correct
material coverage?
3. Evaluate different airport conditions (i.e., traffic, weather, etc.)
and their effect on markings.
4. Consider types of pavement surfaces.
5. Evaluate installation of both temporary and permanent
markings.
6. Observe clean up/housekeeping procedures.
Application Procedures
 Adequate surface preparation is performed.
 Layout establishes guidelines for applicators.
 Pointer systems are used for accurate placement of markings.
 Markings are applied from 6 to 36 inches in a uniform film
thickness in a single pass.
 Two or more colors are applied simultaneously.
 Glass beads are dispensed automatically with the coating.
 Pressurized bead systems provide best distribution.
 Hand machines are equipped with automatic bead dispensers.
Application Procedures
 Windscreens are used to prevent material displacement.
 A primer coat is applied to uncoated asphalt.
 Calibration of material guns is performed.
 Close attention is paid to application rates.
 Uniform, specified film thickness across marking.
 Test lines are applied in appropriate areas or on tar paper.
 Documentation of marking operations is maintained to
record location, quantity, weather conditions, etc.
 Equipment is well maintained.
Tools to Evaluate Markings
(Tool Kit)
 Wet Film Gauge
 Bead Gun Calibration Bucket
 Magnifying Lens
 Color Chips and/or Colorimeter
 LTL Reflectometer
 Flashlight
 Duct tape
 Metal coupons
Summary
It’s a marking system:
Surface Preparation
(waterblasting)
Careful
Inspection
Quality Application
Quality
Binders
Quality Glass
Beads
Visual Inspection
(daytime)
But a nighttime visual inspection
reveals uneven reflectivity
Acknowledgments:
Research Team Members:
 Charles D. Carneal, President, Safety Coatings, Inc.
 H. Gene Hawkins, Ph.D., Hawkins Engineering
 Stephen M. Quilty, A.A.E., Bowling Green State Univ.
 Cynthia Randazzo, Scientist, Rohm and Haas Company
 Donald Schall, Distinguished Scientist, Rohm and Haas Co.
 Michael W. Speidel, Marketing Manager, Sightline, LC
 Fred C. Peil, V.P., FOL Tape, LLC
Acknowledgments:
FAA Cooperative Agreement Manager:
 Dr. Satish Agrawal
IPRF Cooperative Agreement Program Manager:
 Jim Lafrenz
Acknowledgments:
IPRF Technical Panel Members:
 Michael Ates, AFCESA (Air Force Civil Engineering Support Agency)
 Gilbert Rushton, MDSHA (Maryland State Highway Administration)
 Jeffrey Rapol, FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)
 Holly Cyrus, FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)
 Ron Boeger, Flex-O-Lite, Affiliate of PQ Corporation
 Mark Jansen, P.E., The LPA Group, Inc.
Acknowledgments:
 The staff of the many airports visited.
 The participants of the Roundtable Discussion.
 The staff of the airport marking contractors.
 The industry experts, including material and
equipment manufacturers.