Overview

Try before you buy!

You are welcome to download and evaluate APSDS. There is only one version of APSDS - and it can be used in evaluation mode.

Click here to download APSDS.

APSDS 5.0 now released!

A brief summary of the new features is given here.

apsdsplane.gif (12354 bytes) The Airport Pavement Structural Design System (APSDS) is a computer software package with the capability to make even the most complex design project simpler, surer, more cost-effective and faster than has ever been possible with any other design system.

APSDS is a high technology tool which enhances competitiveness, increases the speed of analyses, reduces costs and brings new efficiencies to the complex and demanding task of airport pavement design, construction and maintenance.

One of the unique features of APSDS is that it takes rational account of aircraft wander. This is the statistical variation of the paths taken by successive aircraft relative to runway or taxiway centrelines, or to the lead-in lines to parking positions. Increased wander reduces pavement damage by different amounts that depend upon pavement thickness. This could lead to significant savings in construction costs.

Easy to use, yet comprehensive

The user-friendly menu driven interface runs under Microsoft Windows.
typical runs take a few seconds on Pentium PCs
results in tabular form and report-quality graphs
report-quality hard copies can be made on the wide range of printers and plotters supported by Microsoft Windows
results can be easily exported to other application packages such as spreadsheets for further processing.
pavement and loading databases eliminate need to constantly re-key information.

comes with a standard aircraft library - that can be automatically updated from our webserver.
results in tabular form and report-quality graphs.
Sample plot of lateral distribution of cumulative damage predicted by APSDS

Traffic

no limit on the number of aircraft types or loading conditions
uses actual multi-wheel gear layout
wander statistics specified by standard deviation
analysis explicitly uses specified spectrum
no erroneous short-cuts such as "equivalent" single wheels
special loadings such as braking included
does not require conversion to coverages

Material models

multi-layered pavement system
isotropic and anisotropic materials
define your own performance criteria

Reservoir Method for calculating damage due to complex loadings

APSDS 5.0 implements the 'reservoir' method, as used in bridge design to handle complex loadings, to consistently calculate the damage from overlapping strain pulses due to multi-axle landing gears.

Calibrated to latest full scale test results

With this new calibration, pavement thicknesses determined by APSDS 5.0 are significantly less than those obtained using our previous calibration and the FAA design software, FAARFIELD.

Click here for more details and sample designs for A380-800, B747-400 and B777-300 aircraft.

Cost Optimization

A Parametric Analysis feature can loop through a range of thicknesses for one or two layers, while simultaneously designing the thickness of another layer. This feature will optimise up to three layers. Combining this with a Cost Analysis feature, allows for fine-tuning of layer thicknesses to minimize construction and maintenance costs.

For example, for the pavement structure shown below, you can automatically determine the thicknesses of the Base and Subbase that will minimize the total cost.