Runway rubber removal system debuts in southwest Asia
ERJ staff report (BC)
Washington DC - The United States Air Force Civil Engineer Center in conjunction with the Air Force Research Laboratory has introduced a new runway rubber removal system for use at remote airfields, reports Senior Airman Joel Mease of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs.
An ultra-high pressure water system outputs about 36,000 psi pressure (248MPa) from its cleaning head - cited as enough pressure to cut steel.
After the potentially hazardous rubber is removed from the runway, the system also takes care of the resulting debris.
The device is supplementary to conventional detergent-based systems rather than replacing them. It uses a retrofitted Mercedes-Benz Unimog truck designed for transport to airfields in austere areas of Southwest Asia, and is the first rubber removal system designed to be transported by a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
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