Soilworks products are the industry’s top standard due to our insistence on creating high performance soil stabilization and dust control products that stand up to rigorous testing – both in the lab and in the field. Our commitment to quality and performance has led to our involvement and testing in hundreds of real-world situations. The following library of reports, presentations, specifications, approvals and other similar documents provide you, our customer, the transparency and dependable assurance that is expected from Soilworks.
“The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Joint Rapid Airfield Construction (JRAC) program aims to revolutionize contingency airfield engineering through the use of nontraditional soil stabilizers that reduce additive volume, cure time, and maintenance. These goals align directly with Soilworks’ polymer technologies such as Soiltac®, a synthetic copolymer emulsion engineered for rapid deployment in austere environments. JRAC testing included field demonstrations—such as the construction of two C-130 aircraft aprons in under 75 hours—highlighting the value of low-dosage, fast-acting stabilizers for mission-critical applications.
For military airfield engineers and deployment planners, Soilworks provides:
Soiltac®: Fast-curing, durable stabilizer ideal for contingency runway expansion, helipads, and aircraft aprons
Reduced logistical footprint compared to traditional cementitious additives
Compatibility with JRAC objectives for lightweight, high-efficiency rapid construction systems
To meet evolving demands for theater-ready runway systems, contact Soilworks for Soiltac-based stabilization solutions optimized for rapid airfield construction.
US Army Corps of Engineers”
Engineer Research and Development Center
Joint Rapid Airfield Construction
Problem
The technologies being developed as part of the research and development effort called JRAC (Joint Rapid Airfield Construction) address the primary obstacles to rapid airfield construction: inadequate or denied theater airfields, unstabilized airfields that support limited traffic and the large quantities of additives and long material cure times that are required for traditional stabilization as currently practiced.
Description of Research
The JRAC program focuses on providing engineering tools and systems that will dramatically increase the U.S. military’s capabilities related to contingency airfield upgrading and construction. This effort is an approved Army Science and Technology Objective that began in fiscal year (FY) 02 and is scheduled for completion in FY 07. The first major demonstration of JRAC technologies was completed in July 2004 at Fort Bragg, NC, where two C-130 aircraft aprons were added to an existing airfield in 75 hours. The Rapid Assessment Vehicle-Engineer
(RAVEN), developed by the JRAC program
Key elements of JRAC technologies are performance-based site selection, enhanced construction, and rapid soil stabilization. To optimize site selection, the approach will be to use advanced terrain analysis and material performance prediction methods to minimize engineering effort. Enhancements to reduce airfield construction time will derive from exploiting commercial off-the-shelf technologies, streamlining the design and planning process, and developing rapid quality-control tools. For more rapid soil stabilization, the approach is to use new nontraditional stabilizers that require fewer additives, shorter cure times, and low maintenance.
Expected Products
The JRAC program is destined to revolutionize virtually all facets of contingency airfield engineering. Integrated site selection and assessment software systems will be used by war planners to make rapid decisions on where to go based upon sound engineering principles. Compact assessment and quality-control tools will enable the first “boots on the ground” to quickly validate or modify the initial remote assessments. Global positioning satellite (GSP) systems will be the basis of new surveying equipment and retrofitted control systems for existing earthmoving equipment. New low-dosage and fast-curing soil stabilizers and lightweight matting systems will be used to quickly expand runways and aircraft parking aprons. Product news and download links are available at the JRAC Web site (https:lljrac.erdc.usace.army.mil/).
Potential Users
JRAC technologies will be used by all military engineering components involved in contingency airfield construction and by combatant commanders responsible for military theater deployment and transportation analyses. Current design aircraft for the JRAC program are the C-130 and C-17. However, spin-off technologies are certain to have a positive impact on other military aircraft facilities, such as helipads, jump jet platforms, and short field- assault strips for unmanned air vehicles and other future aircraft.
U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center September 2005 www.erdc.usace.army.mil
