Asia-Pacific airlines had a 283.1% increase in March 2023 traffic compared to March 2022, continuing the robust momentum in the region. Melbourne Airport, the second busiest airport in Australia for passenger movements, is a part of that regional momentum.
Senior Technical Representative Dennis Preston and International Sales Manager (Pavement) Uriah Carpenter attended the Australian Airports Association (AAA) Conference in Melbourne to showcase long-term runway pavement solutions including Delastic Preformed Pavement (Compression) Seals.
The D.S. Brown team was joined by local distributor/partner, Avionics Limited, a Melbourne based supplier of aeronautical ground lighting components. Avionics assisted D.S. Brown in staging a trial installation at Melbourne Airport to review the installation process and capabilities of Delastic Preformed Pavement Seal.
Melbourne Airport is currently using a cold-applied liquid sealant, which needs to be replaced every five years or less. Melbourne and other Australian airports are looking to the future of aviation and to build long-lasting, sustainable, and safe airfields using the best runway materials.
Trial Installation
During a trial installation, D.S. Brown provided training to Avionics on the function of the Delastall Kompressor Installation Machine and demonstrated its capability to provide large quantity installation rates in an eight-hour period. During the trial installation, the D.S. Brown and Avionics teams showcased the ability to install approximately 50 meters of seal in just over two minutes, which is a fraction of the time compared to their current methods.
“Avionics successfully completed an onsite trial on TWY Victor-Melbourne Airport on November 17, 2023. During the trial, Avionics installed just over 83 meters of seal in record breaking time,” said Daniel Callard, National Sales & Marketing Manager for Avionic. “The Delastic Preformed Pavement Compression Seals will save around 85 percent in installation time compared to traditional methods employed. Key benefits are overall cost savings, improved installation productivity rates, longevity of product (20yr) and most importantly, the area is trafficable almost immediately ensuring minimal disruptions to airside operations.”
“Avionics are remarkably impressed with D.S. Brown’s level of professionalism and depth of product and industry knowledge,” Callard added. “Avionics are excited to exclusively distribute the D.S. Brown product range to the ANZ markets, we can now provide innovative and sustainable solutions to seal expansion joints and cables slots moving forward.”
Melbourne is the second busiest airport in Australia for passenger movements recording 27.2 million passenger movements in 2020, therefore providing long-term solutions for the airfield is of upmost importance to achieving growth, sustainability, and safety for their passengers.
Melbourne Expansion Plans
Melbourne Airport has two intersecting runways - a 3.66 KM North–South and a 2.29 KM East–West. Due to increasing traffic, several runway expansions are planned including two 3 KM runways.
“Melbourne is a key opportunity, and its high-performance concrete pavements need high performance solutions,” said Carpenter, International Sales Manager of D.S. Brown. “Melbourne’s ever growing capacity merits solutions with products like our Delastic Preformed Pavement Seals, Delpatch and PaveSaver+.”
D.S. Brown has supplied product and expertise for runways built for extreme tolerances and in use throughout the United States, particularly at Air Force bases.
About the D.S. Brown Company
Founded in 1890, The D.S. Brown Company is a leading worldwide designer, supplier and manufacturer of engineered products for the bridge and highway industry. D.S. Brown’s home office and manufacturing facilities are in North Baltimore, Ohio. D.S. Brown is fully integrated, performing and controlling all manufacturing processes internally: Research and Development; Engineering Design/CAD Detailing; Extruding, Molding, and Testing; Custom Steel Fabrication and Machining.
Contact D.S. Brown
Connect with our D.S. Brown pavement representatives Uriah Carpenter (International), Ryan Sypherd (West), Darren Johnson (East) and Ethan Fuller (Central) for more detail.
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