b'66 APAAIRFIELD vehicles, FAA vehicles, dump trucks and even an occasional 644pipes. This makes them durable enough to front loader drive over them.withstand more than 3 million pounds and more than 1 million vehicle passes, says Installation and Cleaning Chris Hefner, commercial manager forSmith reports that maintenance workers at APA installed four 12- by- FODS LLC.7-foot FODS mats in about 45 minutes, using stakes to anchor themAs vehicles drive over the mats, alternating into the ground. Naturally, installation time varies per site.rows of HDPE pyramids cause the tread The mats are made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE),in their tires to flex and deform, allowingCHRIS HEFNERa strong thermoplastic polymer also used for undergroundtrapped debris to fall out. The process also creates slight vibrations that help loosen debris on the undercarriageof vehicles. The expelled debris collectsat the base of the mat to prevent it fromre-collecting on subsequent vehicles. APA also purchased a special shovel to remove the debris left behind in the base of the mats. The mat manufacturer created the shovel to fit into the grooves between pyramids. The shovel makes removing debris and rocks very easy, Smith attests.Street sweepers and skid-steers with broom attachments can also be used to clean the mats. Pressure washers and water tanks are other options, but they leave behind water, which eventually creates mud.The mats can be relocated and are designed to last for more than 10 years. From an environmental standpoint, the HDPE material from which they are made can be recycled at least 10 times. Tested PerformanceGreen. Hefner notes that the 12-by-7-foot FODS mats can be combined and configured to best match the traffic pattern of each airfield Sustainable. entry point. He suggests having at least four mats in a row to allow suitable distance of travel for multiple full tire rotations. The most Resilient. common mat layout is one mat wide and four mats deep to create a swath that is 12 feet wide and 28 feet long. This was the design APA selected. Planning for future aviation growth,Some of the larger airports have ordered now and in the future, is paramount.enough mats to cover all of their access points, he adds. At one point, OHare The right team, a comprehensive setInternational Airport was using 80 of our of services, and solid experience.mats. Denver International Airport has many of them throughout their property.Thats Experience Exceptional.A product test commissioned by the U.S. Navy this June documented the mats performance. In Phase One, the number of meadhunt.com/aviation FOD pieces collected by the Navys inspect and rotate protocol was measured over November | December 2024AirportImprovement.com'