An evaluation of eleven roadway matting systems was conducted to determine their effectiveness in carrying heavy vehicle traffic over loose sand subgrades. Three of the eleven matting systems were also evaluated over soft fine-grained subgrades. Matting products included high-density polyethylene, aluminum, fiberglass, and polyester. System configurations included continuous rolls of material, segmented rolls, and individual panels. The matting products were assembled on test sections and trafficked with a 7-ton, 6-wheeled truck loaded with a 7-ton payload until 20 percent of the mat section was no longer reusable or 2,000 truck passes were achieved. Earth pressure cells were installed under nine of the sand test sections to monitor load distributions provided by the matting systems. Based on the test results, recommendations are given for selecting the best roadway matting system types for use on temporary roads with sand or soft fine-grained subgrades.

Airfield matting systems are used for the expedient construction of temporary airfields and rapid expansion of existing airfields to provide maneuvering support for military aircraft. They protect the subgrade by distributing the load exerted by aircraft over a larger area. Six airfield matting systems of varying materials and designs were evaluated through the construction of full-scale test sections to determine their effectiveness at reducing the accumulation of subgrade deformation and decreasing the pressure experienced by the subgrade. The matting systems were tested on a California Bearing Ratio (CBR) of 6 and subjected to simulated F-15E aircraft traffic while monitoring mat breakage, deformation, and subgrade earth pressure. The systems were compared in terms of the rate of subgrade permanent deformation. Based on test results, a simplified expression was developed to predict subgrade deformation on a CBR of 6 as a function of F 15E aircraft passes and airfield mat properties.