Marston Matting

Marston Mat, also called PSP (pierced steel planking) was developed by the United States Army at the Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Shortly before World War II a need was seen for the rapid construction of temporary runways and landing strips by dedicated Airfield Engineer units among others. Interestingly, the name Marston mat came from Marston, North Carolina which was adjacent to Camp Mackall U.S. Army airfield where the matting was first used. Various designs of matting were tested, mainly for abrasion of the aircrafts' landing gear tires by using a converted CCKW with the tire to be tested mounted at the rear axle with sufficient concrete blocks added to simulate the aircraft's load. As you can see from the pictures, the testing means haven't changed at all.

Interesting-- looks like a B17 or B29 tire on the test rig