Composite crash absorber for aircraft fuselage applications

A composite crash absorber element for potential use in z-struts of commercial aircraft fuselage structures was developed, which absorbs energy under crash loads by cutting the composite strut into stripes and crushing the material under bending. The design concept of this absorber element is described and the performance is evaluated experimentally in static, crash and fatigue test series on component and structural level under normal and oblique impact conditions. The physics of the energy absorption by high rate material fragmentation and delamination interactions are explained and numerical modelling methods in explicit finite element codes for the simulation of the crash absorber are assessed.

[1]  Ch. Kindervater,et al.  Composite vehicle structural crashworthiness - A status of design methodology and numerical simulation techniques , 1999 .

[2]  Wim Van Paepegem,et al.  Numerical energy absorption study of composite tubes for axial impact loadings , 2009 .

[3]  O. Allix,et al.  Energetic analysis of fragmentation mechanisms and dynamic delamination modelling in CFRP composites , 2009 .

[4]  O. Allix,et al.  Characterization and modeling of rate effects in the dynamic propagation of mode-II delamination in composite laminates , 2009 .

[5]  S M R Hashemi,et al.  A systematic approach to aircraft crashworthiness and impact surface material models , 2000 .

[6]  K. H. Lyle,et al.  A History of Full-Scale Aircraft and Rotorcraft Crash Testing and Simulation at NASA Langley Research Center , 2004 .

[7]  Peter Middendorf,et al.  Crash Simulation of an F 1 Racing Car Front Impact Structure , 2009 .

[8]  Jean-Jacques Barrau,et al.  Experimental and numerical study of the splaying mode crush of CFRP laminates , 2009 .

[9]  Edwin L. Fasanella,et al.  Water Impact Test and Simulation of a Composite Energy Absorbing Fuselage Section , 2005 .

[10]  M. Mahé,et al.  Composite fuselage crash FE modelling dedicated to enhance the design in correlation with full scale drop test , 2001 .

[11]  Gary L. Farley,et al.  Energy Absorption of Composite Materials , 1983 .

[12]  C. M. Kindervater,et al.  Composite Strength and Energy Absorption as an Aspect of Structural Crash Resistance , 1993 .

[13]  O. Allix,et al.  Statistical Energy and Failure Analysis of CFRP Compression Behavior Using a Uniaxial Microbuckling Model , 2007 .

[14]  Daniel O. Adams,et al.  Test Methods for Composites Crashworthiness : A Review , 2008 .

[15]  N. Swaminathan,et al.  Contribution of Failure Mechanisms to Crush Energy Absorption in a Composite Tube , 2006 .

[16]  P. Middendorf,et al.  INNOVATIVE ENERGY-ABSORBING CONCEPT FOR AIRCRAFT CABIN INTERIOR , 2007 .

[17]  Edwin L. Fasanella,et al.  Soft Soil Impact Testing and Simulation of Aerospace Structures , 2008 .

[18]  Z. Hashin.  Failure Criteria for Unidirectional Fiber Composites , 1980 .

[19]  J. Barrau,et al.  Failure mechanism analysis under compression loading of unidirectional carbon/epoxy composites using micromechanical modelling , 1995 .

[20]  Kyle Indermuehle,et al.  SIMULATING COMPOSITES CRUSH AND CRASH EVENTS USING ABAQUS , 2009 .

[21]  G. L. Farley,et al.  Crushing Characteristics of Continuous Fiber-Reinforced Composite Tubes , 1992 .

[22]  F. Beltran,et al.  Finite element methodologies development to simulate the behaviour of composite fuselage structure and correlation with drop test , 2001 .

[23]  Qiong Zhou,et al.  Improvement of crashworthiness behaviour for simplified structural models of aircraft fuselage , 2009 .

[24]  Athanasios G. Mamalis,et al.  Crashworthy capability of composite material structures , 1997 .

[25]  F. Arnaudeau.  CRASHWORTHINESS OF AIRCRAFT COMPOSITES STRUCTURES , 2002 .