INNOVATIVE ENERGY-ABSORBING CONCEPT FOR AIRCRAFT CABIN INTERIOR

An innovative concept for energy absorbers integrated in cabin components of commercial aircrafts is presented. The concept involves fibre-reinforced plastics as an energy-absorbing material of low weight, but leads to challenges in design and simulation. Because of the complex failure modes, extensive material testing was conducted, creating a knowledge-base for design, including design-guidelines. The simulation of the energy absorbers with the finite element code LS-DYNA has to consider non-physical input due to the complicated failure modes, which is discussed based on the used material model. The presented information is the output of a joint research project between Airbus Germany, EADS Innovation Works and the Hamburg University of Technology funded by the Department of Economy and Labour of Hamburg.