Crashworthy design of helicopter composite airframe structures

The crashworthy behavior of composite materials and generic structural elements is investigated. Cruciform structural elements are crushed in order to determine their energy absorption capability to rotorcraft crash-type loads, and quasi-static compression tests are conducted on a series of aluminum and composite cruciform elements. These elements are representative of keel beam and bulkhead intersections in the subfloor of rotorcraft. Various designs of 'trigger mechanisms' reducing initial peak failure loads and initiating stable crushing failure modes are considered. It is shown that a carbon-fiber-composite/aramid-fiber-composite hybrid element with a columnlike midsection behaves more like a well-designed tubular composite element. Specimens which fail primarily in bending are typical of structural components used in the upper and lower portions of rotorcraft airframes.