BIRD IMPACT FORCES AND PRESSURES ON RIGID AND COMPLIANT TARGETS

Abstract : Birds and aircraft occupy the same air space and collisions between the two are inevitable. As aircraft speeds have increased, the severity and importance of bird/aircraft impact have also increased. As a result, efforts have been made to reduce the probability of collision by controlling the movement of birds and by changing the flight paths of aircraft. These actions can and have reduced the probability of collision but have not eliminated it. Therefore, the Air Force has initiated programs designed to increase birdstrike resistance of aircraft and aircraft components. This report describes a program which was conducted to establish the loads which birds exert on aircraft transparencies in collisions. The loads as derived in this program were to be used as input for the structural analysis computer code of windshield response to bird impact.