CRASH-RESISTANT ROTORCRAFT PRELIMINARY DESIGN OPTIMIZATION

A rotorcraft preliminary design optimization methodology to achieve the desired level of crash protection with minimum possible system weight is presented. The methodology combines rotorcraft crash response analysis tools with a parametric crash-resistant subsystem weight analysis and an optimization algorithm. Application of this methodology to preliminary design of a generic military helicopter is presented. Typical data for design and crash response parameters are also presented and the significance of these design parameters to overall crash response of the system is discussed.