DESIGN, ANALYSIS, AND TEST OF GUN BLAST RESISTANT COMPOSITE STRUCTURE

The lower skins on the Extended Forward Avionics Bay (EFAB) on the AH-64D Apache are exposed to muzzle blast effects from a belly mounted 30 mm chain gun. These composite skins must be sufficiently strong to withstand blast pressure at a minimum weight. Analytical methods presented predict behavior of structure subject to gun muzzle blast. This resulted in a weight-optimized, blast- resistant EFAB design which was fabricated and attached to an aircraft. The chain gun was fired near these skins during hover and forward flight without structural damage. Strain data collected during gun fire verified the analytical method.