Designing for a Crashworthy All-Composite Helicopter Fuselage

A building-block approach was taken in developing composite data for designing a crashworthy all-composite helicopter fuselage. The fuselage is one of the elements which protects the occupants in a crash impact environment. This paper identifies the crashworthy design parameters and describes design aspects which constitute energy absorbing features of structural elements. The energy absorbing design features of a structure are material, construction and shape. Materials common in helicopter construction are classified according to their energy absorbing capacities. The method of construction influences failure modes and the magnitude of the energy absorbed. In addition to material and construction, the structural element can be shaped to further enhance and optimize the crashworthy design parameters. The data on design parameters are generated in quasi-static and dynamic tests. The results are presented as a guide to the comparative influences of crashworthy design parameters of composite structural elements.