Experimental and Simulated Crash Responses of Composite Airframe Structures

Numerical crash simulations were compared with experimental data from impact tests of composite and metal airframe structures including (1) MBB Kawasaki BK 117 Helicopter, (2) Light Composite Sailplane Fuselage, and (3) Lear Fan 2100 Fuselage Section. The KRASH and DYCAST (DYnamic Crash Analysis of Structures) codes were used to model the impact responses of these composite structures. In general, excellent correlation was obtained between the analysis and experimental data. Additionally, a KRASH model of the full-scale Lear Fan aircraft was subjected to prescribed impact conditions for a planned crash test of that aircraft. The analytical data generated from the full-scale model will be compared with experimental results from an upcoming crash test at the Impact Dynamics Research Facility of NASA Langley Research Center. The simulations cited in this paper demonstrate the capabilities of numerical techniques for modeling composite structural response to crash loading. Further validation of computational methods for composite structural crashworthiness will encourage improved energy absorbing designs and reduce the dependency on expensive component and full-scale testing.