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Numerical simulation of different aircraft sub-floor structures during ditching

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2024

B. Wang Open the ORCID record for B. Wang [Opens in a new window] ,
L. Nie  and
Y. Ren Open the ORCID record for Y. Ren [Opens in a new window]
B. Wang
Affiliation:
College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, China State Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Manufacturing for Vehicle Body, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, China
L. Nie
Affiliation:
China Academy of Aerospace Science and Innovation, Beijing, 100086, China
Y. Ren*
Affiliation:
College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, China State Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Manufacturing for Vehicle Body, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, China
*
Corresponding author: Y. Ren; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

To enhance the impact resistance capacity and ensure the floatability of aircraft after ditching, the slamming response of three types of aircraft sub-floor structures are investigated including the flat, cylindrical and ellipsoidal under floor. A coupled Finite Element-Smooth Particle Hydrodynamic (FE-SPH) method is employed with focus on non-linear structural collapse in fluid-structure interaction. The material is defined by bilinear elastic plastic law, and the strain rate effect is taken into account. Further, comparison and analyses are performed in terms of acceleration, local pressure and strains at different speeds. Results show that conventional flat sub floor structures perform poorly during ditching due to excessive peak acceleration and pressure. By contrast, the peak acceleration of ellipsoidal under floor is lower at all measured speeds and the pressure on the sides is reduced. Moreover, the ellipsoidal sub-floor with bi-directional curvature generates smaller plastic strain and deflection of skin, demonstrating better mechanical properties in water impact scenarios.

Keywords

ditchingaircraft skincrashworthinesssmoothed particle hydrodynamics
Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 128 , Issue 1329 , November 2024 , pp. 2530 - 2544
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Royal Aeronautical Society

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