Overview of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Subsonic Rotary Wing Aeronautics Research Program in Rotorcraft Crashworthiness
Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 22, Issue 3
Abstract
This paper provides an overview of rotorcraft crashworthiness research being conducted at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Langley Research Center under sponsorship of the Subsonic Rotary Wing aeronautics program. The research is focused in two areas: development of an externally deployable energy attenuating concept and improved prediction of rotorcraft crashworthiness. The deployable energy absorber (DEA) is a composite honeycomb structure, with a unique flexible hinge design that allows the honeycomb to be packaged and remain flat until needed for deployment. The capabilities of the DEA have been demonstrated through component crush tests and vertical drop tests of a retrofitted fuselage section onto different surfaces or terrain. The research on improved prediction of rotorcraft crashworthiness is focused in several areas including simulating occupant responses and injury risk assessment, predicting multiterrain impact, and utilizing probabilistic analysis methods. A final task is to perform a system-integrated simulation of a full-scale helicopter crash test onto a rigid surface. A brief description of each research task is provided along with a summary of recent accomplishments.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to acknowledge the contributions of the other members of the SRW rotocraft crashworthiness team including: Lucas Horta, Ed Fasanella, and Michael Polanco.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 22 • Issue 3 • July 2009
Pages: 229 - 239
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Apr 21, 2008
Accepted: Dec 9, 2008
Published online: Jun 15, 2009
Published in print: Jul 2009
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