F. Previtali, M. Anghileri, L.-M.L. Castelletti, A. Milanese

Requirements for military helicopter certification call for a level of tolerance to bullet impacts. Recent studies have shown that also small-calibre guns can cause a helicopter crash and therefore have to be considered as an actual menace for flight safety. Since experimental tests are expensive and time consuming, reliable and computationally efficient numerical models for predicting damages due to ballistic impacts are fundamental to improve the damage resistance and then safety of military helicopters. A method for creating reliable numerical models to investigate the consequences of a bullet impact onto aircraft subcomponents critical for flight safety is introduced here. A campaign of tests was initially carried out to collect data for validating a numerical model and evaluating its reliability. Simulations of bullet impacts were then performed and efforts provided to enhance the efficiency and the straightforwardness of the numerical model so that it could be suitable for industrial applications. The results of the simulations were compared with the experimental data and a good agreement was observed. In view of this, it was recognised that the numerical approach is time- and cost-effective, able to provide accurate results and therefore a useful design tool.

35th European Rotorcraft Forum 2009,

Conference Paper

englisch

21,0 x 29,7 cm, 10 Seiten

DGLR-Bericht, 2009, 2009-03, 35th European Rotorcraft Forum 2009 - Conference Proceedings; S.1-10; 2009; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Luft- und Raumfahrt - Lilienthal-Oberth e.V., Bonn

NA

in getr. Zählung;

impact damage, rotorcrafts

Bestellbar

2009