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Crashworthiness for commercial aircraft

Objective

The main objectives of this crashworthiness research programme are to increase the level of safety in moderate commercial aircraft crashes, to enhance European knowledge and capabilities with respect to crashworthiness of commercial aircraft, and to enable European partners to play a stronger role in future airworthiness requirement discussions.
The technical aspect of the programme of work was aimed at prediction techniques for structural responses, local structures and occupant responses when subjected to impact loading.

It has been shown that critical parameters for passenger safety during a moderate crash scenario are: energy absorption by the global aircraft structure, immediate survival space, uncluttered passage way for evacuation and minimising injuries to allow evacuation with minimum assistance.

The building of technology re-affirmed the well tried approach of analysis-test-correlation cycle in most structural analysis work. This technique was used with considerable success in the study of overall aircraft fuselage structure (drop test) and in local structure and occupant interactions.

The use of analysis and test techniques developed in this programme will enable accurate assessment of these criteria for passenger safety to be made during the design and synthesis of an aircraft. When exploited in an appropriate manner, this will improve passenger safety in moderate crashes.

The development and use of these techniques in Europe have been enhanced significantly during this programme of work especially with the achievement of the major milestone of the drop test.
The research programme will develop advanced non-linear dynamic modelling computerised methods for use in future commercial aircraft crashworthiness studies. These methods will enable investigated of overall airframe energy absorption mechanisms, the immediate environment of the occupant and occupant reaction to the crash impulse to be undertaken.

A full supporting test programme will be carried out to provide basic material property data and to verify the analysis methods developed in the study.

It is intended that this research programme will develop guidelines for the future improvement of commercial aircraft crashworthiness analysis and design techniques.

Overview of Technical Programme

Crashworthiness for Commercial Aircraft is a three year work programme, which is currently in its first year. The programme comprises the following four main task areas:-

1. Establishment and Distribution of Background data.
2. Establishment, Verification and Comparison of Analysis Methodologies.
3. Studies of Major Airframe Structure.
4. Studies of Occupant and Local Structure.

Topic(s)

Data not available

Call for proposal

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Coordinator

BRITISH AEROSPACE AIRBUS LTD.
Address
New Filton House
BS99 7AR Bristol - Filton
United Kingdom

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Participants (17)

Aérospatiale Société Nationale Industrielle SA
France
Address
316 Route De Bayonne
31060 Toulouse

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BAE SYSTEMS (OPERATIONS) LTD
United Kingdom
Address
267,fpc 267
BS35 7QW Bristol

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CENTRE D'ESSAIS AERONAUTIQUE DE TOULOUSE
France
Address
Avenue Henri Guillaumet 23
31056 Toulouse

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CRANFIELD IMPACT CENTRE LTD.
United Kingdom
Address
Wharley End
MK430JR Cranfield,bedford

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Cad Fem GmbH
Germany
Address
Anzingerstraße 11
85560 Ebersberg Bei München

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Daimler-Benz Aerospace Airbus GmbH
Germany
Address
Kreetslag 10
21129 Hamburg

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EADS - CONSTRUCCIONES AERONAUTICAS S.A.
Spain
Address
S/n,avenida John Lennon S/n
28906 Getafe

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ENGINEERING SYSTEM INTERNATIONAL SA
France
Address
Rue Saarinen 20, Silic 270
94578 Rungis

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Fokker Aircraft BV
Netherlands
Address
Shipholdijk
1117 ZJ Schiphol Oost

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GERMAN AEROSPACE CENTRE
Germany
Address
Pfaffenwaldring 38-40
70569 Stuttgart

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MECALOG SARL
France
Address
Centre D'affaires, Rue De La Renaissance 2
92184 Antony

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NETHERLANDS ORGANISATION FOR APPLIED SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH - TNO
Netherlands
Address
97,schoenmakerstraat 97
2600 JA Delft

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OFFICE NATIONAL D'ETUDES ET DE RECHERCHES AEROSPATIALES
France
Address
Boulevard Paul Painlevé 5
59045 Lille

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Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (RWTH)
Germany
Address
Wüllnerstraße 7
52062 Aachen

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STICHTING NATIONAAL LUCHT- EN RUIMTEVAART LABORATORIUM
Netherlands
Address
Voorsterweg 31
8300 AD Emmeloord

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University of Liverpool
United Kingdom
Address

L69 3BX Liverpool

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University of Patras
Greece
Address
Panepistimioupolis
26500 Patras

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