High velocity impact of composite aircraft structures

Objective

Objectives and content
The project is concerned with developing a design
methodology for predicting the high velocity impact
response of composite aircraft structures. This is
urgently required by the European aircraft industry since
fibre reinforced composite materials are now being used
increasingly in primary aircraft structures such as wings
and aeroengines, where high velocity impacts from bird
strike or foreign objects can pose a serious risk to
aircraft safety. Validated formulation tools are
essential for the industry to reduce development costs,
since impact tests on large aircraft structures are
becoming too expensive to carry out at the development
stage.
The technical objectives of the project are to develop a
methodology for simulating numerically the response of
composite aircraft structures to high velocity impacts.
The main activities proposed are: measurement of the
mechanical properties of selected aircraft composite
materials under large strain, high strain rate loading;
development of material constitutive laws and failure
models for composites under HV impact loading;
implementation of high rate materials and failure models
into dynamic FE codes; and the validation of FE
methodology by simulating the HV impact response of
idealised test structures.
The Consortium consists of an airframe and aeroengines
manufacturer who are concerned with fulfilling
airworthiness requirements for bird strike on wing and
fuselage structures, and FOD on fan blades and nacelles.
They will specify composite materials systems, define
structures and impact load conditions most relevant to
the European aircraft industry. Materials to be
investigated will be carbon fibre reinforced epoxy
resins, with unidirectional (UD) and fabric
reinforcement, which are the main aircraft structural
composites, together with glass fibre fabric reinforced
resins, which are used in radomes. High rate materials
testing, and modelling of composites stress-strain and
failure behaviour will be carried out by the research
institutes and university partners. New composites
models to include dependency on strain rates and
progressive damage during failure will be developed in
the project and implemented into FE codes. Validation of
the FE methodology will be carried out by the aircraft
industry and research institute partners by comparing
numerical simulations with HV impact test data on
idealised composite structures such as plates, beams and
curved panels.

Fields of science

• engineering and technology › materials engineering › composites
• engineering and technology › mechanical engineering › vehicle engineering › aerospace engineering › aircraft
• social sciences › law

Programme(s)

• FP4-BRITE/EURAM 3 - Specific research and technological development programme in the field of industrial and materials technologies, 1994-1998

Topic(s)

• 0301 - Aeronautics

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

GERMAN AEROSPACE CENTRE

Address

Pfaffenwaldring 38-40
70569 Stuttgart
Germany

Participants (9)

BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd

United Kingdom

Address

Farnborough Aerospace Centre
GU14 6YD Farnborough

ENGINEERING SYSTEM INTERNATIONAL GMBH

Germany

Address

13-15,frankfurter Straße 13-15
65760 Eschborn

LINKOEPING UNIVERSITY

Sweden

Address

581 83 Linkoeping

Nationaal Lucht- en Ruimtevaart Laboratorium

Netherlands

Address

8300 AD Emmeloord

OFFICE NATIONAL D'ETUDES ET DE RECHERCHES AEROSPATIALES

France

Address

Boulevard Paul Painlevé 5
59045 Lille

Rolls Royce PLC

United Kingdom

Address

Elton Road
DE24 8BJ Derby

STEHLING - MERAZZI RESEARCH S.A.

Switzerland

Address

109,rue Dufour 109
2500 Biel-bienne

Secretary of State for Defence - Ministry of Defence

United Kingdom

Address

Iverly Road
GU14 0LX R Farnborough - Hampshire

THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

United Kingdom

Address

Parks Road
OX1 3PJ Oxford