Crashworthiness Study of Composite Fuselage Section

Abstract

Crashworthiness is one of the requirements for design of aircraft to ensure the safety of passengers on aircraft. With increasing applications of advanced composite in aircraft structures, study on the crashworthiness of composite fuselage is desirable and important. For this purpose, this paper investigates the influence of composites on crashworthiness of fuselage section. Firstly, model of fuselage section of aircraft is established. Skin, frame, stringer and stiffener are made of the composite T800/QY8911 or GLARE. Then, the crash responses subjected to vertical impact velocity of 9.14m/s are analyzed. The acceleration history is recorded for assessment of the crashworthiness. In addition, the deformation process and failure mode of composite fuselage section are analyzed. Results indicate that the frame made of brittle composite may fracture in the crash process, which leads to serious damage to the fuselage. While the frame with good toughness can maintain the integrity of fuselage, thereby protecting passengers.