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Finite Element Simulation of Three Full-Scale Crash Tests for Cessna 172 AircraftThe NASA Emergency Locator Transmitter Survivability and Reliability project was initiated in 2013 to assess the crash performance standards for the next generation of emergency locator transmitter (ELT) systems. Three Cessna 172 aircraft were acquired to perform crash testing at the NASA Langley Research Center Landing and Impact Research Facility. Full-scale crash tests were conducted in the summer of 2015 and each test article was subjected to severe, but survivable, impact conditions including a flare-to-stall during emergency landing, and two controlled-flight-into-terrain scenarios. Finite element analyses were performed to numerically simulate the aircraft response to the crash tests. The first test simulated impacting a concrete surface represented analytically by a rigid plane. Tests 2 and 3 simulated impacting a dirt surface represented analytically by an Eulerian grid of bric k elements using a Mohr-Coulomb material model. The objective of this paper is to summarize the test and analysis results for the three full-scale crash tests. Simulation models of the airframe which correlate well with the tests are needed for future studies of alternate ELT mounting configurations.
Document ID
20220019355
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Accepted Manuscript (Version with final changes)
Authors
Brian H Mason
(Langley Research Center Hampton, Virginia, United States)
Jerry E Warren, Jr
(Langley Research Center Hampton, Virginia, United States)
Date Acquired
January 4, 2023
Publication Date
June 7, 2023
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Aircraft
Publisher: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Volume: 60
Issue: 4
Issue Publication Date: July 1, 2023
ISSN: 0021-8669
e-ISSN: 1533-3868
Subject Category
Numerical Analysis
Funding Number(s)
WBS: 081876.02.07.15.01.02
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
Technical Review
Single Expert
Keywords
Finite Element Analysis
General Aviation
Crash Test
Crash Simulation
Test and Analysis Correlation
Aeroplane
Aerospace Manufacturers
Aircraft Components and Structure
Emergency Locator Transmitter
Controlled Flight into Terrain
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA Langley Research Center
Emergency Landing
Finite Element Software
Newtonian Impact Theory
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