Bird strike simulation on composite structures

Abstract

Bird strike analysis is a common type of analysis done during the design and analysis of rotorcraft. These simulations are done in order to predict whether various designs will pass the necessary certification tests. Significant savings can be achieved by using state-of-art modeling tools capable of predicting the composite structural damage due to impact. However, there is a large variability in composite modeling approaches and complexity of simulation processes to design the sandwich structures of an aircraft. This paper investigates the composite structures modeling for bird strike phenomenon in order to validate available numerical models through full scale tests and simulation tools and also addresses a critical review on analysis techniques. The numerical simulation of various cases of the bird impact on rigid plate including the variation of bird porosity, shape and impact velocity was successfully performed to assess the impact behaviour of soft body projectiles. This paper demonstrates the state-of-the-art bird strike simulation methodology developed and accuracy of modeling approaches available in explicit codes are discussed.