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U.S. ARMY COMBAT CAPABILITIES

DEVELOPMENT COMMAND –
AVIATION & MISSILE CENTER

NASA / FAA eVTOL Crashworthiness Workshop:

Army Vertical Lift Crashworthiness

Bryan Pilati
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A – Approved for
Aerospace Engineer Public Release

Technology Development Directorate – Aviation Systems Integration &

Demonstration

19 January 2021
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DEVCOM VISION AND MISSION

VISION
To be the scientific and technological
foundation of the Future Force Modernization
Enterprise through world-leading research,
development, engineering and analysis.

MISSION
To provide the research, engineering, and
analytical expertise to deliver capabilities that
enable the Army to deter and, when
necessary, decisively defeat any adversary
now and in the future.

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OUR MISSION

Deliver collaborative and innovative aviation and missile capabilities for responsive
and cost-effective research, development and life cycle engineering solutions.

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BY THE NUMBERS

Core Competencies

11,942 2,982 10 ~8,940 Science and Technology:

• Materials and Structures
FY20 Strength Civilian Military Contractor • Guidance, Navigation,
Sensors/Seekers
• Propulsion, Explosives, Energetics,
Warheads, Fuzing and Actuation
FY20 Funding • Air Vehicles Technology

$4.3B Colorado Springs, CO Joint Base

• Aviation Autonomy and Missiles
Technology
• Air Defense Sensor Technology
Langley – Eustis, VA

4% Capabilities Engineering:
Aviation S&T • Software Engineering
• Weapons Assurance

5% • Modeling and Simulation

• Configuration Management
Missile S&T • Prototype Design and
Development

65% NASA Ames –

Moffett Field, CA • Multidiscipline Acquisition and
Project Engineering
Army • Systems Engineering, Integration,
HQ and Interoperability

26% Corpus Christi, TX

Redstone Arsenal, AL • Airworthiness
• Aviation and Missile Product
other Performance

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ARMY PRIORITIES

#1: People
People are the Army’s greatest strength and
its most important weapon system.

#2: Readiness
The Army must be ready to defeat any
adversary, anywhere, whenever called upon,
under any condition.

#3: Modernization
The Army must modernize to remain lethal and
ready to fight tomorrow, against increasingly
capable adversaries and near-peer competitors.

#4: Reform
The Army will improve the way we do
business, including how we implement our
top priorities, to make the Army more lethal,
capable, and efficient.
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S&T PRIORITIES ALIGNED WITH THE ARMY

MODERNIZATION STRATEGY

LONG RANGE NEXT GENERATION FUTURE ARMY AIR & MISSILE SOLDIER
PRECISION FIRES COMBAT VEHICLE VERTICAL LIFT NETWORK DEFENSE LETHALITY

Supporting Army and Joint Readiness now and in the Future MDO Environment

RESEARCH ISO
FUTURE FORCE
Driving the discoveries
and innovations
which will be critical to
realizing new capabilities
for the Army of 2030 and
beyond.
ANALYSIS ENGINEERING
Conducting objective Providing lifecycle
experimentation and engineering expertise to
systems analysis to support fleet development
support the equipping and and readiness across
sustaining of our warfighting battlefield
Warfighters. operating systems.

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AGENDA

- Our organization
- Past crashworthiness projects
Full Spectrum Crashworthiness (FSC)
Combat Tempered Platform Demonstration (CTPD)
Active Crash Protection System (ACPS)
Magnetorheological Fluid Dampening
Helicopter Crash Safety System (HCSS)
Load-Limiting Structural Elements (LLSE)
Cockpit Air Bag System (CABS)
- Present crashworthiness projects
Advanced Helicopter Seating System (AHSS)
Aircraft and Aircrew Protection (no slide)
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TDD-Aviation Structures Technical Area:

Vision / Background
Vision:
Vertical lift platform rotating and non-rotating structures must provide lightweight, durable, and
reliable performance and operation in the extreme natural and threat environments, damaging
conditions, and high op-tempo scenarios of the multi-domain battle space.
Technical Focus:
• Durable, damage tolerant, repairable structures • Enhanced structural efficiency from increased
• Weight efficiency strain capability
• Vulnerability reduction • Affordable structures and manufacturing
• Multifunctional and adaptive structures • Improved stress and load prediction accuracy
• Crash energy absorption • Fast, accurate design and analysis methods

Significant collaboration between several TDD-A Technical Areas

and other Government services / organizations

Extended Team: • Tech Support Division (Structural Testing)

• Rotors TA (Rotor Durability)
• Survivability TA (Total Survivability)
• Drives TA (Mfg Techniques & Drive Shafts)
• Veh Mgt & Control TA (Load Limiting CLAWS)
• CD&A TA (Structural Design Methods)
• Basic Research FA (VLRCOE)
• ARL VTD & WMRD (Struc & Mat Research)
• Navy (Analysis & Matl SBIRs)
• Air Force (Certification of Composites)
• NASA (Composites & Crashworthiness)
• JASP (Vulnerability Reduction)
• FAA (Certification & Crashworthiness)

Industry is a key partner and is providing significant cost share

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FULL SPECTRUM CRASHWORTHINESS

Chronology Of Crashworthiness Design Criteria

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FULL SPECTRUM CRASHWORTHINESS

Task Objective:
Develop tailorable rotorcraft crash criteria
for a wide range of classes (GW, piloted /
unmanned), configurations (conventional,
tilt-rotor and tandem) and crash
environments.
Products:
• Design guidance for future rotary wing
aircraft
• Varied impact surfaces, payloads, etc.
• Multipoint design
Efforts FY08 – 10 FY10-20 FY20
• Methodology to evaluate crashworthy
Criteria development
designs – Crash Index
Historical Mishap study
• Technology and modeling roadmap
System level approaches Impacts:
(IACP,CTPD, A&AP)
• Improved crash survivability of rotary
Spec. Implementation
wing vehicle occupants
JMR / FLRAA
• Reduced loss of high value payloads
FARA
• Applicable to existing or new platforms
across rotorcraft classes
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FULL SPECTRUM CRASHWORTHINESS

Tailorable, data
driven requirements Performance
Requirements
• Size / Class of
aircraft dependent
• Threshold / objective
performance goals

Iterate
• Analysis / test results Prioritize
• New technologies
• Impact surfaces (data
• Expected weight growth driven)
over time
• Value of capability (impact
• Maximizing CI versus cost velocity, impact envelope)
and performance

Demonstrate Capability
Calculate CI based
on: • Analysis
• Test
• Prioritizations • Safety assessments
• Capability • Design approaches
demonstrated

n
CI Wn * fn
n 1

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COMBAT TEMPERED PLATFORM

DEMONSTRATION (CTPD)
CRASH PREDICTOR
Current Air Air Vehicle Air External
Vehicle State Force and Vehicle Airbag
(GPS / INS / Moment Projected Trigger
Air Data Capability Path
Computer) Crash
Yes
?
CABS
Trigger
Terrain
Query
No

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COMBAT TEMPERED PLATFORM

DEMONSTRATION (CTPD)
Full Spectrum Crashworthiness

Full system analysis

Test on soil Test into water
Test Vertical Longitudinal Lateral
Velocity Terrain Tests 1 - 4
Number Velocity Velocity
1 20 ft/s N/A N/A Rigid • No fuselage damage expected
2 20 ft/s N/A N/A Soil Test 5
3 20 ft/s N/A N/A Water • Fuselage permanent deformation
4 20 ft/s 13 ft/s N/A Soil • 95th male ATD in the pilot seat and 5th
5 46 ft/s N/A N/A Rigid female percentile ATD in copilot seat

CTPD integrated solution

demonstrated significant increased
crash survivability capability of the
airframe and occupants.
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ACTIVE CRASH PROTECTION SYSTEM

• A new crash safety paradigm based on a predictive (active) model,

instead of historically reactive (passive) approaches.
• Active control requires external sense and control information to
determine WHEN a crash will occur, and HOW to prepare for it.
• Open architecture approach to networking crash safety
subsystems/devices, pseudo plug and play from any vendor whose
system is designed to communicate with the ACPS.
• ACPS listens to existing onboard aircraft sensors through the
onboard network (e.g., 1553B data bus) as a gate keeper, and provides
data requested by crash safety subsystems.
• Active control allows crash systems to be PRECISELY PRESET for the
crash impact due to foreknowledge of the impact conditions and
current state of the aircraft (e.g., direction, attitude, altitude, flight
path, terrain, velocity, aircraft weight, occupant characteristics).

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ACTIVE CRASH PROTECTION SYSTEM

ACPS Provides the following aircraft state information after a

crash impact is predicted:

• Predicted Time to Crash Impact (seconds)

• Predicted Vertical Velocity at Impact (feet per second)

• Predicted Lateral Velocity at Impact (feet per second)

• Predicted Longitudinal Velocity at Impact (feet per second)

• Predicted Aircraft Roll Attitude at Impact (degrees)

• Predicted Aircraft Yaw Attitude at Impact (degrees)

• Predicted Aircraft Pitch Attitude at Impact (degrees)

• Aircraft Gross Weight (lbs)

• Aircraft Longitudinal CG (inches)

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ACTIVE CRASH PROTECTION SYSTEM

Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation Hardware

PC #2 (Windows XP)
Ethernet
Ethernet
Switch Landing Gear
MUX USB Model
1553B
ACPS
DATAFILE 4x RS-232

PC #N (Windows XP)

Landing Gear
Model

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MAGNETORHEOLOGICAL FLUID DAMPENING

Bingham Plastic Behavior

Flow

Flow

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MAGNETORHEOLOGICAL FLUID DAMPENING

Valve Design

A magnetic coil in the valve creates

a magnetic field which acts on Magnetic
the fluid in the upper and lower Coil
portions of the gap (where flux
lines cross perpendicularly to
the fluid motion) Active
Regions
Particle chains form in the active
regions, restricting fluid flow Magnetic
until a yield stress is reached, Field
thus increasing damper force Lines
MR Fluid
Gap

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MAGNETORHEOLOGICAL FLUID DAMPENING

Wire connector

Outer cup
Bobbin
Cap for supporting
bobbin. This cap will
Housing be attached to the
housing by thread
connection
A hole for fluid
bypass
A hole for fluid
bypass

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MAGNETORHEOLOGICAL FLUID DAMPENING

CONCLUSIONS
A Prototype MR Fluid based damper was developed and integrated
with ACPS.
Increased energy absorption capability of the active landing gears
were demonstrated by drop tests as well as hardware-in-the-
loop simulations.
The drop test results have also validated that the landing gears
can be activated and controlled by ACPS during a crash event.
An ACPS Subsystem Interface Guide was also prepared to help
interface other active crashworthy subsystems with ACPS.

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HELICOPTER CRASH SAFETY SYSTEM

Objective: To further develop aviation occupant

restraint technology and develop vibration
mitigation:
• Active restraint pretensioning (electro-mech)
• Active restraint pre-pretensioning (electro-mech)
• Active headrest
• Occupant positioning detection
• Passive elastomeric vibration isolation
Contractor: MillenWorks
Status: Component/System design and test

Benefits:
• 5-pt restraint provides pre-pretensioning for
improved out-of-position control, and
TASK/FY 3Q12 4Q12 1Q13 2Q13 3Q13 4Q13
pretensioning for reduced longitudinal motion
CRASH • Active headrest provides lateral impact and
modification
rebound protection
CRASH fab &
testing
• Occupant position detection improves the
TRL 4
performance of Continuously-Resettable Aircraft
DEVM
development Safety Hardware (CRASH), & allows for
synergistic functioning w/ other safety devices
DEVM fab &
testing • Fail safe to standard inertia reel capability in
case of CRM fault

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Load Limiting Structural Elements (LLSE)

Need: Rotor System

Inertial loads from major mass items such as the rotor systems,
transmissions, and engines during hard landings and crash
impacts cause significant airframe structural damage resulting in Engine
aborted missions and reduced operational availability.
Multi-functional structural elements designed for normal flight and
landing loads which also limit the hard landing and crash loads can
improve the operational durability of the aircraft and reduce weight. Transmission Engine Nacelle

Project Goal: Typical Rotor System, Transmission, and Engine Support

The goal of this project is to increase the operational durability of Structures subject to Crashworthiness Requirements
the aircraft by reducing or eliminating damage due to major mass
items during hard landings and crash impacts.
Passive and active LLSE concepts using metallic and composite
materials will be evaluated. The active LLSE concepts will be
integrated with ACPS.
ODAT Objective Supported:
Develop and mature technologies that enable a lightweight,
operationally durable aircraft.
Synergies and Transition Opportunities:
FVL (higher crash loads from co-axial rotor system) Passive Load Limiting Structural Concepts using
AH-64 Modernization (higher crash loads from rotor, transmission, Metallic or Composite Structural Elements
and engine upgrades)
AVL / BRT Next Gen Fuselage (concepts from this ODAT task can
be integrated into the drop test article)
Schedule:

2014 2015 2016

Develop design concepts

Fabricate prototype hardware
Conduct static and dynamic
tests
Active Load Limiting Structural Concepts
Document results
using MR Fluids/Gels (variable viscosity)
and Servo-Mechanical (variable orifice) Technologies

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Cockpit Air Bag System (CABS)

OH-58D CABS
First 3-axis,
digitally-based
crash sensor
w/memory

ECSU

ITS Stowed

Forward Module ITS Deployed

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Cockpit Air Bag System (CABS)

OH-58D Inflatable Tubular Structure (ITS)

•Automotive technology -- for use in an aircraft
• Provides side impact protection
• Commercial application requiring minor modification for military
aircraft application

• Side Air Bags vs Inflatable

Tubular Structure
– No room below neck level,
especially with armor
installed
– Some risk of Out O Position
Situation-induced neck injury
because of the narrow
cockpit
– No suitable surface to react
loads on the OH-58D
• Does not impede egress
• No degradation to pilots
use of flight controls due to
inadvertent actuation

OH-58D CABS mockup Installation

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Advanced Helicopter Seating System (AHSS)

PROBLEM: Rotary Wing Crew Seat Capabilities Gaps

a. Seats designed in 1980’s
b. Government spends $240M/yr on vibration related air crew injuries
c. Long-term injuries are debilitating and career shortening
d. Short-term injuries increase operator down-time and decrease performance
e. Extended missions cause discomfort, numbing, pain, fatigue
f. Pain & fatigue impact situational awareness, response, operator performance
g. Limited fit for smallest and largest crew (5th% female - 95th % male)
h. Limited or no adjustability (numbness, hyper-extension, hot spots, blinds)
i. Heavily worn and compromised seating surfaces
j. Unexpected changes in seat adjustments
k. Limited or no crash survivability (active energy attenuation)
l. Lighter composite armor with improved coverage
m. Impaired and difficult emergency egress / extraction
n. Harness and restraints systems failures (breakage and release issues)
o. Poor ergonomics (interference with controls, gear, comms, egress, impaired
sightlines)
p. No automatic operator physical characteristics recognition and adjustments
q. No “mass” reducing technologies for seat or crew (reduce loading on bucket &
occupant)
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Advanced Helicopter Seating System (AHSS)

SOLUTION: UH-PO requests Advanced Helicopter Seating System

- AHSS attacks SIX CAPABILTY GAPS to enhance survivability and performance
on legacy and future platforms… Result: a modernized, complete, qualified
Aviator Seat System

Program Objectives:
Capability Gaps:
1. Design (2012-2019)
1. Comfort
2. Validate (2020)
2. Ergonomics
3. Qualify (2023)
3. Crashworthiness
4. Field (UH-60 ReCap -
4. Anti-Vibration
2025)
5. Ballistic Protection
5. Field (CH-47 ReCap -
6. Autonomy
TBD)
6. Field FVL
Legacy UH-60/CH-47 & Future FARA/FLRAA
Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft / Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft

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Advanced Helicopter Seating System (AHSS)

Mission Objectives:

• Comfort (enable prolonged missions)

• Ergonomics (more efficient workspace)
• Crash Attenuation (enhance survivability)
• Accommodate Users (5th female - 95th male)
• Applications Flexibility (legacy & future)
• Anti-Vibration (reduce injury & fatigue)
• Ballistic Protection (more area/less wt.)
• Auto-Sensing (detect dimensions/mass)
• Safety (increase Warfighter capability)

Combine Proven Technologies to Optimize Performance & Survivability

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CONCLUSIONS

Crashworthiness technology development for vertical

lift aircraft remains a critical part of the U.S. Army
DEVCOM AvMC mission.
The TDD-Aviation Structures Technical Area continues
to partner with other Government organizations and
with industry.
Results to date have provided significant benefits, and
ongoing & future efforts will continue to the benefit
of all in the vertical lift aircraft community.

This presentation contains content sponsored by the U.S. Army DEVCOM AvMC under DAAH10-98-C-0016,
W911W6-10-2-0003, W911W6-12-2-0005, and W911W6-13-D-0014. The U.S. Government is authorized to
reproduce and distribute reprints for Governmental purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation thereon.
The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted
as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the US Government.

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