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Crash response of composite aerospace horizontal tailplane subjected to high

velocity impact

Conference Paper · May 2002

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.1035.8802

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Michael A. McCarthy J.R. Xiao

University of Limerick University of Delaware
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 CRASH RESPONSE OF COMPOSITE AEROSPACE HORIZONTAL
TAILPLANE SUBJECTED TO HIGH VELOCITY IMPACT

M.A. McCarthy and J.R. Xiao

Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering,

University of Limerick, Ireland

A composite aerospace horizontal tailplane, as shown in Fig. 1, subjected to high velocity

impact has been investigated within a European Commission research programme (CRAHVI
– Crashworthiness of Aircraft for High Velocity Impact). In this study, the finite element
model of the horizontal tailplane (HTP) has been created, and impacts against ground-based
obstacles in survivable crash landings have been simulated, using the explicit finite element
code PAM-CRASH.

The HTP structure consists of two main parts, the leading edge (LE) and the torsion box. The
leading edge consists of skins, LE spars, diagonal spars and ribs; the box consists of skins,
spars, ribs and stringers. A number of different material types have had to be modelled
including metals (titanium and aluminium alloys), stacked unidirectional layers of carbon
fibre composite (CFC), stacked woven layers of CFC, and honeycomb materials. The model
consists mostly of layered shell elements, with the exception that solids are used for the
honeycomb. Material models from a previous EU project have been used in the main, and the
capabilities to model material damage in PAM-CRASH are utilised. The model needed to be
“optimised” in terms of maximum number of elements and minimum element size so that it
could be used later for stochastic analysis of impacts. Various contact interfaces have been
used to simulate spotweld/rivet connections, self-contact and impact. Impact with various
types of obstacle including poles and truss structures has been modelled.

Figure 1 Top View of the HTP Figure 2 Impact with a rigid pole

Acknowledgements

"CRAHVI – Crashworthiness of Aircraft for High Velocity Impact is a RTD project partially
funded by the European Union under the European Commission GROWTH programme, Key
Action: New Perspectives in Aeronautics, Contract No. G4RD-CT-2000-00395.

Email addresses: michael.mccarthy@ul.ie, jiarun.xiao@ul.ie

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