Development and Validation of a Finite Element Simulation of a Vertical Drop Test of an ATR 42 Regional Transport Airplane; Final rept

摘要

This report documents a multiyear research project to develop a finite element model of a high-wing turboprop regional transport airplane, the ATR 42-300, to perform impact simulations using LS-DYNA; to validate the simulations through correlation with test data obtained during a 30-feet per second (ft/sec) vertical drop test of the airplane; and to make modifications to the model to improve the level of correlation. A 30-ft/sec drop test of the ATR 42 airplane was performed on a concrete impact surface at the Federal Aviation Administration William J. Hughes Technical Center. The purpose of the test was to evaluate the structural response when subjected to a severe, but survivable, impact. The airplane was configured with crew and passenger seats, anthropomorphic test dummies, forward and aft luggage, instrumentation, and other ballast. The fuel tanks in the wing were filled with approximately 8700 pounds (lb) of water to represent the inertial properties of the fuel. The airplane weighed a total of 33,200 lb. The finite element model was developed from direct measurements of the airframe geometry. The seats, dummies, luggage, fuel, and other ballast were represented using concentrated masses. Comparisons were made of the structural deformation and failure of the airframe, as well as selected acceleration time history responses. Following the initial correlation studies, several modifications were made to improve the model including mesh refinement in areas that experience high loading, particularly the fuselage frames supporting the wing. For each of these modifications, test analysis correlations were performed to determine the influence on model accuracy.