Tests have been conducted at the Technical Development Center of the Civil Aeronautics Administration to correlate the ability of a nonmetallic aircraft fuel tank to resist rupture under impact loads with material strength and/or energy-absorbing properties. The nonme¬tallic tanks were housed in two types of simulated wing structures with chordwise strength characteristics equivalent to those of a modern twin-engine and a modern four-engine airplane.nThe results of the tests indicate that impact resistance of the test unit varies linearly with fuel-cell material strength and energy-absorbing properties for materials of similar basic construction. The impact resistance of the test unit for fuel-cell materials of equal strength is affected greatly by the construction of the fuel cell.nProtection for the nonmetallic fuel container is provided by the surrounding structure; therefore, an appreciable increase in crash resistance may be obtained by increasing the strength of the surrounding structure.
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