Simulation Analysis and Material Optimization of an Aircraft Wing Leading Edge When Subjected to an Artificial Bird Strike

Abstract

Bird strike resistance is a strict certification requirement in aircraft industries, and the Federal Aviation Regulations specifically gives various specifications to be followed for certification of various parts of the aircraft. The primary objective of this research is to develop a methodology, which can be utilized to certify an aircraft for bird strike using computational methods, and the impact behavior of a 4lb artificial bird impinging on the wing leading edge is performed using smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method. The study is focused on the mostfrequently used bird configuration in the literatures: namely, cylinder with hemispherical ends. The skin is modeled with an aluminum 2014 alloy, which is prominently used in aircraft industries, and aluminum 8090 alloy. The effects of impact on these materials are studied.