Numerical simulation of different aircraft sub-floor structures during ditching

Abstract To enhance the impact resistance capacity and ensure the floatability of aircraft after ditching, the slamming response of three types of aircraft sub-floor structures are investigated including the flat, cylindrical and ellipsoidal under floor. A coupled Finite Element-Smooth Particle Hydrodynamic (FE-SPH) method is employed with focus on non-linear structural collapse in fluid-structure interaction. The material is defined by bilinear elastic plastic law, and the strain rate effect is taken into account. Further, comparison and analyses are performed in terms of acceleration, local pressure and strains at different speeds. Results show that conventional flat sub floor structures perform poorly during ditching due to excessive peak acceleration and pressure. By contrast, the peak acceleration of ellipsoidal under floor is lower at all measured speeds and the pressure on the sides is reduced. Moreover, the ellipsoidal sub-floor with bi-directional curvature generates smaller plastic strain and deflection of skin, demonstrating better mechanical properties in water impact scenarios.