Methodology to identify and quantify flight path dependent bird strike scenarios over aircraft

Abstract

The demand for more efficient aircraft and new modes of transportation lead to a departure from the traditional tail and wing configuration. In order to operate an aircraft, it needs to be certified. Most Aircraft with a capacity to carry more than 10 passengers have to fulfil a variety of bird strike related certification standards. These standards define an impact velocity to design for, critical locations and tested areas however are chosen based on experience of previous aircraft. This is not possible if the design is radically different, as it is in the case of the Flying-V. The present thesis proposes a methodology to identify and rank all possible bird strike scenarios, based on geometry and flight path. The quantification of impact scenarios may offer a cost-effective way to assess and visualize vulnerabilities, ultimately reducing certification cost and time. Thereby allowing new concepts to be certified. The methodology synthesized in this report relies on decoupled analytical bird strike load models from the late 70s to quantify bird strike intensity. An algorithm has been developed to determine impact scenarios over the area of arbitrary computer aided design (CAD) geometries. Ray tracing allows for the exclusion of areas that can not be hit. The results are not sufficient to determine critical impact locations, as the damage is significantly influenced by the structural response. However, it is possible to quickly generate probable impact scenarios over large areas based on the flight path. Despite the discrepancy between predicted damage and impact intensity, intensity maps can indicate areas of interest for investigation.