Development of a finite element model for comparing metal and composite fuselage section drop testing

Part of the work of AircraftFire, a project investigating the effects of fire and crash on aircraft survivability, is presented. This work compares the effect of changing the material model from metallic to composite on the impact damage and floor acceleration characteristics. First, the metallic two- and six-frame sections of an A320 are analysed, with drop test data to compare for reference and validation. The six-frame metallic and composite sections for a larger, A350-like aircraft are examined to compare the relative safety of newer composite fuselages. The composite model includes both a quasi-isotropic analysis with damage based on maximum allowable strain, and a ply-by-ply laminate model with Hashin damage. Energy dissipation and acceleration analyses follow, which show the potentially dangerous acceleration pulses for passengers seated in the cabin.