SMAES - Smart Aircraft in Emergency Situations
Overview
Background & policy context:
For large transport aircraft, ditching analysis is requested by EASA. The respective requirements are primarily devoted to a minimisation of risks for immediate injuries and the provision of fair chances for an evacuation. A significant part of average air travel is over water and historically a planned or unplanned water-landing event occurs grossly speaking every 5 years.
Objectives:
The objectives of the SMAES project are "Aircraft Safety" and "Aircraft Development Cost". The primary outcome of the project will be advanced methodologies and simulation tools to support aircraft development from pre-project phase to certification. These will enhance future innovation in aircraft design through ensuring that innovative designs are compliant with safety requirements.
Methodology:
The key developments addressed in the work programme are:
- Improved models for the calculation of ditching loads including both analytical and detailed fluid dynamics models. Inclusion of the effects of the complex flow physics in ditching is critical to prediction of ditching loads;
- Reliable and predictive aircraft models for structural behaviour under dynamic fluid loads;
- Demonstration of the methods on representative future aircraft design concepts.
The consortium brings together aircraft manufacturers, analysis software developers, research organisations and universities. The consortium partners form a strong team covering the required expertise in aircraft design, numerical methods and simulation, ditching analysis and supporting experimental methods to achieve the project objectives.
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