VULCAN - Vulnerability Analysis for Near Future Composite/Hybrid Air-Structures: Hardening via New Materials and Design Approaches Against Fire and Blast due to Accidents or Terrorist Attacks
Overview
Background & policy context:
The increase of air traffic is not accompanied by a similar percentage of increase in airborne accidents; however, the absolute number of fatalities due to accidents has increased. Moreover, despite the strict safety measures, terrorist acts cause the probability of internal or external incident of fire or blast to increase. More than ever, passenger airborne safety and consumer faith require hardening strategies, which should be incorporated in aircraft design.
Composite and hybrid metal/composite aero structures are nowadays considered as the only way to obtain a safe, light, environmentally friendly and cost-effective aircraft. This fact is reflected in the constantly increasing usage of such materials in the new generation of civil aircrafts. The improvement of current aircraft against blast and/or fire incidents remains an open issue; therefore the vulnerability of composite and hybrid structures under such loading is requiring more intense research than ever.
Objectives:
The objectives regarding blast are:
- development of algorithms, material models and failure criteria for high strain rate loading of composites and hybrid materials, and calibration of the numerical tools against experimental results;
- development of numerical tools for blast vulnerability analysis of composite and hybrid aeronautical structures;
- blast vulnerability map of composite and hybrid-scaled fuselage substructures for different charge locations and different explosive quantity;
- implicit and explicit blast hardening strategies of composite and hybrid aerostructures by design and by materials (including novel design approaches tailored to the new generation materials).
The objectives regarding fire are:
- development of algorithms, material models and failure criteria for fire behaviour: criteria for fire spread and fire burn-through;
- fire vulnerability map of in-flight fire spread and burn through conditions in composite and hybrid-scaled fuselage substructures for different types of flame intensity and location;
- implicit and explicit fire hardening measures for composite and hybrid aerostructures by design and by novel materials to reduce fire spread.
Methodology:
Numerical tools will be developed and validated against experimental findings in order to develop a vulnerability map of typical sub-structures. Vulnerable locations will be identified and reinforced in two ways:
- by introducing novel design approaches, and
- by using tailored novel composite and hybrid materials.
Implicit and explicit measures will be considered based on reinforcing design strategies and novel materials.
Finally, hardened sub-aero structures will be designed, manufactured and validated aiming at a tenfold increase in blast and fire resistance compared to those currently used with the minimum weight penalty.
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