A numerical study on multi-terrain impacts of an aeronautical fuselage section

This paper investigates the crashworthiness of a metallic fuselage section. Crashworthiness can be generally described as the ability of a structure to protect its occupants during an impact event. In this paper, the mechanical behaviour of metallic fuselage structures during the crash is simulated by means of the FE code ABAQUS/Explicit. Two different impact terrains have been considered: impact on a rigid surface and ditching on water. The numerical results, in terms of deformation, energy absorption, equivalent stress evolution, and damage onset and propagation have been assessed and compared.