Tendency analysis of a tilt rotor wing leading edge under bird strike events

Amongst the most critical in-service loads to be considered during the design phase to ensure the flight safety the bird strike event plays a key-role. Under this scenario, regulations pay particular attention on the wing leading edge component. In this paper, starting by a verified Finite Element (FE) modelling technique, herein discussed, a numerical tendency analysis on the leading edge of a new concept of Tiltrotor has been carried out to support its design and to have indications on the best thickness to strength ratio which is able to satisfy the crashworthiness requirements. Given the bird impact scenarios (impact locations and impact angles), different thicknesses of the metallic component have been investigated, to assess the potential weight saving hence preserving the safety of flight. The results show consistency between the investigated thicknesses and impact scenarios, giving indications for the subsequent phase of the wing design.