Army Helicopter Crashworthiness

Abstract

This paper discusses the evolution of crash survival design criteria, its influence on the formulation of a US Army military standard for rotary-wing aircraft crashworthiness, and its application to current and new-generation Army helicopters. Emphasis is given to the need for a total systems' approach in design for crashworthiness and the necessity for considering crashworthiness early in the design phase of a new aviation weapon systems development effort. The actual application of crashworthiness to Army helicopters is presented with statistics that show dramatic reductions in fatalities and injuries with implementation of a crashworthy fuel system. Current and planned US Army R&D to improve crashworthiness technology is discussed, including full-scale crash testing, human tolerance definition, improved energy absorbers, crew restraint systems, and crash impact characteristics of composite helicopter structures. Applicability of the work within Army helicopter crashworthiness to commercial/ civil helicopters is shown. The cost effective aspects of designing helicopters to be more crash survivable are also discussed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1983
Accession Number
ADP002708

Entities

People

  • C. H. Carper
  • Kent F. Smith
  • Leroy T. Burrows

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accidents
  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Aircraft Industry
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Army Aircraft
  • Attack Helicopters
  • Bone Fractures
  • Composite Materials
  • Fixed Wing Aircraft
  • Fuel Systems
  • Fuselages
  • Helicopters
  • Landing Gear
  • Medical Personnel
  • Rotary Wing Aircraft
  • Spinal Column

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Aviation Safety Risk Assessment.
  • Systems Analysis and Design