Analysis of fuselage skin reinforcements with beam element models in flexible aircraft panels for ditching simulations

Abstract

This paper is dedicated to the use of beam element models for skin structural reinforcements in guided ditching simulations with a flexible aircraft panel. This approach was analysed by means of finite element simulations of the structure subjected to a constant pressure load and guided ditching loading conditions. To verify this approach, finite element models of different discretization types and different mesh sizes were considered in the computations. Moreover, guided ditching simulations were enhanced by comparisons with the coupled Finite Element-Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics and the Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian methods.