Development and validation of a novel bird strike resistant composite leading edge structure

A novel design of a fibre-reinforced composite Leading Edge (LE) of a Horizontal Tail Plain (HTP) is proposed. The development and validation approach of the innovative composite LE structure are described. The main design goal is the satisfactory impact resistance of the novel composite LE in the case of bird strike. The design concept is based on the absorption of the major portion of the bird kinetic energy by the composite skins, in order to protect the ribs and the inner LE structure from damaging, thus preserving the tail plane functionality for safe landing. To this purpose, the LE skin is fabricated from specially designed composite panels, so called 'tensor skin' panels, comprising folded layers, which unfold under the impact load and increase the energy absorption capability of the LE. A numerical model simulating the bird strike process is developed and bird strike experimental testing is performed, in order to validate the proposed layout and prove the capability of the structure to successfully withstand the impact loading. The numerical modelling issues and the critical parameters of the simulation are discussed. The present work is part of the European Aeronautics Research Project, 'Crashworthiness of aircraft for high velocity impact - CRAHVI' [1].