HIRF Virtual Testing on the C-295 Aircraft: On the Application of a Pass/Fail Criterion and the FSV Method

In this paper, we show the application of numerical simulation for the virtual testing of a very complex system under high-intensity radiated fields (HIRF) conditions. Numerical results have been compared to measurements performed on a C-295 aircraft. The approach is based on the use of multiple tools for the preprocessing, computation, and postprocessing, all of them integrated under the same framework. This study is a part of the HIRF SE project, and the final step for the validation of the tools involved there, to introduce the use of simulation in the whole aircraft certification process in an HIRF environment. The main goal of the project is to provide the aeronautic industry with a numerical modeling computing framework, which could be used to predict the electromagnetic performance, and to carry out parametrical studies during the design phase, when changes are simpler and less costly. It could also lead in the future to a considerable reduction on the certification/qualification testing phase on air vehicles, to cross validate the results obtained from measurement and simulation providing best confidence in them, and to attain a more exhaustive analysis to achieve a higher level in the air vehicle safety.