Influence of Cargo Luggage on the Vertical Drop Crashworthiness of Aircraft Mid-Fuselage Section

The evaluation of structural crashworthiness is important for the development of civil aircraft. In this study, cargo luggage was considered in the vertical drop simulation of an aircraft mid-fuselage section. First, quasi-static compression tests on three types of luggage made of different materials were conducted. Then, a finite element model (FEM) of the cargo luggage was developed with a crushable foam material in LS-PrePost4.5 software. The finite element analysis results of the luggage made of different materials were consistent with the corresponding compression experiments. Secondly, the FEM of the mid-fuselage section was established without cargo luggage. The simulated displacement and acceleration of the fuselage section were consistent with the test results. Finally, the influences of cargo luggage on the fuselage vertical drop response were studied with the FEM considering both the fuselage structure and cargo luggage. Compared with the responses of the fuselage without cargo luggage, the cargo luggage could reduce the deformation of the cargo bay and maintain the integrity of the passenger living space in the cabin at the vertical velocity of 6 m/s, even though the initial kinetic energy was higher.