A novel design for reinforcing the aircraft tail leading edge structure against bird strike

This paper presents the work performed to design a novel tail leading edge structure by employing the finite element method coupled with the SPH method to simulate the bird strike process. The bird is simulated by the SPH model while the structure is modeled with the traditional Lagrangian elements. Bird strike experiments are conducted to validate the numerical model. Good agreements between simulation and experimental results showed that the coupled SPH-FE method provides a valid and effective means to predict the deformation and damage behavior of aircraft structures subjected to bird strike. Thus, it can be used as a tool to design bird strike-resistant structures. It is found that the novel design, which introduces a triangular reinforcement component to the leading edge structure, greatly enhances the anti-bird strike performance. Finally bird strike simulations and experiments are conducted for the Horizontal tail leading edge of a commercial aircraft with the above mentioned novel design. No penetration on the frontal beam is observed, suggesting that the novel design meet the certification requirement of CCAR part 25.