Approach to assess bird strike resistance for a wing slat structure

This study presents an approach to assess the bird strike resistance of an aircraft wing slat structure. The slat is made of 2024 aluminum that can be described by an elastic-plastic strain-rate-dependent model with damage. The bird is modeled using smooth particle hydrodynamics. The constants included in the smooth particle hydrodynamics model are determined by experiments. The performance of the wing slat structure after a bird strike is simulated and analyzed. Based on the partition of dissipation energy, it can be seen that when the skin of the leading edge is not penetrated after a bird strike, the large plastic deformation of upper skin contributes most to the impact energy dissipation. The slat spar is the next in the hierarchy of damage, and then the ribs near the striking location. The rivets connecting the skin to the ribs are found to have a significant effect on the performance of the structure. Rivet failure that has occurred in the proper region is helpful to avoid bird penetration. Through deep investigation of the behavior of slat components in withstanding a bird strike, the capacity of bird strike resistance for a wing slat can be assessed and the structural design can be guided.