Numerical simulation of bird strike damage prediction in airplane flap structure

Numerical analyses of bird impact damage in complex aircraft structures have been performed using ABAQUS/Explicit. A Lagrangian formulation was used for the bird model in combination with various material models. Several failure and damage modes have been considered for different material models used in the inboard flap of a typical large transport aircraft. A submodeling approach has been used to reduce computational time. Parametric analyses have been performed using different bird sizes, impact locations and velocity vectors.