Birdstrike Onto Structures in Rotational Motion

A birdstrike is likely to have serious consequences and, therefore, modern aircraft have to be certified for a proven level of bird impact resistance before being put into operational service. In this work, the consequences of a bird impact onto structures in rotational motion are investigated from a numerical standpoint. Referring to a bird surrogate, the jelly projectile used to develop bird-proof structures, a robust SPH model of the bird is initially developed and validated. Subsequently, the difficulties in modeling the impact of a bird against structures in rotational motion are highlighted and a feasible approach to model the event is proposed. Two different impact scenarios are then considered: the impact of a bird against lowpressure compressor blades and the impact of a bird against a small dimension propeller spinner. Findings and guidelines for modeling the event are eventually provided.