A Study of the Dynamic Effects on the Design Loads of Civil Aircraft

This paper addresses the effects of a fully dynamic approach to determine the design loads of a mid-size business jet. The study is conducted by considering the fuselage midsection of the DAEDALOS aircraft model with landing impact conditions. This study aims to compare the loads levels obtained with the cuasi-static approach usually used in the aircraft design process with a novel full dynamic method of analysis. The comparison is presented in terms of stress levels between the novel dynamic approach and the standard design practice based on the use of equivalent static loads. The results illustrate that a slight reduction of the load levels can be achieved, but a careful modelling of the damping level is needed. Guidelines for an improved load definition are discussed, and suggestions for future research activities are provided.