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A Braking System for Tests with a Prescribed Deceleration Pulse

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Abstract

Tests with a prescribed deceleration pulse are fundamental to the development and certification of crashworthy structures. At the Politecnico di Milano Laboratory for the Safety of Transports these tests are carried out using a horizontal impact-sled facility. Test articles are mounted on a trolley which is launched down a rail and then arrested by means of a braking system that allows prescribed deceleration pulses to be obtained. The oleo-pneumatic braking system customarily used in these tests is difficult to use and user-defined time-histories of the deceleration pulse cannot be obtained. In an effort to overcome these limits, a new braking system was developed. The idea was to arrest the trolley by means of a number of beams that varied in length and that were positioned at variable distances from each other. Experimental tests and numerical simulations were carried out in parallel to verify the feasibility of the new system and improve on the initial design. A mathematical model and genetic algorithm were also developed and used as part of a method to find the test set-up that allowed user-defined deceleration pulses to be obtained. A full-scale test with the deceleration pulse prescribed for small airplane seat certification was carried out to assess the performance of the braking system. The test revealed a weakness of the braking system that was then further developed before being put into full operational service.

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Notes

  1. At LAST the development of an assisted servo braking system was started but then abandoned because of weight considerations.

  2. For the sake of completeness, it should be mentioned that Fe430 is one of the commercial names of a mild stainless steel used for pipes and profiles characterized by a nominal ultimate tensile strength of 430 MPa. Equivalent designations for the Fe430 steel are: UNI 7070, Fe 430 B (Italy); EN 10025-90+A1-9, S275JR (Europe); BS 4360, 43 B (UK); ASTM, A 36/A 283 D (USA).

  3. In order to reduce the computational time, the velocity of the hook in the simulations was higher than that in the tests.

  4. Federal Aviation Regulation, Part 23 “Airworthiness standards: Normal, Utility, Acrobatic, and Commuter Category Airplanes”, Section 562 “Emergency landing dynamic conditions”.

  5. Joint Aviation Requirements, Part 23 “Normal, Utility, Aerobatic and Commuter Category Aeroplanes”, Section 562 “Emergency landing dynamic conditions”

  6. The maximum number of steps was set equal to the estimated number of allowable set-ups of the braking system.

Abbreviations

FAA:

Federal Aviation Administration

FAR:

Federal Aviation Requirements

JAA:

Joint Aviation Authorities

JAR:

Joint Aviation Regulations

EASA:

European Aviation Safety Agency

FIA:

Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile

LaST:

Laboratorio per la Sicurezza dei Trasporti

HISF:

Horizontal Impact Sled Facility

LSTC:

Livermore Software Technology Corporation

FEM:

Finite Element Method

LVDT:

Linear Variable Differential Transformer

GA:

Genetic Algorithms

APE:

Average Percentage Error

RMAE:

Relative Maximum Absolute Error

LRV:

Light Railway Vehicle

References

  1. Federal Aviation Administration (2006) Code of Federal Regulations, Part 27– Airworthiness Standards: Normal Category Rotorcraft and Part 29– Airworthiness Standards: Transport Category Rotorcraft. April 26, 2006

  2. Joint Aviation Authorities (2004) Joint Aviation Requirements, JAR-27: Small Rotorcraft and JAR-29: Large Rotorcraft. November 1, 2004

  3. Federation Internationale de L’automobile (2003) Norme 8855-1999 / Standard 8855-1999, Norme FIA Pour Sieges De Competition / FIA Standard For Competition Seats. February 14, 2003

  4. Juhasz PR, Parson RP (1980) Computer velocity control of a sled used in impact studies. In: Instrumentation in the Aerospace Industry, Vol. 26, Advanced in test measurement, Vol. 17, Part One, Proceedings of the 26th Inter-Nation Instrumentation Symposium. Seattle, Washington

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  9. Anghileri M, Castelletti LML, Manganini D, Milanese A (2006) Development of a new braking system for a horizontal sledge used in crash tests with an imposed deceleration. 32nd European Rotorcraft Forum, Maastricht, The Netherlands, September, 2006

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Ingegneria Aerospaziale, Politecnico di Milano, Via La Masa 34, 20156, Milan, Italy

    V. Giavotto, M. Anghileri, L.-M. L. Castelletti, A. Milanese & D. M. Manganini

Authors
  1. V. Giavotto
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  2. M. Anghileri
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  3. L.-M. L. Castelletti
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  4. A. Milanese
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  5. D. M. Manganini
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Correspondence to L.-M. L. Castelletti.

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Giavotto, V., Anghileri, M., Castelletti, LM.L. et al. A Braking System for Tests with a Prescribed Deceleration Pulse. Exp Mech 50, 915–930 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11340-009-9298-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11340-009-9298-6

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