Vertical Drop Test of a Narrow-Body Transport Fuselage Section with Overhead Stowage Bins 2002-01-2995
A 10-foot-long fuselage section from a Boeing 737-100 airplane was dropped from a height of 14 feet generating a final impact velocity of 30 feet per second. The fuselage section was configured to simulate the load density at the maximum takeoff weight condition. The final weight of 8870 pounds included cabin seats, dummy occupants, overhead stowage bins with contents, and cargo compartment luggage. The fuselage section was instrumented with strain gages, accelerometers, and high-speed cameras. The fuselage sustained severe deformation of the cargo compartment. The luggage influenced the manner in which the fuselage crushed, affecting the gravitational (g) forces experienced by the test section. The seat tracks experienced 15 g's vertical deceleration. Although numerous fuselage structural members fractured during the test, a habitable environment was maintained for the occupants, and the impact was considered survivable. The overhead stowage bins maintained their structural integrity and remained attached to the fuselage. The bins sustained 14 g's vertical deceleration. Distribution of the loads, among the bin supports, was different in the dynamic versus static case.
Citation: Abramowitz, A., Smith, T., Vu, T., and Zvanya, J., "Vertical Drop Test of a Narrow-Body Transport Fuselage Section with Overhead Stowage Bins," SAE Technical Paper 2002-01-2995, 2002, https://doi.org/10.4271/2002-01-2995. Download Citation
Author(s):
Allan Abramowitz, Timothy G. Smith, Tong Vu, John R. Zvanya
Affiliated:
Federal Aviation Administration
Pages: 16
Event:
World Aviation Congress & Exposition
ISSN:
0148-7191
e-ISSN:
2688-3627
Also in:
SAE 2002 Transactions Journal of Aerospace-V111-1
Related Topics:
Fuselages
Vehicle occupants
Seats and seating
Logistics
Anthropometric test devices
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