Design, fabrication and testing of a component HIC tester for aircraft applications

摘要

The compliance with HIC specified in 14 CFR 23.562 and CFR 25.562 poses a significant problem for many segments of the aerospace industry. The airlines and the manufacturers of jet transports have made claims of high costs and significant schedule overruns during the development and certification of 16G seats because of the difficulties encountered in meeting this requirement. The current practice for certification is to conduct "full-scale" seat tests on impact sleds. This approach can be expensive, since a new seat may be needed for each test. This paper deals with the development and calibration of a Head Injury Criteria component tester (HCT) by the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR). The HCT device will be capable of evaluating the potential for head injury over a wide range of aircraft cabin configurations at relatively lower cost and in a shorter time period compared to full-scale sled tests. The existing full-scale sled test data was reviewed to acquire the necessary information for the design of the HCT. Biodynamic modeling and simulation tools were used and results validated against the full-scale sled tests. Parametric studies were performed to determine the mass distribution of the HCT to replicate the full-scale sled test. A pneumatic propulsion system was designed and fabricated to propel the HCT in order to achieve similar kinematics as in a sled test. The propulsion system was then calibrated to achieve the required test conditions. A control system for controlling the propulsion system as well as for data acquisition was then developed. The HCT thus fabricated was tested and the results were compared with that from the full-scale sled test performed under similar conditions. The HCT is a device intended to provide greater control and repeatability than full-scale sled testing. The HCT is expected to produce less data scatter, hence more consistent test results than those obtained using full-scale sled tests. A validated HCT will minimize the need for full-scale sled tests and thereby reduce the time and cost associated with development and certification of aircraft cabin interior.