METHODOLOGY FOR PREDICTING CANOPY FRACTURING PATTERNS DURING EJECTION

THE PHASE I RESEARCH PROPOSED HEREIN ADDRESSES THE NEED TO DETERMINE THE OPTIMUM PLACEMENT OF MILD DETONATION CORD ON AIRCRAFT CANOPIES TO ENSURE THAT DURING EJECTION THE CANOPIES WILL DISINTEGRATE INTO PIECES THAT DO NOT INFLICT INJURY ON THE ESCAPING PILOT. THE PROPOSED APPROACH UTILIZES FINITE ELEMENT METHODOLOGY IN COMBINATION WITH RECENTLY DEVELOPED TWO-DIMENSIONAL CRACK-TIP ELEMENTS OF SUPERIORUTILITY AND ACCURACY. THE RESULTING PROCEDURE, WHICH WILL BE REFINED AND DEVELOPED DURING THIS RESEARCH, PROVIDES ASSURANCE THAT THE ANALYTICAL PREDICTIONS WILL BE ACCURATE. WHEN COMBINED WITH A TECHNIQUE FOR LOCATING AREAS OF VULNERABILITY TO CRACKING FROM THE IMPULSIVE FORCES OF THE MILD DETONATING CORD, THE FINALLY DEVELOPED PROCEDURE WILL BE BOTH ACCURATE AND COST-EFFECTIVE.