Numerical investigation of the mechanical behavior of the vertical stabilizer leading edge with wavy honeycomb sandwich structure under bird strike

This study proposes a honeycomb with a sine waveform to increase the impact resistance against bird strike on the vertical stabilizer leading edge. A 2-stage comparison was made using the experimental test results in the literature to validate the model in the finite element environment. At first, the change in diameter, velocity, pressure, and scattering of particles when the bird model hits a square plate was compared with experimental data. In the second stage, an impact was made on the vertical stabilizer leading edge made of composite sandwich material. The deformation in the Z-direction occurring in the vertical stabilizer leading edge’s center and the ribs’ convergence were compared. The Ls-Dyna results show reasonable qualitative agreement with the experimental result. Finally, the straight walls of the honeycomb in the vertical stabilizer leading edge were modeled as a sine wave. The analyses were diversified using design parameters with different values. According to the analysis results, improvements of up to 9.79%, 28.58%, and 5.02% were observed in the deformation, the approach of the ribs, and sum of the reaction forces, respectively. These results contribute to bird strikes where strength per unit weight is essential.