This paper discusses the evolution of crash survival design criteria, its influence on the formulation of a US Army military standard for rotary-wing aircraft crashworthiness, and its application to current and new-generation Army helicopters. Emphasis is given to the need for a total systems' approach in design for crashworthiness and the necessity for considering crashworthiness early in the design phase of a new aviation weapon systems development effort. The actual application of crashworthiness to Army helicopters is presented with statistics that show dramatic reductions in fatalities and injuries with implementation of a crashworthy fuel system. Current and planned US Army R&D to improve crashworthiness technology is discussed, including full-scale crash testing, human tolerance definition, improved energy absorbers, crew restraint systems, and crash impact characteristics of composite helicopter structures. Applicability of the work within Army helicopter crashworthiness to commercial/civil helicopters is shown. The cost effective aspects of designing helicopters to be more crash survivable are also discussed. (Author)


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    Design of Helicopter Crashworthiness

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