Validation of Concepts for Improved Occupant Crash Safety in Helicopters

Helicopter occupant crash safety investigations are being carried out in the frame of a European consortium project 'HeliSafe', which aims to improve the survivability of occupants in helicopter crashes and to minimise the risk of injuries. This is achieved by an advanced cabin safety system concept based on interacting safety features such as enhanced safety seats, improved belt systems and deployment of airbags. A key feature of HeliSafe described in this paper is the application of numerical simulation tools to predict cabin and occupant response to crash loads, in order to design and optimise the layout of the safety system. A safety analysis and simulation software concept covering the interaction of relevant cockpit or cabin safety equipment with structural crash response is described. Full scale sled tests on a generic cockpit mock-up with safety seat and airbag are simulated under both horizontal and vertical crash conditions to validate he simulation methodology. Parameter studies are then carried out to investigate the influence of seat absorber characteristics on spinal injuries, which demonstrates the use of the concept as a cabin safety design tool.