Building Block Validation Approach to a Ditching Simulation, Preliminary Studies

This paper proposes a building block validation approach applied to an aircraft ditching analysis. A preliminary numerical study of several proposed building blocks is discussed, comparing three computational approaches: Finite Element (FE) Coupled Eulerian Lagrangian (CEL), a second FE CEL approach, and a Finite Volume (FV) Eulerian approach. The accuracy and implementation of these approaches is evaluated. Each building block provides specific credibility to the analysis. The NASA Element Water Impact Test (EWIT) Phase 1 and the European Union (EU) SMart Aircraft Structures in Emergency Situations (SMAES) testing investigate the accuracy of pressure prediction, while the EWIT and NACA2929 scale model ditching simulations validate vehicle rigid body dynamics. The NACA0012 model confirms the accurate capture of aerodynamic forces. The study concludes that the FV method shows the most promise in accurately predicting fluid-structure interaction (FSI) phenomena and scaling to aircraft-level analysis.