SMAES · Smart Aircraft in Emergency Situations

Ditching analysis is requested for large transport aircraft by EASA. The respective requirements are specified under § ‘’CS 25.801 Ditching’’. They are primarily devoted to a minimisation of risks for immediate injuries and the provision of fair chances for an evacuation. A significant part of average air travel is over water and historically a planned or unplanned water-landing event occurs grossly speaking every 5 years.This proposal directly addresses areas ""7.1.3.3: Aircraft Safety"" and “7.1.4.1: Aircraft Development Cost”. The primary outcome of the SMAES project will be advanced methodologies and simulation tools to support aircraft development from pre-project phase to certification. These will enhance future innovation in aircraft design through ensuring that innovative designs are compliant with safety requirementsThe key developments addressed in the work programme are:1.Improved models for the calculation of ditching loads including both analytical and detailed fluid dynamics models. Inclusion of the effects of the complex flow physics in ditching is critical to prediction of ditching loads.2.Reliable and predictive aircraft models for structural behaviour under dynamic fluid loads.3.Demonstration of the methods on representative future aircraft design concepts.The consortium brings together aircraft manufacturers, analysis software developers, research organisations and universities. Together the partners form a strong team covering the required expertise in aircraft design, numerical methods and simulation, ditching analysis and supporting experimental methods to achieve the project objectives.""