Adaptive Energy Absorber For Crashworthy Helicopter Seats

Students¹: T.A.J. Beeldens, N.A. Dagadu, W.H.K. Van Deun, V.F.M De Groof, A. Klaessen, M. van der Mei, R. Sopjes, V. Vandecauter, H.J. van een, O.L.J. Verhoeven

Project tutor: ir. V. Antonelli

Coaches: T. Ashure MSc, ir. J.P.T.J. Berends, ir. F.J.J. M.M. Geuskens

Introduction
Every year, hundreds of people sustain major injuries or die after a helicopter crash, despite the current technology of energy absorption seats. Existing energy absorption systems in helicopters or crashworthy seats in general, have fixed energy absorption profiles that are indiscriminate of the passenger weight and/or the crash velocity. It is when these parameters (passenger weight and crash velocity) are ignored, the energy of the crash is not absorbed efficiently. Sometimes even, the presence of the energy absorption system and its stiffness endangers the passenger.

With this in mind, an adaptive energy absorbing mechanism is designed to improve safety of the helicopter passenger by reducing the impact energy on the spine. This automatically adapts to the passenger's weight and size, to the impact velocity and the system must be installed in existing seats.

The paper of this project is available as a PDF-document here.

Footnotes

1. The Design Synthesis Exercise forms the closing piece of the third year of the Bachelor degree course in aerospace engineering at the TU Delft. The objective of this exercise is to improve the students’ design skills while working in teams with about 10 fellow students for a period of 10 weeks. Despite the fact that the final designs result from a design process executed by small groups of students with limited experience, the designs are of good quality.