Towards meeting VLTA challenges for evacuation slides and slide-rafts

Abstract

AbstractThe intrinsic dependence on the necessary minimum structural performance of inflatable aircraft evacuation slides and slide-rafts in the event of and emergency or precautionary aircraft evacuation is described in the context of the certification of both new (or modified) aircraft and slide designs. The concepts of the pneumatic structure with analytical and numerical methodologies are briefly reviewed. Fundamental principles of inflatable evacuation slide performance and assessment are presented, while the characteristics of typical structural responses are identified for single deck aircraft. The implications of evacuation from an upper deck of a VLTA are identified in the interpretation of two new commercial inflatable evacuation slide designs. Alternative meso and macro pneumatic structural forms are proposed as evolutions of the conventional inflated tube. Outline details of a simple mixed finite element and vector-based simulation algorithm for the analysis of pneumatic structures precede examples verifying the numerical formulation and demonstrating the potential of multi-cell beam (meso) and “semi-pneumatic shell membrane” (macro) pneumatic concepts. Recommendations for future research conclude the paper.