Abstract
This paper is a development of the well-known Riera approach (Citation1968, Citation1980) for the calculation of the loading force applied by an aircraft crashing on a rigid target. The purpose is to present a formula that provides the peak value of the loading force so that running time-response analysis is not any more necessary. For this purpose, we first develop a non-dimensional approach of Riera equations and we provide analytical solution of them. Then, we calculate the non-dimensional response of five different types of aircraft at different impact velocities. For every aircraft, we identify the non-dimensional peak force as a function of the non-dimensional velocity, and we translate it into in the physical domain. In a next step, we derive an upper bound
of
and we introduce
an approximate of
The accuracy of
with respect to
is examined for the considered series of aircrafts and impact velocities. Eventually, we explain how the non-dimensional approach enables to derive the peak force generated by a given aircraft at a given velocity from the one of another aircraft at another velocity, provided that both aircrafts have some non-dimensional features in common.
Data availability statement
Data used in this paper are summarized in . All those data are provided in a supplemental on-line material.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).