Fuel dispersal in high-speed aircraft/soil impact scenarios

Technical Report · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1996

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/188568· OSTI ID:188568

Tieszen, S R; Attaway, S W ^[1]

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1. Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States). Engineering Sciences Center

The objective of this study is to determine how the jet fuel contained in aircraft wing tanks disperses on impact with a soft terrain, i.e., soils, at high impact velocities. The approach used in this study is to combine experimental and numerical methods. Tests were conducted with an approximately 1/42 linear-scale mass-model of a 1/4 span section of a C-141 wing impacting a sand/clay mixture. The test results showed that within the uncertainty of the data, the percentage of incident liquid mass remaining in the crater is the same as that qualitatively described in earlier napalm bomb development studies. Namely, the percentage of fuel in the crater ranges from near zero for grazing impacts to 25%--50% for high angles of impact. To support a weapons system safety assessment (WSSA), the data from the current study have been reduced to correlations. The numerical model used in the current study is a unique coupling of a Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method with the transient dynamics finite element code PRONTO. Qualitatively, the splash, erosion, and soil compression phenomena are all numerically predicted. Quantitatively, the numerical method predicted a smaller crater cross section than was observed in the tests.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: Defense Nuclear Agency, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• OSTI ID: 188568
• Report Number(s): SAND--96-0105; ON: DE96005045
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
ACCIDENTS
CRATERS
DATA
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FORECASTING
JET ENGINE FUELS
LAND POLLUTION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
OIL SPILLS
P CODES
SOILS