Investigation of the Overall Damage Assessment Method Used for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Subjected to Blast Waves

Abstract

With the aim of investigating the assessment methodology for the overall damage effects on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) subjected to a blast wave, the failure criteria for the typical UAV was formulated through an analysis of the structural strength design standards. Specifically, the shear force associated with wing failure can serve as a critical parameter for assessing the overall damage inflicted on the UAV by blast waves. According to the design load criterion of the aircraft, the shear force value corresponding to the overall failure of the typical UAV was calculated. Numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the mechanical response of UAV structures under blast wave loading generated by a 500 g explosive. Combining the critical shear force values obtained from theoretical calculations with the numerical simulation results, two distances between the explosives and the UAV that could produce different damage effects were estimated, namely 1 m and 2.5 m. Subsequently, static explosion experiments with equivalent explosive charges were performed, revealing different damage effects on a typical UAV at two specific distances. The numerical simulation results were highly consistent with the experimental observations, further validating the scientific and rational basis for using shear force as a primary parameter in assessing overall structural damage to fixed-wing UAVs.