Although flying cars have long been a staple of science fiction films, numerous companies, including NASA, have begun to make them a reality.
However, the US space agency intentionally crashed one into the earth, destroying it beyond all expectations.
This test was conducted to determine how the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle would react to such an occurrence.
NASA engineers dropped a prototype eVTOL containing six crash test dummies from a height to simulate a “severe accident.
The test aircraft was a government reference design for a futuristic composite eVTOL aircraft for six passengers.
It was a “Lift+Cruise” model, meaning it took off vertically and cruised like a conventional aircraft.
Several experiments were mounted on the test aircraft before its release, enabling researchers to assess the realism of the simulation.
These include varied seat arrangements, crash test dummies of varying sizes, and an energy-absorbing composite subfloor created by NASA.
At the Landing and Impact Research (LandIR) facility at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, the aircraft was first launched into the air.
It was then released using pyrotechnic cutters, resulting in a “global collapse” that exceeded computer predictions.
While the test cockpit’s base and safety seats performed as expected, the structure overhead collapsed.
The passenger compartment appeared to be squashed by the imagined weight of flight mechanics above the cockpit.
Justin Littell, the research assistant for the Structural Dynamics Branch at Langley, stated, “Although we are still analyzing the data and video, and these results are preliminary, we can identify two major events that occurred during this test.”
A report describes them as follows: “The initial incident involved floor crushing and seat stroking.” The subfloor and energy-absorbing seats performed as expected, mitigating the impact’s effect on the crash test dummies.
The second event was the fall of the structure above. The impact of the collapse of the above structure on the crash test dummies has yet to be assessed.
NASA has admitted that different eVTOL designs will perform differently and will analyze the data gathered from this and future drop testing.
A spokeswoman for the Langley Research Center stated, “For this test, an overhead mass was created to approximate the wing structure, rotor, and batteries.
‘It was decided to presume that all of the weight of the overhead construction was located above the cabin. There are also additional arrangements of overhead mass that may behave differently in a collision.
The test was a terrific success for the Langley crash-worthiness team, as recounted by Justin Littell.
“We successfully tested the eVTOL vehicle concept representing a six-passenger, high-wing, overhead-mass, multiple-rotor vehicle, collecting over 200 data channels and over 20 onboard and off-board camera views.
Our computational pre-test models did a decent job of forecasting composite deformation up until structural failure at the structural apex.
‘However, the computational models did not foresee the global collapse observed in the experiment.’
The full-scale testing data from onboard tests will be utilized to enhance simulation models so that future predictions are more accurate.
In addition, the data will be utilized to evaluate probable test conditions and configurations that will be used for the drop test of a second test piece, which is slated for late 2023.
As part of NASA’s Revolutionary Vertical Left Technology (RVLT) project, the test was conducted to advance research for the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) mission.
NASA’s objective for AAM is to assist emerging aviation markets in the safe development of an air transportation system that connects previously unserved or underserved regions.
“Understanding how these future aircraft would behave in a crash scenario is another crucial aspect of research,” they continue.
