The vibration simulation at the helicopter pilot’s body segments in vertical direction

Abstract

The helicopter pilots are exposed to Whole Body Vibration (WBV) that makes them prone to lower back pain (LBP), digestive problems, respiratory difficulties, etc. Since the process of WBV measurement is expensive and risky, the simulation is a very good alternative. The integrated simulation of helicopter-pilot system is proposed in this paper. The Finite Element Method (FEM) model of 349 Gazelle helicopter in ABAQUS, is integrated to the aerodynamic forcing function and the lumped parameter (LP) model of the pilot-seat in MATLAB. The results of vertical vibration at the seat, pilot’s pelvis, thorax, head, neck, hand and foot for two small and medium-sized pilots, in three flight conditions, are presented. This approach provides a vibration data bank of the helicopter structure, the seat, and the pilot’s body segments when the helicopter is still in the blueprint stage.