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This aircraft impact test was conducted at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico, USA, on April 19, 1988. An F-4 Phantom jetfighter was used in the test.
The primary purpose of the test was aimed at determining the impact force as a function of time when an F-4 Phantom impacts onto a massive, essentially rigid, reinforced concrete.
The geometry of the finite element model of the aircraft was adjusted to fit to the data given in the test report. Two engines, a fuel tank, and water to simulate the fuel weight were considered in the numerical model.
The front and the main landing gears were removed. Instead a sled with a carriage structure was attached on the under surface of the aircraft. The sled was mounted on two rails of 600 meter long which guided the F-4, accelerated by rockets, to the target. The impact speed was 215 m/s.
The total impact weight was 19 tonnes comprising 12.7 tonnes of the F-4, 1.5 tonnes of the sled and the carriage, 4.8 tonnes of water which is used to simulate the weight of fuel.
The target was a rectangular block of reinforced concrete 7 meter square and 3.66 meter thick which weighs 469 tonnes. It was placed on an air-bearing platform which enabled almost free movement in the direction of impact.
According the test it was observed that each wing tip and a portion of tail were sheared off at impact, and the remainder was completely destroyed. Pieces of the aircraft and lumps of crushed engines were found over a large area.
The impact of the engines caused craters which appeared as ‘eyes’. The crater depth was 60 mm according to the test. The impact of the fuselage inflicted only minor damage to the target to form a shallow dent on the surface. The impact of the rockets and the sled caused major damage to the concrete.
