Time-Domain Inversion Method of Impact Loads Based on Strain Monitoring Data

A helicopter deck is the main load-bearing component under the emergency landing conditions for helicopters. However, it is generally difficult to directly obtain the landing load from measurements due to the high randomness of the landing position. As the main design load of the helicopter deck, the emergency landing load is very important to its structural design. A large design load value leads to an overly conservative structural design and affects the control of the ship’s weight and center of gravity, while a small design load may lead to a lack of security and affect the safety of the helicopter and the ship. As a result, the time domain inversion method, which is based on strain monitoring data, is an important and effective method for obtaining the helicopter emergency landing load. In this study, a grillage model experiment was conducted to study the time domain inversion method. The helicopter impact load was simulated by falling body impact, and the impact load history and structural strain response were recorded by sensors. The grillage model impact load was calculated with different inversion methods, including the direct inverse, truncated singular value decomposition (TSVD), and Tikhonov regularization methods. The solution accuracy of different methods and number of sensors needed were compared. The results demonstrated that the Tikhonov regularization method based on four measurement points along with the L-curve determination criterion showed a better performance for capturing the impact load time history features.