Final report for the FAA UAS Center of Excellence task A4: UAS ground collision severity evaluation.

PDFTech ReportAircraft collisionsGround trafficAviation safetyVehicle safetyDrone aircraftUnited States. Federal Aviation Administration. Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Center of ExcellenceArterburn, DavidEwing, MarkPrabhu, RajZhu, FengFrancis, DavidUnited States. Federal Aviation Administration. Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Center of ExcellenceUnited States. Federal Aviation Administration. Unmanned Aircraft SystemsUS Transportation CollectionThe UAS Ground Collision Severity Evaluation Final Report documents the UAS platform characteristics related to the severity of UAS ground collision based upon the literature search of over 300 publications from the automotive industry, consumer battery market, toy standards, and other fields. The literature search included existing standards from a variety of industries and applications as well as methods of analysis and criteria currently in use by other civil and federal agencies. Space debris casualty models were evaluated and extended for proposed use with UAS to determine their viability for ground collision severity assessments and metrics. Parametric analysis, summary data and modified methods are presented to provide insight on the most significant UAS characteristics and how such characteristics are related to the ground collision severity problem. Qualitative characteristics as well as quantitative metrics are presented. Data and Analysis developed during the Task A11 research is also included to update data collected in the early phases of Task A4. Where needed, knowledge gaps are identified for topics outside the scope of the current research.The literature search included the evaluation of various criteria developed for human blunt force trauma injuries, penetration injuries and laceration injuries. These injury types represent the most significant threats to the non-participating public and crews operating mUAS and sUAS platforms. The kinetic energy for the worst case terminal velocity or maximum cruise airspeed, energy density, and rotor diameter are the most significant UAS characteristics contributing to blunt force trauma penetration and laceration injuries, respectively