Research progress and prospects in hail impact resistance of aircraft structures

Hail impact under extreme weather conditions poses a significant threat to aircraft structural integrity, often leading to damage or failure in aircraft components such as radomes, wings, and so on. Such events jeopardize aviation safety, making it a critical issue in aircraft structural design that cannot be overlooked. This paper summarizes relevant regulatory requirements pertaining to hail impact on aircraft structures and clarifies the distinctions between hail impact and other foreign object impacts, such as bird strike. The study further elaborates on the current state of technical research and notable advancements in understanding hail impact, covering aspects including the formation mechanisms of hailstones, dynamic constitutive characterization of materials, experimental testing methodologies, numerical simulation approaches, and damage assessment techniques. Finally, the paper offers perspectives on future developments in enhancing aircraft structural resistance to hail impact.