FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS (FEA) OF A C130 TOWING BAR Fadzli Ibrahim* & Mohammad Shafiq Toha Mechanical & Aerospace Technology Division (BTJA), Science & Technology Research Institute for Defence (STRIDE), Ministry of Defence, Malaysia Email: fadzli.ibrahim@stride.gov.my ABSTRACT This paper provides a case study on the structural integrity of a towing bar using finite element analysis (FEA). The overall design of the towing bar in terms of shape and material properties was subject to the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) design for the C130 aircraft. The simulation analysis was done for four different cases, where force was applied at four different angles; 0, 30, 45 and 60˚. The results of the FEA simulations show that the maximum force that can be applied to the towing bar reduced drastically when the load is applied at increasing angles. The computed maximum load for angle of 60˚, without taking into consideration the safety factor, is 15.85 kN, which is 2.9 times greater than the value specified in the aircraft’s towing procedure. This investigation only shows the maximum force that can be applied to the specific towing bar and the behaviour of its structure during failure. Therefore, further experimental analysis should be conducted in order to reaffirm the findings from the simulation analysis. Keywords: Towing bar; finite element analysis (FEA); maximum stress; maximum deflection; towing angle. 1. INTRODUCTION When a towing vehicle taxis a C130 aircraft, a towing bar is connected between the aircraft and vehicle. One end of the towing bar is fixed to the front wheel of the aircraft, while the other end is attached to the back of the vehicle. During operation, the towing bar is subjected to high stresses to its structure due to the high load applied. The allowable angle for turning during the towing operation is from 0˚ to 60˚ (Manson, 2011). Due to the high stress applied, towing bars can fail during operation. Therefore, it is necessary that this stress condition should be analysed to verify the claim. Static or dynamic loads cause stresses in materials and structures that they are applied to. The analysis of these stresses is an important engineering discipline called stress analysis, which is required for the study and design of structures, such as mechanical parts and structural frames, under given or expected loads. For