EVALUATION OF DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE OF AIRCRAFT SEATS FOR LARGER PASSENGER POPULATION USING FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

摘要

Dynamic aircraft seat regulations are identified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 14 CFR Parts § XX.562 for crashworthy evaluation of a seat in dynamic crash environment. The regulations specify full-scale dynamic testing on production seats. The dynamic tests are designed to demonstrate the structural integrity of the seat to withstand an emergency landing event and occupant safety. These tests are carried out on a 50th percentile Hybrid Ⅱ Anthropomorphic Test Device (ATD) representing average 50 percent of human population. In this study, the dynamic performance of seats are evaluated for larger passenger population for both transport and general aviation seats. For this, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of an aircraft seat model is analyzed by utilizing a 50th percentile e-ATD and validated with a 50th percentile ATD sled test results. Then the effect of a 95th percentile standard ATD in an aircraft passenger seat is investigated using FEA. Comparison of the 50th percentile and the 95th percentile electronic ATD models (e-ATDs) is carried out on the test parameters. This includes the restraint loads, the floor reactions and the head paths. Based on the comparison it is concluded that the seat loads go up in the range of 20 to 30 % if designed for larger passenger population.