Structural Design of a Crashworthy Energy Absorbing Passenger Seat For a Large Transport Aircraft Using Large Displacement, Nonlinear Material Finite Element Analysis

<p>Federal Aviation Regulations certification criteria for transport aircraft seats require performing dynamic tests using anthropomorphic test dummies. Floor decelerations of the tests are 16g forward with the seat tracks misaligned by up to 10 degrees and 14g downward at a pitch angle of 30 degrees. In this project the dynamic response of the passenger/seat/restraint system is modeled using nonlinear finite element analysis. The interference between a dummy model and the seat is modeled using a contact interaction algorithm. This algorithm did not converge and multiple-point constraints were used to transfer the dummy's inertia load. This approach was validated with the software SOMTA and then used to predict the response of a high energy absorption seat design subjected to the floor deceleration as stated in the FAR. The seat withstood the dynamic loading in both cases. The seat showed poor energy absorption characteristics when subjected to the 14g downward floor deceleration.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Aerospace Engineering

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis - Open Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Aerospace Engineering

Year

1997

Author dc:creator

• Fuentes, Javier

Contributors dc:contributor

• David Kim
• Frank Radosta
• Howard D. Curtis

• structural design
• crashworthy
• aircraft
• seats
• finite element analysis
• Aviation

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.erau.edu/db-theses/285

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.erau.edu:db-theses-1091