Aircraft Seating

Although it has always been in commercial airlines best interests to manufacture the lightest possible aircraft carriers in order to increase the overall efficiency of the aircraft and maximize the aircrafts useful load, as well as the amount of space individual passenger seats take up (a higher useful load means a greater carrying capacity, means more revenue for the industry). Now with increasing fuel prices, what was previously a mere ideal or means of increasing the maximum passenger carrying capacity to maximize the amount of revenue has now become a vital economic and environmental investment. The benefits of having a lighter aircraft are widespread, theres increased revenue for the aircraft industry as a result of being able to sustain more passengers per flight, decreased fuel consumption, which results in money saved for the industry and also boasts environmental advantages. With slower burning fuel meaning less Carbon und N02 being expelled into the atmosphere, the demand for lighter component designs now couldnt be stronger. While the solution to the problem of requiring a lighter aircraft on the surface appears to be simple, it isnt. The innovation in design must adhere to strict comfort and safety regulations to ensure that the passengers safety and comfort is not unreasonably infringed upon. While certainly there are other amenities that are ostensibly unnecessary in order to safely accommodate passengers from A to B. The atmosphere of the airplane, the service, and the entertainment provided are mandatory for commercial airlines, who are an enterprise and need to keep up with their competitors in this regard. The challenge becomes the maximization the useful load while reducing the maximum take-off weight, which is done by reducing the basic empty weight or (BEW), obviously in the case of commercial airlines, reducing the amount of passengers and depriving passengers of necessary amenities is simply not an option. Reducing the weight and the amount of space that individual seats take up has been targeted as the prime solution to the problem of needing to maximize payload while maintaining the same level of ergonomics for passengers. Reducing the weight of the aircraft is integral to reducing the amount of carbon emissions as well as the costs of gas. Reducing the weight and width of the seating not only contributes to minimizing the BEW (thus reducing the amount of gas is required to operate the aircraft); it also maximizes the payload and allows the aircraft to carry more passengers, which equals more revenue for the industry. Various aircraft seating companies have already begun experimenting with new light weight materials as well as different designs. The demand for something for more efficient and more functional is no longer just a desirable alternative. Commercial airlines have been hit hard with the recent increase in fuel prices. Of course reducing seat weight by itself is not particularly difficult, the challenge for aircraft seating manufacturers and innovators becomes minimizing the weight and the amount of

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space aircraft seating takes up, while maximizing the comfort level of passengers, and adhering to the strict legal code of safety and comfort laws, ergonomics and safety are of the highest priority and cannot be compromised. It has been frequently suggested that the weight of the aircraft can be significantly reduced while maintaining the ergonomics and safety of seating by removing unnecessary parts from the aircraft. Aircraft seating carries substantial weight and has been targeted as the primary means to an overall lighter aircraft. Reducing the weight of the seat and reducing its width, which is also imperative for freeing up more space and accommodating a higher payload or more passengers has been collectively deemed the most lucrative area of investment, allowing the potential for the most lucrative results. A lot of additional parts such as the back reclining

hydraulic cylinders, brackets and brushings that carry a lot of weight can be made with different materials. The CBM Lap Belt Anchor point can be lowered to lower the SRP, this contributes to weight reduction because a lowered arm and torque will put pressure against the floor. Thus the Leg can be constructed with less weight and still pass test accelerations. There are also many light materials that can be used; some examples are the new aluminum alloys, as well as carbon fibres and composites which are currently being experimented with. Air chamber cushions can also be employed for the seat back and headrest, this would reduce the weight of polyurethane foams. The ultimate goal of commercial aircraft carriers is to maximize revenues; this can be done by maximizing the useful load. Useful load = the difference between maximum takeoff weight and the basic weight of the aircraft without the load. Useful load in this case is essentially the maximum load your particular aircraft can handle. This is a combination of fuel, pilots, passengers, baggage, as well as cargo. In this regard, useful load, or the weight being carried on the aircraft can only be decreased for example by taking out cabinets and other non-essentials and amenities commercial airplanes have, although in most cases this is out of the question, because the business of commercial aircraft carriers requires those amenities in order to compete with other airlines. So the obvious solution is to reduce the weight of the essential aircraft components and perhaps removed some non essentials. Unfortunately it isnt as simple as this. You cant just remove whatever items you believe unnecessary without first testing the aircraft and assume the aircraft itself is going to be unaffected by what may appear to be a minor alteration. Taking items out of the aircraft increases the aircrafts useful load and the increase in useful load will naturally affect the aircrafts center of gravity (CG). The safety of passengers will in this case be compromised. Every time an alteration to the BEW is made or installed items are removed or added to the aircraft, the BEW and CG must be reassessed and recalculated in order to ensure that the CG

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limits are not surpassed. This is a very complicated process. Aside from the fact that safety is of the utmost importance when it pertains to seating and anything installed on the aircraft, ergonomics or the level of comfort they provide to passengers, along with their relative suitability for passengers is essential. The comfort of seating vs. the size of the seat can be measured using the terms pitch and width. Pitch of course indicates the amount of legroom passengers

have but actually more specifically refers to the space between one point on the seat to the same point on the seat in front of it. This is generally measured in inches, however more pitch doesnt just equal more legroom: it also directly affects the thickness of the back of the seat. The amount of legroom that passengers get in a commercial aircraft will depend on what class they travel in. Typically, an economy class aircraft provides 30 to 32 inches of legroom or pitch. A reduction in seat pitch which would typically affect the ergonomics or the comfort level of passengers can be compensated for by a thinner seat-back design. The largest seat pitch youll find in commercial airlines is in the short haul economy section which boasts a 37 inch seat pitch. In certain airlines, business class seats are 62 inch, this is the largest pitch, US Airways, in their Airbus A330-300s, have a seat pitch of 94 inches.

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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------IQPC GmbH | Friedrichstr. 94 | D-10117 Berlin, Germany t: +49 (0) 30 2091 3330 | f: +49 (0) 30 2091 3263 | e: eq@iqpc.de | w: www.iqpc.de
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