Composite Aircraft Seat Back Structure for Lightweight Load Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional aircraft passenger seats are heavy, consuming valuable cabin space and limiting legroom and personal space, while requiring bulky materials for structural support and cushioning, which hinders weight reduction and increased passenger or cargo capacity.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight composite construction for aircraft passenger seats, featuring a composite support leg structure with minimal metal parts, a composite seat pan assembly, and a composite seat back structure with a torque box to resist bending, allowing for a compact and lightweight design that meets structural requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional heavy and bulky materials are used for structural support and thick padding is used for cushioning, then structural strength and passenger comfort are improved, but the overall weight of the seat increases and cabin space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials throughout the seat structure, including composite support legs, composite seat pan, and composite seat back. These composite structures provide the necessary structural strength while significantly reducing weight compared to conventional metal and bulky materials. The composite materials enable the seat to meet structural specifications with a compact and lightweight configuration.
2Strength
If conventional heavy and bulky materials are used for structural support and thick padding is used for cushioning, then structural strength and passenger comfort are improved, but the overall volume of the seat increases reducing legroom and personal space
Solution Approach 1:
The composite materials enable a compact structural configuration that provides sufficient strength without requiring excessive material thickness. The seat back structure, seat pan assembly, and support legs are all designed as compact composite components that meet structural requirements with minimized volume.
3Strength
If conventional metal components and bulky materials are used, then structural support requirements are met, but the number of parts and structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into integrated composite components. The composite seat back structure includes integrated support elements, the composite seat pan assembly combines structural and cushioning functions, and the composite support legs integrate multiple structural roles. This consolidation reduces the number of separate parts while maintaining structural support requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composite construction significantly reduces the weight of the passenger seat, enabling weight savings and size reduction, thereby potentially increasing flight range, passenger capacity, and cargo capacity while maintaining structural integrity and passenger comfort.
Implementation Method 1
a composite torque box coupled to the lower end of the composite support frame, the composite torque box being configured to resist fore-aft bending of the composite support frame and to transfer loads from the composite seat back structure to a seat pan
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft passenger seat configured in accordance with an embodiment of the invention utilizes composite materials to achieve significant weight savings relative to conventional seat designs. The seat includes one or more lightweight composite support legs, a lightweight composite seat pan, and a lightweight composite seat back structure. The support legs are coupled to the seat pan, which is in turn coupled to the seat back structure. The support legs utilize composite frame elements that are formed as continuous compression molded composite extrusions. The seat pan includes composite fore and aft cross beams that are also formed as continuous compression molded composite extrusions. The aft cross beam includes a rear flange that serves as a flexible “hinge” for the seat back structure. The seat can leverage producible and relatively inexpensive composite manufacturing techniques such that the seat can be economically produced for use as an economy class seat.