Airplane Seat Reinforcing Strip for Impact Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Airplane seat designs face challenges in reducing weight and complexity while maintaining safety standards, particularly in impact resistance, and adapting to reduced cabin space configurations.
Innovation Solution
The use of a lightweight seat skeleton combined with flexible backrest and seat portions, and energy-absorbing textile strips made from high tenacity and elastic yarns to absorb impacts during frontal and downward crashes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metal structures and deformable cushions are used to ensure impact resistance, then safety standards are met, but the seat becomes heavy and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters from traditional metal and dense foam to lightweight composite materials with optimized mechanical properties. The composite materials maintain impact resistance through tailored fiber orientation, material composition, and structural design rather than relying on material density alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials combining different fibers (aromatic polyamide, polyester, polypropylene) in specific ratios and arrangements. These composites provide both the necessary impact resistance and reduced weight by leveraging the strength-to-weight ratio advantages of synthetic fibers over metal and traditional foam.
2Reliability
If metal structures and deformable cushions are used to ensure impact resistance, then safety standards are met, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the backrest and seat cushion into a single integrated composite structure. This unified design eliminates the need for separate metal frames and multiple cushion components, reducing assembly complexity while maintaining impact resistance through the composite material's inherent structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the structural framework, impact absorption, and passenger support surface. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate specialized components for each function, simplifying both manufacturing and maintenance.
3Volume of moving object
If the volume of seats is reduced to increase passenger capacity, then fuel efficiency improves, but impact safety may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters to achieve high strength-to-volume ratio. The composite materials and their structural arrangement provide adequate impact protection in a reduced volume by optimizing material distribution and leveraging the high specific strength of synthetic fiber composites.
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
This design effectively cushions passengers during impacts, reduces the weight and complexity of the seat, and maintains safety standards by distributing impact energy across a larger surface area, minimizing stress on passengers and facilitating easier installation and maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
a strip (4) made of an energy absorbing textile, consisting of a knitting of single yarn structure... to absorb the rocking of the head of the passenger situated behind in the event of violent frontal impact
Implementation Method 2
the yarn consists in fact of a tight elastic yarn surrounded by a loose yarn but having high tenacity
Data Source
AI summary
A seat for an airplane is provided that makes it possible to absorb, in the event of a frontal impact of the airplane, the rocking to which a passenger in a seat located behind the seat is subjected. The backrest of the seat is provided with a reinforcing strip placed behind the backrest. The seat portion can also be provided with a second reinforcing strip placed under the seat portion. The reinforcing strip includes knitted or woven textile. In the case of knitting, the yarn used has a high tenacity, and the knitting stitch can advantageously be the Jersey stitch. In the case of weaving, the weft and warp threads have approximately the same tenacity.