Advanced aircraft seat design : solving the problem of rearward space intrusion with a sliding-out seat back
Author(s)
Koh, Chong Hin, 1975-
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Other Contributors
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Advisor
Charles W. Boppe, Carlos Eduardo Stolf Cesnik, and Peter W. Young.
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An aircraft economy-class seat that reclines via a sliding-out backrest was designed, fabricated and tested for comparison with a baseline aircraft seat. The goal was to design a seat that was at least as comfortable as the baseline seat so as to demonstrate the viability of replacing the usual backwards recline feature with a sliding-out mechanism. This would solve the problems of space intrusion associated with seat recline. Three additional features were included on the seat: an adjustable lumbar support, a height-adjustable winged headrest and a height-adjustable tray. The seat was evaluated via human subject responses and pressure distribution maps. Results obtained from the experiment showed that the seat was as comfortable as a baseline seat, if not better, and there was no statistical indication that subjects found the seat more uncomfortable. Pressure distribution maps corresponded well to the subject responses. Based on the test results, the concept is deemed viable and its implementation is recommended on daytime flights that are over three hours long.
Description
Thesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1999. Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-77).
Date issued
1999Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and AstronauticsPublisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Keywords
Aeronautics and Astronautics.