When it comes to designing aircraft seats, where do you begin? What process does Acro’s multi-disciplinary design team go through to get to the point where a seat is put on the market?
These are questions we put to Andy Jones, Acro’s Technical Director, to find out how the design process works, from initial concept to carrying passengers.
Acro’s design philosophy is centred around the passenger, by maximising space utilisation within the seat to deliver class-leading comfort within the aircraft cabin layout. Our team of more than 50 professionals from industrial design, engineering, test and certification are all working with that same goal in mind.
Working with, listening to, and designing for our customers is also key. We constantly consult with customers to understand the market needs and wants – for example, some airlines prioritise wide aisles for fast boarding while others prioritise wider seating positions for passengers.
Initially, the seat geometry is laid out as a concept, and for an all-new seat type, there’s real value in full-size mock-ups to capture user feedback. Once the overall architecture of the seat is defined, the next step is to overlay this into the cabin to understand the pinch-points in the cabin layout (usually at the tapered sections at the front and rear of the cabin, as well as any emergency exits).
Of course, it’s essential that the seat is designed to comply with all requirements from the industry regulators and airframe manufacturers. The cross-functional team then develops the design using the latest 3D CAD and simulation tools to analyse its performance in emergency landing situations. The regulations around this are very stringent since in the event of an emergency, it is the aircraft seat that keeps passengers safely restrained in the cabin. This is an iterative process, where our stress analysis team work hand-in glove with the mechanical design engineers to achieve an optimal design. In Economy Class seating every gram counts – a lot like motorsport – as it can have a significant impact on the total payload of the aircraft and therefore fuel cost and environmental impact. We do as much “virtual” testing as possible, including some very advanced crash simulations but ultimately certification, quite rightly, requires physical testing. We perform static structural tests, and high “g” crash testing at a dynamic crash test facility, as well as testing for flammability.
The seat design is developed to its final stage with the clear intent to deliver a high-quality, safe and secure passenger experience. Every component is designed with the passenger in mind, but also with consideration for how it will be manufactured, assembled and maintained, as well as, how it will be dealt with at the seat’s end-of life.
The industry as a whole is still exploring how best to advance the sustainability agenda. At Acro this has been part of our philosophy for some time – achieved through optimal design to achieve low weight, but through driving simplicity and a “less is more” approach. We actively seek to reduce unnecessary complexity which means, for example using fewer parts, and as a result reduced material and energy consumption in manufacture.
To complement this, we’re at the forefront of design for end-of-life. Our Series 9 seat was a game changer in this regard, as we designed it to have 99% recyclable parts and we are working with a partner in this field to enable airlines to move from 99% “recyclable” to “recycled” as the end of life supply chain becomes established.
With all of these factors to consider, seating design offers a rich and multi-faceted challenge to us as engineers passionate about this industry, but the result is a seat design that reflects the key pillars of Acro’s design philosophy: comfort, simplicity, efficiency and sustainability.
