Seat space on airlines

Construction of Wood-Based Lamella for Increased Load on Seating Furniture

The research on population shows that the count of overweight people has been constantly growing. Therefore, designing and modifying utility items, e.g., furniture should be brought into focus. Indeed, furniture function and safety is associated with the weight of a user. Current processes and standards dealing with the design of seating furniture do not meet the requirements of overweight users. The research is aimed at designing flexible chairs consisting of lamellae using the finite element method (FEM). Three types of glued lamellae based on wood with different number of layers and thickness were made and subsequently, their mechanical properties were tested. Values for modulus of elasticity and modulus of rupture were used to determine stress and deformation applying the FEM method for modelling flexible chairs. In this research, the methodology for evaluating the ultimate state of flexible chairs used to analyse deformation and stability was defined. The analysis confirms that several designed constructions meet the requirements of actual standards (valid for the weight of a user up to 110 kg) but fail to meet the requirements for weight gain of a population.

Passenger well-being in airplanes

Passenger well-being is influenced by cabin environmental conditions which interact with individual passenger characteristics like age and health conditions. Cabin environment is composed of different aspects, some of which have a direct influence on gastrointestinal functions and may directly generate nausea, such as cabin pressure, oxygen saturation, and motion or vibration. For example, it has been shown that available cabin pressure during normal flight altitude can significantly inhibit gastric emptying and induce dyspepsia-like symptoms when associated with a fibre-rich meal. Other aspects of the cabin environment such as space and variability of seating, air quality, and noise, also have been shown to modulate (reduce or increase) discomfort and nausea during flights. Individual passenger characteristics and health status also have been demonstrated to increase vulnerability to adverse health outcomes and discomfort.

Comfort and health in commercial aircraft: a literature review

Air travel is becoming increasingly more accessible to people both through the availability of cheap flights and because the airlines are now able to cater for individuals of all ages and disabilities. The wide bodies of many new aircraft permit the airlines to have very flexible seating options. Airline operators currently have an important role in determining the comfort and spaciousness of the seating in their aircraft. Passengers who remain seated for the bulk of a flight may risk oedema or deep vein thrombosis. This could be particularly important for larger people in certain economy class seats. The absence of smoking on planes has encouraged designers to cut back on the rate of cabin ventilation and hence introduce filtered recirculated air to the aircraft cabin. In new planes the ventilation rate is under pilot control and savings (economies) can be achieved by using decreased ventilation. A lower ventilation rate may lead to 'less comfortable air quality' in some parts of the plane and an increased risk of possible cross-infection from other passengers on the flight. Technological advances in jet engine design has permitted larger passenger planes to fly longer distances and at greater altitudes than ever before. The higher flying altitude is associated with a lower cabin pressure, which has an important physiological effect on oxygen saturation in the blood of both crew and passengers, particularly for the very young, the elderly and those who are less fit.