Dynamic Analysis of Crew Seats and Cockpit Interiors

Improved safety standards are becoming a focus of the aerospace industry. In particular, standards for occupant protection have been changed to include dynamic seat testing and occupant injury assessment. Methods to model these situations are evolving. A method of modeling an occupant on a crew seat during a sled test is presented. This method combines a rigid body occupant model with a finite element model of the crew seat structure. Validation to sled test results obtained with the model is also presented.

Modeling dynamic events with MADYMO software has been proven to be efficient and accurate in many aerospace and automotive applications. Using this tool, a model was developed to investigate how modeling can be used efficiently to provide guidance in crashworthy design. Both finite element methods (FEM) and multibody techniques were used to create a detailed model of a typical aircraft crew seat.