Aeronautics and astronautics – Aircraft structure – Passenger or crew accommodation
Patent
1982-11-23
1985-02-12
Blix, Trygve M.
Aeronautics and astronautics
Aircraft structure
Passenger or crew accommodation
297445, 297DIG2, B64D 1106
Patent
active
044986491
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to aircraft seating.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The application of carbon fibre aircraft seats to permit high strength lightweight structures brings obvious advantages. For lightness it is desirable to form such components as the legs and the seat supports as load-bearing shell structures with carbon fibre reinforced inner layers and an aromatic polyamide fibre reinforced outer layer to impart the necessary mechanical properties such as abrasion resistance and fracture toughness. But it has not hitherto been clear how such structures can be applied to a modern spar type aircraft seat as illustrated, for example, in UK Patent Application No. 2022403 (Aircraft Furnishing Limited) to produce a sufficiently strong structure to withstand normal working loads and the crash stress loads demanded by aircraft certification bodies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a seat frame assembly for an aircraft or like seat comprising a leg terminating at its lower end in a mechanical anchor for location in a floor fixing track, at least one laterally extending spar or beam fastened to the leg and at least two seat support members fastened to the spar, wherein the seat support members, leg and spar or beam have load bearing shells of fibre reinforced plastics defined by inner layers of carbon fibre disposed in an anisotropic or a quasi anisotropic structure and an outer layer of aramid fibres, and either a single beam of non-circular cross-section or at least two contiguous parallel laterally extending spars are attached to the seat support members and the leg so that loads on the seat frame members are transmitted through the spars to the leg and the assembly acts as an integral structure.
It is an advantage in relation to the use of the present reinforced plastics material for the spars or beam that localised highly-stressed regions may be made of increased thickness. Such reinforcement is difficult to achieve with a conventional extruded metal beam.
There has also been devised a novel seat back and seat pan structure for use in association with the aforesaid frame assembly. The seat back comprises a load-bearing frame of cellular plastics material, a shaped diaphragm of polyamide fabric/resin moulded to the frame, and carbon fibre/resin strips cross-bracing the diaphragm. The seat pan may also comprise a load bearing frame of plastics foam, a shaped diaphragm moulded to the frame and consisting of a sheet of plastics foam sandwiched between polyamide fabric/resin layers, and carbon fibre/resin cross-bracing strips moulded to the diaphragm. The seat back and seat pan may be secured together in fixed angular relationship and may be pivoted to the frame to permit the seat to be reclined. They may be finished with a thin layer of upholstery foam and with a flame-resistant fabric.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a forward perspective view of a leg and seat support frame assembly according to one form of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the assembly of FIG. 1 showing a leg, a seat support and a back attachment post;
FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic front elevation on an enlarged scale of the portion of FIG. 1 within the circle X showing the fixing of a leg and a central seat support to a laterally extending spar;
FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic front elevation on an enlarged scale of the portion of FIG. 2 within the circle Y showing the fixing of an end seat support to a laterally extending spar;
FIG. 5 is a section on the line A--A of FIG. 2 showing the fixing of a back attachment post to a seat support;
FIG. 6 shows in section the base of one of the legs;
FIG. 7 is a view of the top of the legs during assembly showing how front and rear portions thereof are fitted together;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of part of the seat support showing how the back attachment post is fitted thereto;
FIG. 9 is a forward perspective view of the leg and seat support fr
REFERENCES:
patent: 2933127 (1960-04-01), Brewster
patent: 3134627 (1964-05-01), Mason
patent: 3873654 (1975-03-01), Smith
patent: 4368917 (1983-01-01), Urai
patent: 4375300 (1983-03-01), Long et al.
Blix Trygve M.
Corl Rodney
Futaire Limited
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