Foster-Miller has developed an innovative aircraft passenger seat with superior occupant protection when compared with conventional seat designs. This was accomplished with the use of new energy-absorbing structural members and precise control of seat deformation behavior. Advanced dynamic finite element modeling techniques were used to analyze the integrated design of the seat, occupants, restraints and energy absorbing elements. Results from certification tests on an existing seat design were used to validate the analytical model. Verification studies have shown good correlation between the analytical simulations and the test data.

Further improvements to occupant protection of this new aircraft seat design were accomplished by incorporating the seat back tilt mechanism coupled with the use of shoulder belts. The seat back tilt mechanism utilizes a similar energy-absorption concept and provides additional energy absorption while being pulled forward by the shoulder belt.

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