| Title | Flotation characteristics of aircraft passenger seat cushions. |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 38955 |
| Personal Name Creator |
McFadden, Ernest B.; Simpson, James M. |
| Corporate Creator | United States. Office of Aviation Medicine |
| Publisher | Civil Aerospace Medical Institute |
| Publication Date | 19660400 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | Flotation characteristics of aircraft seat cushions were evaluated with respect to their utilization as individual flotation devices. The Federal Aviation Agency Technical Standard Order C-72 states that individual flotation devices shall provide a minimum of 14 pounds of buoyancy for a period of 8 hours. When statically tested with an inanimate mass, initial prototype cushions successfully met and exceeded this requirement. When dynamically evaluated by human subjects in moderate wave action, these prototypes failed in 8 minutes. These cushions therefore met the provisions of the Technical Standard Order as written but did not meet the intent. Progressive development has resulted in a number of seat-cushion designs utilizing a variety of techniques to provide adequate survivor flotation. Prototypes of these seat cushions were subjected to dynamic and more realistic evaluation by human subjects both in the field and laboratory. A comparison of mechanical- and human-subject evaluations is included. Survivor body-flotation attitude and seat-cushion retention devices are also discussed. |
| Rosap ID | dot:20782 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/20782 |
| TRT Terms | Air transportation crashes; Water areas; Life preservers; Rescue equipment; Flotation; Seats; Buoyancy; Static tests; Dynamic tests; Field tests; Human subject testing; Dynamic loads; Prototype tests |
| General Subjects | Aircraft accidents; Bodies of water; Flotation--Equipment and supplies; Life preservers; Airplanes--Seats; Urethane foam; Field experiments; Prototypes, Engineering |
| Classification | NTL - AVIATION - AVIATION; NTL - AVIATION - Aviation Safety/Airworthiness; NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Accidents; NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Aviation Safety/Airworthiness; NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Vehicle Design |
| Geographical Coverage |
United States |
| Report Number | AM 66-13; DOT/FAA/AM-66/13 |
| Resource type | Tech Report |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/38000/38900/38955/AM66-13.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |