Cabin Design

Cabin Layout & Fuselage Design
Section 5(ii)
Design Morphology &
Preliminary Integration
Jan 05 Section 5 – Design Morphology & Preliminary Integration 1

Copyright  2005 by Askin T. Isikveren All Rights Reserved
Cabin Layout & Fuselage Design
General Overview
All transport aircraft design efforts focus on a philosophy of synthesis
and integration from the “inside – out”
Geometric definitions dictated by cabin and cockpit ergonomics and
functionality determines the cross-section and overall fuselage
slenderness
Cabin Layout Definition
Cross-section (seats abreast, personal comfort, ergonomics)
Windows
Doors and stairs
Environmental climate control, air conditioning and sound proofing
Seats installation and stowage
Lavatories, galleys and wardrobes
Operational equipment and servicing facilities
Emergency egress and emergency equipment
Interior Layout Considerations
Identification of the aircraft mission role, i.e. commercial or business
application
Passenger accommodation
Number of flight attendants (therefore seats); general rule is to assume
1 for every 45 PAX
There should always be room for at least 2
Duration of the longest mission; this information will assist in defining
the number of meals, hence, required galley space
The number of lavatories; general rule is approximately
1 lavatory per 50 PAX for commercial flights economy class
1 lavatory per 6 PAX for commercial flight business/first class
1 lavatory per 12 PAX for business aircraft
Introduction of an additional lavatory is required for business aircraft flying
more than 8 hours (corresponding to facility for crew rest area)
Lavatory width should be no less than 33”

Cabin Layout & Fuselage Design (cont.)
Seat Pitch - industry surveys show
29”-30” for high density economy and up to 33” for “super economy”
32” is the industry standard for economy class
Business class is 34-38”
First class is 38-45”
For cabins outfitted with sleeper berths 50-72”
Business aircraft with club seat arrangements should have seating length of
at least 90”
Establishing the Cross-Section
Algorithm to define wall thickness from outside Outer Mold Lines (OML)
to inside wall in the cabin (structure and insulation)
Fuselage diameters up to 70” assume wall thickness of 2.5”
Fuselage diameters 70-90” assume wall thickness of 3.5”
Fuselage diameters 90-140” assume wall thickness of 4.5”
Fuselage diameters larger than 140” assume wall thickness of 5.0” or more
An additional 0.5” thickness should be incorporated for business aircraft due
to more stringent requirements for noise abatement in the cabin
Other useful dimensions are
The lavatory wall should be at least 0.75” thick
The forward/aft galley walls should be 1.0” thick and the inboard/outboard
0.50” thick
The wall for wardrobes are suggested to be 0.50” thick
Width of Seats
Target minimum design width between armrests should be 18”
Minimum design width of armrests is often declared as 2” for economy class
Minimum aisle width is defined by rules under FAR 25.815
Passenger seating capacity of 10 PAX or less should have 15”
Greater than 20 PAX should have 20”
Carry-on Baggage
The general tendency is for passengers to carry more and more baggage
onboard, thus, overhead stowage bins require particular attention
A good target is to stow a standard carry on luggage lengthwise
The standard IATA carry-on bag is defined as 21.7” x 15” x 7.9”
Under-seat volume is suggested to be 1.6-1.8 cu.ft, and, overhead bins are
recommended to be at least 2.0 cu.ft per PAX

Key:
G: Galley
W: Wardrobe
S: Stowage
L or LAV: Lavatory
Definition of cabin and cross-section sizing parameters required

for conceptual design (commercial transport)

Key:
W: Wardrobe
Definition of cabin and cross-section sizing parameters required

for conceptual design (business aircraft)

Window Design
Major consideration for windows
Maximise natural lighting
Maximise the exterior viewing for a wide range of passenger sizes and seat
pitches
Generally want to permit >50° of swept sight for a 50-percentile female
c
A a
y
B w d
b
x z
C
Primary geometric considerations for window sizing and

placement
There are two approaches

Rectangular windows spaced between each fuselage frame (therefore
restricted cutout width) over the seating length of the cabin
Large oval-shaped windows interrupting fuselage frames resulting in fewer
number of cutouts over the seating length of the cabin
Although it is not easy to achieve, for commercial aircraft it is most
desirable to have a window for each seat row for various seat pitches
and multiple class layouts

Category Accommodation Max. Takeoff Window Size

(PAX) Weight (lb) (H x W) in inches
Personal / Micro 5-6 <10000 data not available
Very-Light 6-8 12500 12.5 x 9
Light 7-11 14000-20000 14 x 10
Super-Light 8-11 20000-21000 14 x 10
Midsize 8-12 24000-30000 15 x 12
14 x 10
Super-Midsize 8-19 35000-40000 16 x 11
15 x 12
Large 9-19 41000-48000 19 x 26
16 x 12
14 x 10
Super-Large 12-19 48000-88000 19 x 26
16 x 12
16 x 11
Ultra Long-Range 13-189 95000-174000 19 x 26
16 x 11
16 x 10
14 x 10
13 x 9
Corporate Shuttle 18-30 50000 14 x 10
Air-taxi <20 <20000 data not available
Commuter 20-49 35000-47000 data not available
Regional 50-89 50000-90000 14.5 x 10.5
14 x 10
Narrow-body 90-189 95000-175000 16 x 10
14 x 10
13 x 9
Wide-body >200 >300000 19 x 11
Basic survey of window cutout sizes for transport aircraft

Gauging the Comfort of a Cross-section
One visual method to understand the level of passenger cabin comfort is
obtained by using a so-called “spider plot”
The spider plot is a visual method to compare numbers (usually from a
comparison table) using a percentage for each data category
Each category represents a radius of the spider plot
For each branch, 0% (minimum) data and 100% (maximum) data is shown
The 0% and 100% data are based on certification rules and on what is currently
offered in the market respectively
The idea is to maximise the area contained within the polygon and avoid 0% ratings
on any of the radii
Example of cabin comfort measurement using a spider plot

Cabin comfort categories
Seat pitch
Seat width between armrests
Passenger width distance (seat centerline to seat centerline)
Shoulder clearance with sidewall (from 95 percentile US man)
Head clearance with sidewall (from 95 percentile US man); head clearance from
bottom of overhead bin may also be design driver
Aisle width
Aisle height
Shoulder clearance with sidewall (from 95 percentile US man)
A definition of each category is given below
Seat Width between Passenger width Shoulder Head clearance Aisle Aisle Head clearance
pitch armrests distance clearance with with width height with bin
(center to center) sidewall sidewall
0% 29" 16" 18" 0" 1" 15" 70" 1"
100% 33" 20" 22" 4" 6" 20" 84" 12"
Passenger Definition
The passenger is generally represented by a 95 percentile US male that
corresponds to a height of 73”
The human scale dimension, as well as the relationship between weight and
seat cushion compression were taken from “Humanscale” Body
Measurements by Henry Dreyfuss Associates
95 percentile US male (73 in. in height); envelop about head and

shoulder denotes recommended zones of comfort
Emergency Exits
Emergency exit location will have significant impact on the interior
layout
They must abide by stipulated row widths and are not permitted to be moved
around for different seating arrangements
Accordingly, great care has to be taken in their placement and their impact on
various seating configurations
The minimum width of access for each door as well as the step-up and
step-down heights need to be checked (where applicable)
Emergency door definitions must abide by rules outlined in FAR 25.807 and
FAR 25.813
Emergency exits should never be located more than 60 ft from each
other on the same side
For emergency exits serving a “dead-end” area (seats located rear of
the last doors) only 75% of the emergency exit capacity can be claimed
For example, two Type III per side, with less than 3 rows between, will allow a
maximum capacity of 65 PAX instead of 70 PAX
Although emergency egress analysis may be quite involved, for
conceptual design, it is recommended to use at least 20” free row width
for Type III exits
Emergency escape slides must be provided
Whenever any emergency exit lower sill is higher than 6 ft from the ground
with the gear extended
In the case of over-wing emergency exits
If the trailing edge of the flap in normal takeoff configuration is higher than 6 feet
emergency slides will have to be provided
Their usual location is in the belly fairing and they are automatically deployed when
the associated over-wing exit it opened
For aircraft with more than 19 PAX
One overhead emergency escape hatch has to be provided for the flight crew
with dimensions of at least 19” x 20”
Alternatively, opening windows of similar dimensions must be located on both
sides of the aircraft
These are usually referred to as Direct Vision (DV) windows
They can be opened during the approach phase in case of windshield obscuration

Summary of regulations pertaining to emergency exits according to FAR25.807
Example of a DV window on the Falcon 50EX
Head Injury Criterion

Seats just aft of a hard bulkhead must maintain a certain distance to
avoid serious injury to those passengers in case of a crash
HIC analysis is quite involved since it depends on how “hard” the
bulkhead structure is
During the conceptual design phase, the following rule is suggested
Distance between the forward passenger bulkhead and the intersection of the
seat pan and the seat back of the first seat should be at least 40”
Alternatively, a minimum of 25” between both the hard partition and front of
the seat
General Presentation of the Interior Layout
Cabin floor plan
Cabin cross-section showing 95 percentile US male
Table of data including comparison against other aircraft covering
Number of PAX
Seat pitch
Number of galley carts and galley volume
Overhead bins volume

Wardrobe volume
Total carry-on baggage volume (bins + wardrobe)
Baggage compartment volume (checked baggage)
Cabin volume (generally from cockpit divider to aft cabin)
Other detail drawings such as a side view at the overwing door
A340 ultra-long-haul wide-body cabin interior

Illustration of interior layout design, both schematic and actual,

and, cabin cross-section of Falcon 900C business aircraft

Rotor burst zone is defined in 3-D
Refers to the disintegration of the high speed rotating turbo machinery;
this may refer to the main engine and to the APU
Small fragment and fan blade dispersion zone is described by a cone
with 15° slant with apex corresponding to the intersection of the fan
axis of rotation and fan plane
High-energy dispersion zone (intermediate size fragments) is assumed
to be a cone with 5° slant, apex locale as with small fragment zone
It is always good design practice to ensure the passenger seating area
is not within the rotor burst zone
High-energy dispersion zone cannot interrupt any fuel tanks
Underwing podded engine installations may require the incorporation of a so-
called “dry bay” in the wing if the high energy dispersion zone (defined usually
by the low-pressure turbine) cuts into any fuel stored aft of the front spar
Other critical systems that affect flight control signalling and/or
actuation need to be carefully examined
Adopting an asymmetrical design can actually be detrimental
15° Small Fragment

Dispersion Zone
5° High Energy
Dispersion Zone
Do not need
protected baggage
compartment

There are special rotor burst considerations for aircraft that conduct
high altitude operations (above 41,000 ft)
It is easier to meet certification requirements of high altitude operation for an
aft fuselage mounted engine configuration provided small fragment trajectory
clears the pressure vessel
Any other configuration requires heavy shielding; this will incur a large weight
penalty
Small and fan blade fragment dispersion zone is permitted to interfere
with the baggage area or the lavatory, providing
There is the introduction of a secondary pressure bulkhead
Special rules during operation are administered, e.g. door must be closed by
crew member after 5 minutes of being opened
15° Rotor Burst

Dispersion Zone
Must have protected

baggage compartment
Information on rotor burst compliance is found in the FAA Advisory

Circulars AC25-20 and AC 20-128

Additional Reading
FedEx Fleet and Container Information, 1996

End of Additional Reading


Cabin Design

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Cabin Design

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Cabin Layout & Fuselage Design

Jan 05 Section 5 – Design Morphology & Preliminary Integration 1

Jan 05 Section 5 – Design Morphology & Preliminary Integration 2

Jan 05 Section 5 – Design Morphology & Preliminary Integration 3

Definition of cabin and cross-section sizing parameters required

Jan 05 Section 5 – Design Morphology & Preliminary Integration 4

Definition of cabin and cross-section sizing parameters required

Jan 05 Section 5 – Design Morphology & Preliminary Integration 5

Primary geometric considerations for window sizing and

 There are two approaches

Jan 05 Section 5 – Design Morphology & Preliminary Integration 6

Category Accommodation Max. Takeoff Window Size

Basic survey of window cutout sizes for transport aircraft

Jan 05 Section 5 – Design Morphology & Preliminary Integration 7

Example of cabin comfort measurement using a spider plot

Jan 05 Section 5 – Design Morphology & Preliminary Integration 8

0% 29" 16" 18" 0" 1" 15" 70" 1"

100% 33" 20" 22" 4" 6" 20" 84" 12"

95 percentile US male (73 in. in height); envelop about head and

Jan 05 Section 5 – Design Morphology & Preliminary Integration 10

Example of a DV window on the Falcon 50EX

 Head Injury Criterion

Jan 05 Section 5 – Design Morphology & Preliminary Integration 12

A340 ultra-long-haul wide-body cabin interior

Jan 05 Section 5 – Design Morphology & Preliminary Integration 13

Illustration of interior layout design, both schematic and actual,

Jan 05 Section 5 – Design Morphology & Preliminary Integration 14

15° Small Fragment

Jan 05 Section 5 – Design Morphology & Preliminary Integration 15

15° Rotor Burst

Must have protected

 Information on rotor burst compliance is found in the FAA Advisory

Jan 05 Section 5 – Design Morphology & Preliminary Integration 16

Jan 05 Section 5 – Design Morphology & Preliminary Integration 17

End of Additional Reading

Jan 05 Section 5 – Design Morphology & Preliminary Integration 18

You might also like

There are two approaches

Head Injury Criterion

Information on rotor burst compliance is found in the FAA Advisory