The influence of the angle of attack on passenger comfort

Y. Ping, X. Yao, J. Xu, Juntian Li, Y. Song, P. Vink

Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceedings/Edited volumeConference contributionScientificpeer-review

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Abstract

The angle of attack (AOA) of an airplane changes the direction of the gravitational force on passengers and thereby might influence passengers’ flying experience. However, the contribution of the AOA regarding comfort/discomfort is not fully explored. In this paper, we aim to fill this knowledge gap by identifying the relationships between the perceived comfort/ discomfort of passengers and the AOA of the plane during the take-off and climbing phases of a flight. An
experiment is conducted in a Boeing 737 fuselage where 10 participants were recruited. Each participant experiences 3 setups of seats with different AOAs (3, 14 and 18 degrees) for 20 minutes, respectively. Participants were asked to complete several sets of questionnaires during each session, and their heart rate and the pressure on the seat and the backrest were recorded as well. Experiment results indicated that participants experienced 14-degree as the most comfortable angle with the lowest discomfort, which might be useful for airlines in setting up the take-off and climbingprocedure.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationComfort Congress 2021
EditorsNeil Mansfield
Place of PublicationNottingham, UK
Pages7
Publication statusPublished - 2021
Event3rd International Comfort Congress 2021 - Nottingham, United Kingdom
Duration: 2 Sept 20213 Sept 2021

Conference

Conference3rd International Comfort Congress 2021
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityNottingham
Period2/09/213/09/21

Keywords

  • Seat inclination
  • Comfort
  • Take-off/climbing

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