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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 91 records · Page 5

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1987

Energy-Absorbing Passenger Seat for Aircraft

Development of energy-absorbing passenger seat, designed to minimize injury in commercial-aircraft crash, part of joint FAA/NASA controlledimpact flight test of transport-category commercial aircraft. Modified seat mechanism collapses under heavy load to absorb impact energy and thereby protect passenger. Results of simulation tests indicate probability of passenger survival high. Proposed seat mechanism mitigates passenger injuries by reducing impact forces in crash.

Eichelberger, C. P.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Concepts and embodiment design of a reentry recumbent seating system for the NASA Space Shuttle

This report deals with the generation of a recumbent seating system which will be used by NASA to shuttle astronauts from the Russian space station Mir. We begin by examining the necessity for designing a special couch for the returning astronauts. Next, we discuss the operating conditions and constraints of the recumbent seating system and provide a detailed function structure. After working through the conceptual design process, we came up with ten alternative designs which are presented in the appendices. These designs were evaluated and weighted to systematically determine the best choice for embodiment design. A detailed discussion of all components of the selected system follows with design calculations for the seat presented in the appendices. The report concludes with an evaluation of the resulting design and recommendations for further development.

Mcmillan, Scott↗

NASA NTRS1993

Design of a recumbent seating system

Future space shuttle missions presented by NASA might require the shuttle to rendezvous with the Russian space station Mir for the purpose of transporting astronauts back to earth. Due to the atrophied state of these astronauts, a special seating system must be designed for their transportation. The main functions of this seating system are to support and restrain the astronauts during normal reentry flight and to dampen some of the loading that might occur in a crash situation. Through research, the design team developed many concept variants for these functional requirements. By evaluating each variant, the concepts were eliminated until the four most attractive designs remained. The team used a decision matrix to determine the best concept to carry through embodiment. This concept involved using struts for support during reentry flight and a spring damper/shock absorber system to dampen crash landing loads. The embodiment design process consisted of defining the layout of each of the main functional components, specifically, the seat structure and the strut structure. Through the use of MCS/pal two, the design was refined until it could handle all required loads and dampen to the forces specified. The auxiliary function carriers were then considered. Following the design of these components, the complete final layout could be determined. It is concluded that the final design meets all specifications outlined in the conceptual design. The main advantages of this design are its low weight, simplicity, and large amount of function sharing between different components. The disassembly of this design could potentially present a problem because of time and size constraints involved. Overall, this design meets or exceeds all functional requirements.

Croyle, Scott↗

NASA NTRS1994

Portable seat lift

A portable seat lift that can help individuals either (1) lower themselves to a sitting position or (2) raise themselves to a standing position is presented. The portable seat lift consists of a seat mounted on a base with two levers, which are powered by a drive unit.

Weddendorf, Bruce↗

NASA NTRS1982

Thermal Performance of Aircraft Polyurethane Seat Cushions

Aircraft seat materials were evaluated in terms of their thermal performance. The materials were evaluated using (a) thermogravimetric analysis, (b) differential scanning calorimetry, (c) a modified NBS smoke chamber to determine the rate of mass loss and (d) the NASA T-3 apparatus to determine the thermal efficiency. In this paper, the modified NBS smoke chamber will be described in detail since it provided the most conclusive results. The NBS smoke chamber was modified to measure the weight loss of material when exposed to a radiant heat source over the range of 2.5 to 7.5 W/sq cm. This chamber has been utilized to evaluate the thermal performance of various heat blocking layers utilized to protect the polyurethane cushioning foam used in aircraft seats. Various kinds of heat blocking layers were evaluated by monitoring the weight loss of miniature seat cushions when exposed to the radiant heat. The effectiveness of aluminized heat blocking systems was demonstrated when compared to conventional heat blocking layers such as neoprene. All heat blocking systems showed good fire protection capabilities when compared to the state-of-the-art, i.e., wool-nylon over polyurethane foam.

Kourtides, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Mapping the zone of eye-height utility for seated and standing observers

In a series of experiments, we delimited a region within the vertical axis of space in which eye height (EH) information is used maximally to scale object heights, referred to as the "zone of eye height utility" (Wraga, 1999b Journal of Experimental Psychology, Human Perception and Performance 25 518-530). To test the lower limit of the zone, linear perspective (on the floor) was varied via introduction of a false perspective (FP) gradient while all sources of EH information except linear perspective were held constant. For seated (experiment 1a) observers, the FP gradient produced overestimations of height for rectangular objects up to 0.15 EH tall. This value was taken to be just outside the lower limit of the zone. This finding was replicated in a virtual environment, for both seated (experiment 1b) and standing (experiment 2) observers. For the upper limit of the zone, EH information itself was manipulated by lowering observers' center of projection in a virtual scene. Lowering the effective EH of standing (experiment 3) and seated (experiment 4) observers produced corresponding overestimations of height for objects up to about 2.5 EH. This zone of approximately 0.20-2.5 EH suggests that the human visual system weights size information differentially, depending on its efficacy.

NASA Discipline Space Human Factors↗

NASA NTRS2004

Health Monitoring System for Car Seat

A health monitoring system for use with a child car seat has sensors mounted in the seat to monitor one or more health conditions of the seat's occupant. A processor monitors the sensor's signals and generates status signals related to the monitored conditions. A transmitter wireless transmits the status signals to a remotely located receiver. A signaling device coupled to the receiver produces at least one sensory (e.g., visual, audible, tactile) output based on the status signals.

Susan Vinz Elrod↗

NASA NTRS2004

Video monitoring system for car seat

A video monitoring system for use with a child car seat has video camera(s) mounted in the car seat. The video images are wirelessly transmitted to a remote receiver/display encased in a portable housing that can be removably mounted in the vehicle in which the car seat is installed.

Elrod, Susan Vinz↗

NASA NTRS2009

Spinal Elongation and its Effects on Seated Height in a Microgravity Environment

Objectives: 1. To collect spinal elongation induced seated height data for subjects exposed to microgravity environments. 2. To provide information relating to the seated height rate of change over time for astronauts subjected to microgravity. We will collect: Seated Height measurement (ground & flight) and digital still photograph (ground and flight).

Rajulu, Sudhakar↗

NASA NTRS2010

Assessment of Prone Positioning of Restrained, Seated Crewmembers in a Post Landing Stable 2 Orion Configuration

During the Orion landing and recovery subsystem design review, June 2009, it was noted that the human system and various vehicle systems, the environmental control and life support (ECLSS) and guidance, navigation and control (GN&C) systems for example, are negatively affected by Orion assuming a stable 2 (upside down; Figure A) configuration post landing. The stable 2 configuration is predicted to occur about 50% of the time based on Apollo landing data and modeling of the current capsule. The stable 2 configuration will be countered by an active up-righting system (crew module up-righting system; CMUS). Post landing balloons will deploy and inflate causing the vehicle to assume or maintain the stable 1 (up-right; Figure B) configuration. During the design review it was proposed that the up-righting system could be capable of righting the vehicle within 60 seconds. However, this time limit posed a series of constraints on the design which made it less robust than desired. The landing and recovery subsystem team requested an analysis of Orion vehicle systems as well as the human system with regard to the effect of stable 2 in order to determine if an up-righting response time greater than 60 seconds could be tolerated. The following report focuses on the assessment of the human system in the posture assumed when Orion is in the stable 2 configuration. Stable 2 will place suited, seated, and restrained crewmembers in a prone (facedown), head-up position for a period of time dependent on the functionality of the up-righting systems, ability of the crew to release themselves from the seat and restraints, and/or time to arrival of rescue forces. Given that the Orion seat and restraint system design is not complete and therefore, not available for evaluation, Space Medicine assessed how long a healthy but deconditioned crewmember could stay in this prone, restrained position and the physiological consequences of this posture by researching terrestrial analogs and considered the known physiological alterations and deconditioning experienced by long duration crewmembers.

Barr, Yael↗

NASA NTRS2014

NASA Standards Inform Comfortable Car Seats

NASA developed standards, which included the neutral body posture (NBP), to specify ways to design flight systems that support human health and safety. Nissan Motor Company, with US offices in Franklin, Tennessee, turned to NASA's NBP research for the development of a new driver's seat. The 2013 Altima now features the new seat, and the company plans to incorporate the seats in upcoming vehicles.

Source record↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Developing a Finite Element Soyuz Seat Environment and Investigating Occupant Injury Metrics for Accelerative Loading Across Spaceflight Vehicle Designs

Landings in the Soyuz vehicle have generated more injuries than models have predicted, and the reason for this remains unknown. Presently, 3 new capsule-type spacecraft—the Orion, the SpaceX Dragon2, and the Boeing CST-100—are in various stages of development. To better understand the injury risk to Soyuz crewmembers, and to mitigate risk of future injuries onboard the new vehicles, we conducted a finite element (FE) modeling effort. At the outset of this study, previously developed FE models were available for the seats in the 3 new vehicles, whereas the Soyuz environment had not been modeled in an extensible manner. Thus, a model of the Soyuz seat was necessary to facilitate comparisons of all seat types.

D. A. Jones↗

NASA NTRS2026

Evaluating Energy Absorption Methods for Integrated Composite Seat Designs

Composite materials have become ubiquitous in the aerospace industry due to their exceptionally light weight and high strength characteristics, as well as their unique ability to be engineered and tailored to meet specific loading conditions and performance requirements. These advanced materials offer superior strength-to-weight ratios compared to traditional metallic materials, making them particularly valuable in weight-critical aerospace applications where every pound saved translates to improved efficiency and performance. In currently operating fleets of commercial and military aircraft, composite materials have been successfully applied to critical structural components, including primary load-bearing elements such as the fuselage sections and flooring structures, which must withstand significant in-flight loads and provide passenger safety. Additionally, these materials have been specifically tailored and optimized for aerodynamic components such as wings and tail assemblies, where their ability to be molded into complex shapes while maintaining structural integrity is particularly advantageous. The application of composite materials extends beyond primary structural elements into the realm of internal cabin components, most notably in innovative seat designs where weight reduction and structural integration are paramount concerns. Modern composite seat structures can be designed to integrate multiple functions, including structural support, comfort features, and safety systems, all while maintaining the lightweight characteristics essential for aircraft performance.

Digital image correlation↗

DOE OSTI2023

Spatial Environmental Assessment Tool (SEAT)

SAND2024-08551O The Spatial Environmental Assessment Tool (SEAT) evaluates potential environmental risk associated with marine energy device deployment by coupling modeled impacts with risk severity maps. As a graphical user interface-based software, it interacts with marine energy stressor and receptor data to evaluate the risk of changes to marine environment. SEAT, which relies on spatial and temporal data, is a plug-in for geospatial software QGIS. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

Chartrand, Chris↗

NASA NTRS1965

Valve designed with elastic seat

Absolute valve closure is accomplished by a machined valve with an axially annular channel which changes the outlet passage into a thin tubular elastic seat member with a retainer backup ring. The elasticity of the seat provides tight conformity to ball irregularity.

Mac Glashan, W. F., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1966

Low torque three-piece valve seat

Hydroproof, pneumatic proof, cycle, and seat erosion qualification tests on low torque three piece valve sets with various material components for upper seat ring

VALVE↗

NASA NTRS1972

Response of a seat-passenger system to impulsive loading.

This paper presents a summary of a study of the dynamic response of an aircraft seat-passenger system to impulsive loading typical of aircraft crash situations. A brief description of the computer model SIMULA is presented, and selected data from 305 separate cases which have been studied are discussed. Maximum system forces, displacements, velocities, and accelerations are presented as functions of velocity change, aircraft deceleration, crash pulse shape, passenger weight, and seat belt slack. Data from both single and coupled parameter studies are included. A correlation of SIMULA results with experimentally obtained data is made.

Collins, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Self-alining valve poppet and seat

Poppet-and-seat combination is useful in fluid-control system that has to operate at high temperatures with low leak rates. Contaminants in flow stream are removed before they reach sealing surfaces by altering direction of flow several times before it enters poppet-and-seat flow passage. Particles are separated and deposited on surfaces not affecting sealing performance.

Olivas, U. P.↗