To qualify and certify its seats with aircraft manufacturers and aeronautical regulatory authorities, Safran Seats conducts numerous tests on its products. Four types of tests are practiced by our teams: static, cyclic, dynamic and fire tests.

The most emblematic tests are the dynamic ones. Like the automotive industry, Safran Seats propels airplane seats equipped with manikins at 46 km/h thanks to a catapult with different deceleration levels: 9g, 14g, 16g 18.4g and 30g.

All of the seats in the range are tested, from economy headquarters to business class headquarters, including aircraft and helicopter technical seats.

To pass these tests, several post-test checks are carried out on the seat. In the first place, there must be no breakage. A number of measurements are taken before during and after the test, and maximum deformations must not be exceeded in order to pass the test.

Sensors are also placed on the manikins and must indicate values below the lethal threshold. These values are also identical to those of the automotive sector, because ultimately, it is the limits of the human body that play. For example, the HIC "Head injury criterion" must be less than 1000 points. For comparison, a boxer uppercut is equivalent to a 500-point HIC.

Frédéric Quatanens, Test Manager at the Issoudun site (France), concludes: "Dynamic tests are an essential step to ensure the safety of passengers on board aircraft and meet the highest standards defined by regulatory authorities, demonstrating the quality of Safran Seats' expertise in this area ".

Contributed by Safran