Aviation
Providing a healthy, comfortable environment for passengers and crew on board aircraft
The cabin air environment is an important issue for both passengers and crew. It can impact on their health and comfort, on the quality of the flight experience and on the crew's performance. BRE works with organisations across the aviation industry, assessing cabin environment issues and their impact on the health and comfort of passengers and crew. Supporting clients in their responsibilities to passengers and crew, we not only investigate immediate issues such as reported incidents, but also assess the performance of environmental systems and assist in the long-term development of new technologies.
Environmental issues in aircraft cabins
- Noise
- Vibration
- Temperature
- Humidity
- Air distribution
- Air supple rate and recirculation
Comfort and operations in aircraft cabins
- Lighting
- Air quality
- Security
- Seating
- Multimedia systems
- Ergonomics
- Cabin baggage stowage
- Cabin trolleys
- Galley layouts
- Furnishings
Aviation fire testing
- Innovative fire safety concepts
- Fire and human behaviour
- Water spray protection of aircraft fuselages
- Explosion hazards of aerosols in aircraft holds
- Aircraft baggage fires
- Fires in micro-gravity
- Way guidance systems
Examples of our aviation work include:
- Studies of air quality, noise and vibration, ventilation rate, recirculation rate, lighting, materials, seating, crew workload and speech intelligibility on simulated flights used the Aircraft Cabin Environment test facility. Link to further information about our aircraft cabin test facilities.
- In-flight monitoring of cabin conditions.
- Controlled tests assessing the performance of environmental systems.
- Computer modelling of air flow and thermal conditions using BRE's computational fluid dynamics programme CabinAir.
- Specification of performance targets.
- Investigation of human response to cabin conditions.
Our client base includes aircraft manufacturers, airlines, engine makers, environmental control system manufacturers and filter manufacturers. We also participate in the development of International Standards and undertake work for national governments and the European Commission.
There have been several reports in the press recently on the presence of noxious fumes in aircraft cabins during flights. A potential source of such contamination of the cabin air is aircraft engine oil contained in the "bleed air" which is taken from the engines to make up a large proportion of cabin air in commercial air liners. BRE is actively involved in the in-flight measurement of these so called "fume events", and this research will contribute towards assessment of their significance in terms of passenger and crew health and wellbeing.
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