Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ComfDemo (COMFort in the cabin DEMOnstrator)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-02-01 bis 2022-12-31
The demonstrator will be able to simulate turboprop airplanes, which produce much less CO2 emissions and are more efficient than jet aircraft. However, cabin noise and vibration is relatively higher in turboprops.
the overall objectives of ComfDemo are:
Objective 1: Specifying the requirements of a comfort cabin demonstrator
Objective 2: Identifying passenger target groups and comfort study test design
Objective 3: Defining and modelling human comfort for regional aircraft
Objective 4: Building a cabin demonstrator which reproduces the passenger experience
Objective 5: Demonstrating the effectiveness of the model in the cabin demonstrator
An initial comfort model has been developed and during the project optimized based on data that were gathered in three test flights using an ATR72 on November 3rd in 2021. The first half of 2021 was the preparation of the recordings in the test flight, like preparing the equipment, the questionnaires, the protocol and developing the jacket. A pilot test was done on June 22nd 2021 with 33 participants to check if the protocol needs improvement. During the flight sound and vibration and other environmental factors were recorded with high quality recording systems. These data on sound, vibration and other environmental factors in different phases of the flight can be used in the Demonstrator to simulate flights. Additionally, data were gathered for the comfort model in these three flights. In the first two flights we had approximately 50 passengers per flight. Twenty out of these 50 passengers wore research jackets.
Compared with the grant agreement a new planning was made as the Demonstrator will now be installed at Fraunhofer after the ComfDemo project (which originally was planned for December 2021, M29). To reach the goals stated in the grant agreement the project ComfDemo ended now in M41 (December 2022). However, ending month 41 means that the test in the Demonstrator could not be done. ComfDemo has now delivered all information to start a test at the Demonstrator.
Regarding communication and exploitation, videos were made and have been placed on the www.comfdemo.com website. For instance, the youtube movie “ComfDemo experiment June 22, 2021’ had 944 views at Febr 1st, 2022, the NPO2 television broadcast had 114000 views and the webinar on the final results on November 23rd, 2022 had 70 participants from industry and academia. Airlines have shown interest in the research jacket, which is promising for further exploitation. Several presentations were given on ComfDemo (e.g. at Airbus, at TSAS, at the Netherlands Aerospace Group)
ComfDemo videos can be found at youtube as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvfXQnTAotA(öffnet in neuem Fenster)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OFYz-Bcpwc(öffnet in neuem Fenster)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFLnN3gybBY(öffnet in neuem Fenster)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3Yn6AqmprA(öffnet in neuem Fenster)
In ComfDemo 11 scientific papers are published (8 conference papers and 3 double reviewed journal papers) and at least still 4 papers are in the pipeline.
For the first time an overview of all comfort questionnaires has been made, which is published in a double reviewed scientific journal.
For the first time a holistic model of comfort in a turboprop aircraft has been made, where all factors influencing comfort and discomfort are listed in order of priority.
November 3rd 2021 three flights with an ATR72 were made to record vibration, noise, temperature, seat dimensions and experienced comfort by questionnaires, which generated input for the model and unique data to be used in the demonstrator.
A protocol has been made, tested and evaluated and based on the evaluation a protocol description to test (dis)comfort with humans in the demonstrator has been delivered
Measurement equipment to record factors related to (dis)comfort (noise, vibration, jacket recording various factors) are developed and tested and a ready-to-install instruction for the equipment has been made for the demonstrator
This was done for passengers, but also for flight attendants.
This knowledge is and will be used in the aircraft interior industry to develop comfortable interiors in turboprops and new electric propeller driven airplanes.