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Air flow conditions and thermal comfort in aircraft.

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Author(s):
Danilo de Moura
Total Authors: 1
Document type: Master's Dissertation
Press: São Paulo.
Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Politécnica (EP/BC)
Defense date:
Examining board members:
Arlindo Tribess; Guenther Carlos Krieger Filho; Edson Luiz Zaparoli
Advisor: Arlindo Tribess
Abstract

The commercial aviation has experienced an expressive growth with a high degree of competitiveness. The production of aircrafts with a higher comfort level has become an important tool for marketing and trading. However, this is not an easy task. Aircraft cabins present airflow and thermal transfer conditions that make quite difficult to provide and to evaluate thermal comfort conditions. In order to try to solve this problem, studies are being performed in research centers, in collaboration with the aeronautical industry. This project is inserted in this context. In this project a study of aircraft cabin airflow, through the measurement of the cabin environmental variables, and the thermal comfort using thermal mannequin and evaluation with people, was accomplished. For the accomplishment of the tests a mock-up of a cabin section with 12 places was projected and built. Conditions of airflow and thermal comfort within two cabin conditions, 19 and 24 °C, were analyzed. The tests with people were performed by 11 volunteers. Equivalent temperatures were obtained by using a thermal mannequin and were presented in a thermal sensation diagram, which had been seen to this purpose in vehicles technical norm. Later on, subjective evaluations, whose results were presented by an mean thermal vote (MTV) diagram and by an mean comfort vote (MCV) diagram, were accomplished. It was verified that, in spite of the complex airflow conditions, significant differences neither of the air velocity in the occupation area nor of the temperature in the vertical direction happened, which are factors that could cause a great discomfort. It was also verified a strong relation between thermal comfort evaluations accomplished through the equivalent temperatures and the results of the subjective analyses accomplished through questionnaires. In the subjective evaluations, a small displacement of the results to the right side in the MTV diagram occurred. Finally, it was verified that the volunteers preferred 19 °C temperature cabin condition, with mean comfort votes (MCV) indicating from indifferent to lightly comfortable conditions, while in the 24 °C cabin the conditions were considered lightly uncomfortable. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 06/05131-2 - Experimental study of thermal comfort conditions in aircraft cabin
Grantee:Danilo de Moura
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master