Software-based Evaluations of Cabin Processes in Civil Commercial Aircraft

Abstract

In our research project, RECab (Resource Efficient Cabin), which focuses on the sustainable and resource-efficient design of aircraft cabins, resource-efficient cabin interior and process architectures have been explored. The solutions then support a high degree of design flexibility and usability within the cabin and, above all, in the associated operational processes. All three dimensions of sustainability — ecology, economy, and social acceptance — are considered. A function-oriented approach leads to optimized cabin architectures and process concepts for onboard services. Mission-specific constraints and conditions are considered when defining suitable process concepts. Through simulation — with the goal of creating a digital process twin — suitable process concepts are evaluated, and recommendations are provided for process design and resource allocation. Optimized cabin processes include the evaluation and optimization of directly upstream and downstream processes at the airport, as these are interdependent. There is significant potential for optimization in the aircraft cabin if, e.g., unnecessary variability and complexity can be eliminated from the cabin and shifted, for example, to upstream and downstream processes. In particular, the economic and ecological dimensions of sustainability are influenced by ergonomics, i.e., the appropriate design of the onboard processes for users. We asked ourselves how well work planning simulation software is suited for assessing and optimizing the ergonomics of cabin processes. As a result of a methodological evaluation, EMA Work Designer — originally developed for factory planning — was identified as suitable simulation software for cabin processes. It is used to determine suitable strain metrics, such as, e.g., the EAWS score, considering various users and operators, and to identify process steps critical in terms of strain.Using examples of aircraft cabin process evaluations, we conclude by demonstrating the possibilities and limitations of the simulation software and where further potential for optimization lies in its use. The use of simulation software — such as ema Work Designer in our case — leads to a better understanding of socio-technical systems through the creation of suitable digital process twins and offers the possibility of immediate evaluation, mitigation, and optimization of processes, in our case aircraft onboard service processes.

Keywords: Aircraft Cabin Design, Cabin Processes, Ergonomics, EAWS, Ema, Digital Process Twin, Aircraft Interiors, Load, Stress Model, Process Evaluation, Process Optimization, Crew Resource Management

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007845