Case Study: Safran Seats achieves improved passenger comfort through biomechanical modeling with Altair HyperWorks

Improvement of Aircraft Passenger Seat Comfort Through Biomechanical Models and Numerical Simulation

Safran (Safran Seats, formerly Zodiac Seats France) needed to improve long‑haul passenger seat comfort while meeting stringent ergonomics, manufacturability and eco‑design goals (lighter, recyclable materials). To assess and reduce biomechanical discomfort quickly and bring high‑quality seats to market faster, Safran leveraged Altair’s HyperWorks simulation suite and biomechanical modelling capabilities.

Altair supplied HyperWorks tools and biomechanical models to predict contact pressure and internal tissue strain, validate designs against experiments (pressure comparison on 12 subjects) and assess manufacturability (thermal molding and stamping). Using Altair’s solution, Safran achieved a mean error of 16% for estimated maximal pressure and internal strain errors below 19%, gained deeper insight into structural behavior under static and dynamic loads, and accelerated seat shape and material optimization with faster development cycles.

Safran

Jeremy Cailleteau

R&D Engineer