Regional Body Pressure Response and Parameter Setting for Passenger Seats in Low-altitude Aircraft

GAO Yuchen; HE Tong; CHU Xinlei; CHEN Sa

doi:10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.14.003

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Packaging Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (14) : 27-35. DOI: 10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.14.003

Special subject: Innovation in Human Factors Engineering andIndustrial Design for Aviation Equipment

Regional Body Pressure Response and Parameter Setting for Passenger Seats in Low-altitude Aircraft

GAO Yuchen, HE Tong, CHU Xinlei^*, CHEN Sa

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Abstract

The work aims to investigate the regional body pressure distribution characteristics of passenger seats in low-altitude aircraft under different combinations of seat track position and backrest angle, so as to reveal ergonomic response differences among representative body-type samples and provide experimental evidence for body-type-specific seat parameter setting. A total of 45 participants representing three body-type groups, namely P5, P50 and P95, were recruited. Nine test conditions were established by combining three seat track positions of 0, 40 and 80 mm, with three backrest angles of 90°, 105° and 120°. Body pressure data were collected from five regions, including the upper back, lower back, lumbar region, buttocks and thighs. Five core indicators were extracted, namely total back pressure, back contact area, peak buttock pressure, thigh contact area and mean lumbar pressure. Descriptive statistics, two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance and linear mixed models were used for data analysis. Both seat track position and backrest angle affected the human-seat interface loading state, and several core indicators exhibited significant main effects or interaction effects. The linear mixed models further indicated that body-type group and its interactions with seat track position and backrest angle were significant for several core indicators, suggesting differences in regional body pressure response patterns among representative body-type samples. Back-support-related indicators were more sensitive to changes in backrest angle, whereas lower-limb-loading-related indicators were more affected by seat track position. The representative conditions identified for different indicators did not fully coincide. Therefore, parameter setting of passenger seats in low-altitude aircraft should not rely on a single average body type or a uniform optimal combination. Instead, representative small, medium and large body-type samples should be considered, with a balanced focus on back support establishment and buttock-thigh load distribution. The findings provide preliminary experimental evidence for body-type-specific parameter setting and ergonomic optimization of passenger seats in low-altitude aircraft.

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low-altitude aircraft / passenger seat / regional body pressure distribution / parameter setting / body-type difference

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GAO Yuchen, HE Tong, CHU Xinlei, CHEN Sa. Regional Body Pressure Response and Parameter Setting for Passenger Seats in Low-altitude Aircraft[J]. Packaging Engineering. 2026, 47(14): 27-35 https://doi.org/10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.14.003

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