Development of seat design and simulation of seating systems' tests according to european and us regulations for seats

Today, due to the increment of energy consumption and greenhouse emissions, there is an extraordinary effort to overcome these problems in transportation sector. One of the most effective means to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gases is weight reduction of the vehicles. In transit vehicle sector, when the ratio of overall vehicle weight is analyzed, passenger seats have a significant energy saving potential. When studies are analyzed, it can be understood that two main ways are used to reduce the weight of the seat; using high strength steel and optimizing the design by using lightweight material instead of steel. The primary objective of this study is to obtain a weight reduction for passenger seats by using different materials for design and compare weight and strength of seat designs. This passenger seats were designed without compromising any comfort criteria and tested by using simulation program according to the FMVSS, APTA and ECE R80 regulations. Consequently, 31% weight reduction was obtained by using ultra high strength steel and 50% weight reduction was obtained by using aluminum alloy for design.