Weight reduction in aircraft passenger seats by designing magnesium alloys and designing multi-component alloys

The aim of this project is to produce aircraft seat 'spreaders' and test them for the purpose of weight reduction. A design was made through stress analysis and simulations using computer programs based on WE43 alloy. Furthermore, magnesium alloys composed of multi-element additions were designed through extensive melting trials. Due to a number of anomalous behavior magnesium, selection of a suitable alloy is equally important as the manufacturing route for any part. WE43 alloy of known properties were chosen for the production of the spreaders. A laboratory scale furnace and argon atmosphere was used for alloy development. Spreaders were not made of these novel compositions as they would necessitate samples from large-scale melts that exceeded the frame of this thesis study. The design study was made possible thanks to the computer programs and engineering input made available by ASSAN-HAIL Co., the project partner in SANTEZ project through which this thesis work has been undertaken. An original design was obtained by using computer analysis that were conducted through incrementally increasing the dimensions iteratively starting from a basic minimum shape, while subjecting it to stress analysis simulations. This work presents a new 'spreader' design and its test results, the alloy compositions that were achieved through alloy development and found promising based on at least one aspect, and the experimental methods and examinations methods used.