Subscribe to DeepL Pro to translate larger documents.

Visit www.DeepL.com/pro for more information.

Issue 2, 2017 Total 125 issues

issn1674-9804 cn31-1614 /v
Civil Aircraft Design and Research
CivilAircraftDesign&
Research

DO: 10.
I 19416 /
j.
c nki
.1674 - 9 8 0 4 .2 0 1 7 .0 2 .024

The design of overhead luggage compartments in civil airplanes

DesignofOverhe
adStowageBinfo
rGivilAircraft
Yang Wuyi /YANG>uyi
(Shanghai Aircraft Design & Research Institute, Shanghai 201210)
(ShanghaiAircraftDesign and Research I nst
iut
e, Shanghai201210, C hi
n )
a

Summary.
Firstly, starting from the overall design requirements of an aircraft, it introduces the design requirements, design principles and design contents of
passenger cabin overhead bins for civil aircraft, and discusses the problems and solutions in the design process with the combination of the typical designs
of familiar models and the author's many years of experience in the industry. Finally, by combing the airworthiness regulations applicable to overhead
bins, it proposes airworthiness certification basis and methods in a targeted manner. It provides important ideas and reference value for the design of
passenger cabin overhead luggage compartments in civil airplanes.
Keywords:civil aircraft;cabin;overhead bins
CCS:V223+ . 2 Literature Identifier:A
[ A b s t
ract
] Thi
sar
t
icl
epr
ese
n t
st
h e
requi
rem e nt
s, principlesand contentsofoverhead stowagebin
forcivilair- c ra ft
.>with thedesignsofspecialaircraftin marketand aut
h o r' s exp eri
e nce, thedesign
problemsand solutions werediscussed.Based on theCAAR ' srequirements, thecontentsand waysofvalidation
areproposed. ' s req u i
rem en ts, thecontentsand waysofvalidation arepresented.Thearticle hasmain
r e f e r e n c e v a l u e t o t h e d e s i g n a n d validation Thearticle hasmain referencevaluetothedesign and validation
ofoverhead stowagebin f o rc iv i
lairc ra ft.
[Ke
ywo
rds
]ci
v i
l
a i
rcr
a f
t; cabin; overhead stowagebin

0 Introduction
Although China has started earlier in the field of civil aircraft,
from the early Yun 7 to the ARJ21 regional aircraft which has been
delivered to the market, we have accumulated some experience,
but it is mainly in the overall a s s e m b l y and structural design
of the aircraft % In the field of cabin equipment and decoration
design, especially in the design of the luggage compartment,
t h e r e still exists a fragmented knowledge structure and a
lack of e x p e r i e n c e % Therefore, it is important to
sort out and summarize the existing knowledge structure, draw on
the experience of mature aircraft models in the market, and explore the
problems and solutions in the design process. Therefore, combing and
summarizing the existing knowledge structure, drawing on the
experience of mature models in the market, exploring the problems and
solutions in the design process, and combining the airworthiness
regulations to summarize the airworthiness requirements and validation
methods for luggage containers h a v e become a very meaningful task
in the field of civil aircraft cabin design.

135
 when designing a suitcase.
2 Overall Aircraft Design 1) T h e design of the luggage compartment should meet the
requirements of the cabin seating height as defined in the cabin sectional
Requirements
drawing ¸ the distance between the left and right side of the luggage
- Generally speaking, aircraft roof general technical
compartment doors on the upper part of the aisle (compartment door
documents such as general design requirements, cabin profiles,
closed status).
cabin layout drawings, etc., will often specify specifications for the 2) The suitcase must be designed so that the weight is strictly
cabin such as cabin interiors, suitcase volume and weight controlled within the overall allocation index of the a i r c r a f t .
distribution.
3) The suitcase should be designed to meet the requirements of the Aircraft
The following general design requirements should be considered
General Technical Document (AGTD).
About Requirements for capacity per customer
1 Luggage Overview
.
The main function of the suitcase is to store the traveler's hold look
Luggage design principles
belongings.
3
(han after
ds)
(use In addition, according to the general layout of the cabin, it troo ingredi The suitcase is designed to meet the airworthiness requirements and fou
d is necessary to provide the following services to the customers ps ent the overall weight of the aircraft. nd
for
ma
no
min
al
expr
essi
on)
agre Emergency equipment provides storage space % Suitcases are tru visitor plan The following design principles should be followed, provided
e (to located in the airplane mp that the requirements are met.
do card
sth) (in
card
gam
es)
the T h e f o l l o w i n g a r e s o m e o f t h e sent surna 3 .1 safety
hol m o s t i m p o r t a n t f e a t u r e s o f t h e enc me 1) The opening of the luggage compartment door will not affect myt
d c a b i n aisle, such as: - Positioned on the upper the emergency evacuation of the passenger compartment. hica
e- Shuan
of part of the passenger's seat ¸ Both sides of the cabin l
final g
a aisle ¸ Yes bea
inter
shi In the case of airlines, there is also an intermediate baggage st
p compartment. roga (arc
or tive haic
air parti )
pla cle
ne
cla
ssif
ier
136
for
fre
qu
en
cy
of
tel
egr
am
s,
ph
on
e
call
s

137
 Experience Total 125

Access; and
2) In accordance with CCAR 2 5 .1 5 6 1 , a n
indicator mark should be placed on the luggage compartment to
ensure that the door is closed and locked during take-off, taxiing
and landing.
3 .2 Comfort
1) The suitcase shall ensure that the door opens and closes easily
when in use, and that the door remains gently and smoothly in operation
so as to avoid injury to passengers.
2) T h e design of the suitcase should be in line with the overall
industrial design style of the cabin % In terms of appearance, material,
Figure 1 Typical Structural Form of a Suitcase Typical Structural Form ofa Suitcase
texture and color (surface film or paint), it should be in harmony with
other equipment and decorations in the cabin.
3) When designing, the requirements of man-machine function
should be fully considered, the opening method and opening force of
the luggage compartment door, the height of the door handle, etc.
will affect the comfort of the passengers.
3 .3 Maintainability
1) Suitcases should be designed so that they can be easily
installed and removed from the aircraft structure and so as to minimize or
avoid interference with surrounding equipment.
2) If it is unavoidable for the luggage case to interfere with the
installation and maintenance of other on-board equipment (power
packs, loop control cables, cabin cables, etc.) installed behind it in a
manner that is not visible, consideration should be given to
installing removal and maintenance flaps at suitable locations on the
luggage case.
3) The design of luggage should take into account the
requirements of standardization and interchangeability.

4 Luggage design content

4.1 structural design
The structural form of a suitcase is generally a closed box
structure, which consists of a box body and a door, and the box
body and the door are connected by a h i n g e mechanism % Fig. 1
shows a typical structural form of a suitcase.

138
Issue2, 2017 Yang V.1 The designof overhead luggage compartments in civil
airplanes
The luggage structure is designed with the following aspects in mind.
1) The length of the suitcase can b e designed to meet the
needs of the cabin layout, taking into account maintenance
considerations, and to meet the need for rapid changes in the cabin
l a y o u t , the length of the suitcase is normally an integer
multiple of the frame distance of the aircraft.
2) In order to reduce the number of configurations and
minimize development costs, the length of each suitcase should be
as consistent as possible in terms of %.
3) When a single suitcase is long, two doors can be
installed, and partitions can be placed inside the suitcase as needed
to prevent excessive baggage from bumping into each other.
4) Inside the suitcase containing emergency equipment,
additional partitions should be added as necessary and required to
prevent other luggage and items from damaging the emergency
equipment in the event of a crash.
4.2 connection design
Considering the loading condition of the suitcase, the
suitcase should generally be connected to the aircraft structure in at
least three directions, namely, heading, sideways and vertically, so
as to support the loads in the heading, sideways and vertically
directions respectively. Fig. 2 shows a typical connection design for a
suitcase.

Fig. 2 Typical connection form ofasuitcase

The following aspects should be taken into account in the design of a

suitcase connection.
1) It should be possible to ensure that the suitcase load is
t r a n s f e r r e d to the aircraft structure i n a reasonable
and efficient manner.
2) Maintenance requirements should be taken into account,
and the connection form should be simple, reliable, and
easy to disassemble.
3) Consider vibration and noise reduction requirements,
such as t h e possibility of installing shock-absorbing bushings
between the connectors a n d between the connectors and the
trunk.
4) The connection design should take into account installation
design compensation, which allows the luggage to be fine-tuned
after installation to eliminate deviations during installation. The
header connection holes are usually designed as one-line holes.

139
Issue2, 2017 Yang V.1 The designof overhead luggage compartments in civil
airplanes
4) T h e gaps between the front and rear suitcases ¸ The gaps
4.3 Accessory design
between the suitcases and other equipment in the front and rear should be
T h e accessories of a suitcase mainly include door locks,
designed with decorative strips to cover the gaps ¸ The installation of the
door openers, handrails and trims, etc. T h e handrails and trims decorative strips should be simple and reliable, and the color and
are relatively simple, and the design of the door locks and door appearance should be compatible with the suitcases and the cabin
openers is mainly introduced here. environment
Locks: Locks are fitted to the door of a suitcase and generally 5) Except for the door of a suitcase, t h e surface of a suitcase
consist of a door handle, a spring and a hook, which is opened by turning that is exposed in the passenger compartment and is potentially harmful to
the door handle and disengaging the cam from the latch (fitted to the the crew and passengers should b e soft-covered.
suitcase body) % Door lock design considerations.
1) Door handles should be designed so that they can be opened by the
crew and passengers without great effort.
2) Warning signs shall be provided in a visible area to enable the
crew and passengers to readily recognize the locking status of the door.
Door opening device: This device is mainly of a hinged type and
is mainly used for the movement of the door and the maintenance of the
opening state during opening and closing, and also serves as a
connection between the main structure of the box and the door % Fig. 3
shows the common door opening device

Figure 3 Common Door Opening Devices

Attention should be paid to the design of luggage

accessories.
1) In order to increase safety and reliability, door locks are
usually designed in the form of double locks.
2) Door locks are designed to be as error-proof as possible, so
that the unit or passengers are aware of the locking status of the door
lock.
3) (ii) handrails may be provided on the luggage
compartment near the aisle, as required by 2 5 .785(j ), to
ensure that crew and passengers on the ai s l e can stabilize
themselves when the aircraft is in a state of bumpy condition % the
handrails shall be of suitable height, securely fitted and easy to grip
% the handrails shall be of suitable height and
securely fitted and easy to grip % the handrails shall be
of suitable height and securely fitted % the handrails shall be
of suitable height and securely fitted and easy to grasp
137
 Experience Total 125

%.
4. interface design
Depending on the configuration of the cabin, if the suitcase is
fitted with other systems in the cabin, it will be necessary to
provide fittings on the suitcase for these systems, which usually
include passenger service units, air-conditioning systems, lighting
systems, bulkheads and curtains, e n t e r t a i n m e n t
systems, emergency equipment and seat labels.
Interface types typically include system mounting rails ¸
mounting brackets and maneuvering space, etc. % The design of the
interface should take into account the installation requirements of
other systems, such as passenger service installations ¸ bulkhead
orientation adjustment requirements % The design of the
interface should take into account the installation requirements of
other systems, such as passenger service installations ¸ bulkhead
orientation adjustment requirements % The design of t h e
interface should take into account the installation requirements of
other systems, such as passenger service installations ¸ bulkhead
o r i e n t a t i o n a d j u s t m e n t requirements
4.5 Material selection
As with other equipment and furnishings in the cabin interior,
the design of the luggage compartment takes into account the
following two principles in the selection of materials.
1) CCAR 2 5 .8 5 3 and Appendix F
requirements for flame retardancy, heat release and smoke
density should be met.
2) Shall meet the toxicity requirements set forth in
HB5470 -2014.
In addition, the choice of material should also take into
account the ease of cleaning, wear resistance and processing
technology of the lamps.
At present, the main structure of the market mainstream
aircraft cabin luggage generally use honeycomb sandwich structure of
composite materials, a typical honeycomb sandwich structure form
shown in Figure 4%.

Figure 4 Typical honeycomb sandwich structure

T h e honeycomb sandwich structure consists of a

honeycomb core (aluminum honeycomb ¸ aramid fabric honeycomb,
etc.) and a prepreg (glass fiber ¸ carbon fiber, etc.) on both sides of
the honeycomb, in which the stressed layers can be laid in two or
more layers, depending on the requirements. As part of the cabin
decoration, it is usually necessary to apply a decorative film or a
decorative paint coat to the surface to satisfy the requirements for the
appearance of the passenger cabin.
Locks and door opening mechanisms are generally available in metal

138
 Issue2, 2017 Yang V.1 The designof overhead luggage compartments in civil
airplanes
Table 3 Mean values of toxic gas content from material combustion Reference
5 Airworthiness
Indicators
requirements and (Unit: ppm)

validation methods
5.1 airworthiness
requirements
Gases HydrogenFluoride HydrogenChloride Cyanide Hydrogen
Sulfur dioxide Carbonmonoxide Nitrogen oxide
The airworthiness requirements for suitcases cover two main areas, namely Type HCI HCN SO2 NOx

CO
Requirements for flame retardancy and structural strength of materials, specific HF

terms and main contents

As follows. Average Burn Length ≤6 i n ( 152mm) ≤8 i n ( 203mm) /
Droppings Flame time ≤3" ≤5" /
1) flameretardantsspecifiedinCCAR2 5 .8 5 3 andAppendixF.
Requirements for heat release and smoke density and test methods and 2) TheheatreleaserequirementsaccordingtoCCAR Seek
procedures. be diar Roots 2 5 .8 5 3 (d) areasfollows and
2) Toxicity requirements and test procedures stipulated atta y Fth Part IVSpecified Test P i e c e s ¸ Test procedur
in HB5470 -2014.
che Equipment ¸ Tests e
3) C C A R 2 5 .3 0 5 ¸ C C A R 2 5 .5 6 1 ¸ C C A R 2 5 .7 8 7 ,
etc. d
Load and fixing requirements as specified in the conditions % of or co Row Release test to show the materialused in the suitcase fulfillmen
5.2 Validation Methods de m Releas Requirements, test criteria see Table 2%. t
r e e AccordingtoCCAR2 5 .8 5 3 (d) thesmoke
For the above airworthiness requirements, baggage containers
should be verified for compliance with the terms and conditions mainly by ex (or 3) densityistobe Seek
go
the following three methods. ces Roots and
)
5.21 Flame retardancy ¸ Heat release ¸ Smoke density and toxicity siv int
test
e o
1) The flame resistance test is conducted in accordancewiththe
he
flameresistancerequirementsspecifiedinCCAR25.853(a
) andthe test pieces
at
specified in Appendix F, Part I ¸ test equipment ¸ test
procedures to show that the materials used in the suitcases up
meet the flame resistance requirements, the test criteria are be diar Fth Part V Prescribed Test Methods for Smoke test
shown in Table 1%. clos y Density Tests
e to
Table 1 blo rai te te qu imitate a gen Traveli The material used in the box meets the smoke Table 2
ck se st st asi met eric ng density requirements, see
(h - er ter baggage
op (me m
es) asur for
ing a
Test Type vertical combusti
60" Vertical
12" Level combustion
15 "
sth) sacr
on Combustion ifice
Burning Time 60" 12" 15" the
metre Average / / 2.5 in /min god
Burn Rate ≤15" ≤15" / s
Self-off time
Table 2 Criteria for Heat Release and Smoke Density Tests

139
 Judging
Test Type Thermal Emission Test Smoke 100 150 150 100 3 500 100
Guidelines Total 125
Density Test Measurement Objects Total Emission Heat Average Peak HeatExperience
Average Smoke Density Reading E v a l u a t i o n
Strength calibration and static test
2
2 5.2
Criteria ≤65kwmin/m ≤ 6 5 k w / m ≤200
For clauses dealing with CCAR25Strengths, such as
4) According to the toxicity requirements and test procedures C C A R 2 5 .305¸ C C A R 2 5 .561¸ C C A R 2 5 .787, etc.,
stipulated in HB5470 -2014 to carry out toxicity test to show that shouldbeadopted.
the material meets the toxicity requirements % toxicity test criteria Verification by strong calibration ¸ static test or a combination of both
see Table 3%. % T h e main targets of strong calibration and static test are.
1) The body structure of the suitcase.
2) The connector that connects the suitcase to the aircraft structure.
3) Fasteners used to connect the connector to the aircraft structure.
In addition, the aircraft structure to which the suitcase is
connected should also b e strength-calibrated and static-tested on
board to ensure that the suitcase design does not pose a potential risk to
the aircraft structure % The inputs for strength-calibration and static-
testing mainly include the mechanical properties of materials and
fastenings ¸ the quality of the suitcase when empty and full ¸ the
abusive loading conditions ¸ the aircraft load envelope and the
emergency landing loads specified in CCAR 2 5 .5 6 1 , etc. The
strength calibration and static test can be performed under the most
severe conditions in the passenger cabin, without t h e need to
calibrate and test each suitcase individually.
5.23 Life test
In order to verify the wear and degradation of the moving parts of
the suitcase (e.g. door locks, door openers, etc.) over the life cycle of
the aircraft, it is necessary to carry out a life test on these moving parts.
T h e life test is conducted by performing a certain number of
cycles on the opening and closing of the door of a baggage case and
recording the wear and tear of t h e door locks ¸ door opening
devices ¸ deformation to determine whether it meets the design
requirements % The test pieces are usually mounted on a fixture,
and the test equipment usually includes door lock opening and
closing devices ¸ timers ¸ force gauges, etc. % The total cycle
count for the life t e s t i s usually determined according to the
design life of the aircraft and the operating frequency of the baggage case.
In addition, the test should be conducted with the suitcase empty,
half-loaded and full-loaded, and the total number of cycles is the sum
of the three conditions.

6 reach a verdict
This paper firstly starts from the overall design requirements of an
aircraft, and introduces t h e design inputs of passenger cabin
overhead bins in a civil aircraft. Secondly, it introduces the design
inputs of the cabin overhead bins from the structural design of the cabin
bins ¸ connection design ¸ accessories design ¸ interface design,
and the design inputs of the
c a b i n overhead bins.
1310
Issue2, 2017 Yang V.1 The designof overhead luggage compartments in civil
airplanes
It introduces the design principles and issues that should be paid [2] China National Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics .HB5470-
attention to in terms of design and material selection etc. Finally, it 2014,Flammability Performance Requirements for Non-metallic Materials

introduces the analysis and test validation work that needs to be carried
out for the airworthiness certification of the suitcase in the light of the
airworthiness requirements.
The design and certification of civil aircraft is a complex and long-term
work. Based on my own experience and the design of mature models in the
market, I would like to throw out some ideas in this paper to provide
important ideas and references for the design and certification of overhead
baggage compartments in civil aircraft.
in the Cabin of Civil Aircraft [ S] .2014.
[3] Ma, Ou-Chang, et al.Aircraft Design Manual, Book 12: Civil Aircraft Interior
Facilities
[M]. Bejing :Aviation Industry Publishing House ,1998:211-240.
[4] Li Feng . Talking about the engineering design of cabin interior of civil
airplane [ J
] . Equipment Manufacturing Technology ,2014,8:9 6 - 9 9 .
[5] Zhang Weifang. Crashworthiness Study of Cabin Fittings and Equipment in
Civil Aircraft [J].
Civil Aircraft Design and Research,2009,1:5 - 9.

References. AbouttheAuthor
[1] General Administration of Civil Aviation of the People's Republic of China. Yang Wuyi Male，Bachelor,Engineer,main research area:Civil Aircraft
Part 25 of the Civil Aviation Regulations of China: Airworthiness Standards for Interior Design and Research;E-
m a:
i
l
Transportation Aircraft [S]. China:General Administration of Civil yangwuyi@comac.cc
Aviation of China,2011.

1311