4 Jun 2002
Enhanced aircraft seat safety with PEEK™ polymer
VICTREX® PEEK™ polymer has replaced a magnesium alloy in a range of functional seat components for both commercial and military aircraft. Designed and manufactured by Belgium-based FERONYL, these components include the lumbar support adjuster, the headrest and headrest holder and the seatbelt guides.
Mr Vanneste, production manager of FERONYL, explains: “Seats in aircraft such as the Airbus, Eurocopter and Mirage have become complex assemblies. In addition to offering maximum comfort for passengers and crew, they must also provide long-term functional safety and passenger protection. We selected PEEK™ polymer because it meets the key requirements for outstanding mechanical strength at low specific weight, and low flammability and low toxicity in fire situations”.
An aircraft seat consists of a soft-cushioned shell and headrest, an adjustable lumbar support and seat-belt guides. These components have been made traditionally from a magnesium alloy. However, crash tests have revealed that this material does not consistently ensure optimum elasticity. The lumbar support adjuster, for example, can show a permanent deflection after an impact without springing back as required.
FERONYL decided to mould both the lumbar support adjuster and the headrest in carbon fibre filled VICTREX® PEEK™ polymer, as this provides long-term strength, creep and fatigue resistance.
The headrest holder and seatbelt guides are moulded in a glass filled PEEK™ polymer grade, as these components do not require the same high level of mechanical strength and stiffness.
In addition to providing outstanding mechanical performance in compliance with the industry’s crash performance standards, these components must also satisfy fire, smoke and toxicity requirements. The flammability of VICTREX® PEEK™ polymer is rated according to UL-94 V-0. Furthermore, the inherent purity of the polymer results in extremely low smoke and toxic gas emission in fire situations. This favourable performance significantly raises the chances of survival for passengers and crew in the event of a fire.
FERONYL, (www.feronyl.com), has 50 years of experience in mould design and injection moulding. Intricate design solutions are developed in close cooperation with customers. VICTREX® PEEK™ polymer’s inherent high performance, combined with consistent ease of processing, has made it the material of choice for these state-of-the-art seat components.
Reader enquiries
Helen SwarbrickVictrex plc
Victrex Technology Centre
Hillhouse International
Thornton Cleveleys
Lancashire FY5 4QD
United Kingdom
Tel +44 1253 897700
Fax +44 1253 897701
United Kingdom
Notes for editors
Victrex plc, which has its sales, technical and production headquarters at Thornton Cleveleys in Lancashire, UK, had a turnover of more than £72m in the last financial year. The company exports 95 percent of its VICTREX® PEEK™ polymer output to OEMs in the automotive, industrial, medical, food and electronics market sectors in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.
Information on products, technical support services and sales and distribution contacts worldwide, can be accessed through the company’s web site: www.victrex.com
The PEEK™ Trademark
For many years Victrex plc has been using the PEEK™ trademark to refer to its brand of Polyaryletherketone. Victrex plc is the sole manufacturer and supplier of the PEEK™ brand polymer world-wide. PEEK™ is a trademark of Victrex plc.
