Design Philosophy
For every element of an airplane - whether it's the shape of a door on the fuselage or a switch in the cockpit - hundreds of hours of work by engineers and scientists are behind it. Today, we will find out what principles are used in the design philosophy in our industry.
Design Philosophy in aviation
Reading time: ~ 7 minutes
As always, let's start with a definition. Design is a special activity aimed at creating something new, giving shape to an idea or concept. Design philosophy, in turn, is a concept that unites the approach to creation in a specific area.
Aviation is a very specific area of our life, so it requires its own special approach. What should airplanes look like? Pilot controls? Emergency exit hatches? Perhaps not very noticeable from the outside, but all the details in an airplane have deep meaning, and their shape primarily corresponds to their essence and synergy with other details and people who operate them.
Aviation is a very specific area of our life, so it requires its own special approach. What should airplanes look like? Pilot controls? Emergency exit hatches? Perhaps not very noticeable from the outside, but all the details in an airplane have deep meaning, and their shape primarily corresponds to their essence and synergy with other details and people who operate them.
What's next?
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 5
How design philosophy in aviation is special?
So how does design work in aviation? Aircraft developers and other aviation products that are critical to flight safety constantly collect and analyze information about their systems' performance, and based on this, they develop safety standards, procedures, and new practices.
In the end, a certain set of documents is obtained, which is called the design philosophy of the airline/manufacturer. It includes detailed material that helps specialists and employees create such elements that will be both convenient and safe at the same time.
In the end, a certain set of documents is obtained, which is called the design philosophy of the airline/manufacturer. It includes detailed material that helps specialists and employees create such elements that will be both convenient and safe at the same time.
The unity of design philosophy within one company/aircraft type allows a huge number of people to operate aircraft while maintaining the necessary level of flight safety."
It is the competent and integrated application of a common design philosophy that allowed Boeing to retrain its pilots from older to newer aircraft types in record short periods of time. In just a few weeks, a Boeing 737 Classic pilot became a certified Boeing 737-800 pilot!
Design philosophy from Boeing
The AIAA paper said, “[Boeing] commercial airplane design philosophy has always been to deliver a safe airframe based on state-of-the-art understanding of the operating environment and structural behavior, Today, this [design] philosophy and associated criteria exist, and are essentially universally accepted, to govern current design practices.
“The essential requirement for structural performance (weight control) has challenged design safety factors more than in any other branch of engineering. In turn, this demands the use of high-strength materials and relatively high design and operating stresses.”
“The essential requirement for structural performance (weight control) has challenged design safety factors more than in any other branch of engineering. In turn, this demands the use of high-strength materials and relatively high design and operating stresses.”
The design philosophy required robust, durable, damage tolerant, and corrosion-resistant structures — with the airframe designers operating within exacting constraints and essentially no margin for error.
Designers of any aircraft try to find a golden mean, a balance between efficiency and safety. The number of different types of aircraft in modern aviation shows that there is no single correct solution, as conceptually the same Airbus is radically different from Boeing in terms of design.
But science does not stand still, and perhaps in the future we will see the discovery of the most advantageous solution, which all aircraft manufacturers will gradually switch to, and we will have a unified safe and economic sky :)
But science does not stand still, and perhaps in the future we will see the discovery of the most advantageous solution, which all aircraft manufacturers will gradually switch to, and we will have a unified safe and economic sky :)
Basic elements of design philosophy
- The design philosophy guided airframe designers on enhancing safety, learning to efficiently employ design resources, intelligently adopting technology improvements and providing “user-friendly airplanes” to airline operators01
- The principal structural design requirements consisted of core elements with checklists and a roadmap guiding airframe designers to ensure that requirements at deeper levels of detail in the structures design requirements and criteria were met.02
- Airframe structural designs simultaneously had to satisfy competing and disparate requirements through one optimum solution created by the design team. The design philosophy focused on maximum inherent safety; superior structural performance (i.e., optimal weight and durability); and delivery of airframes with minimum costs of production and a long-term ownership experience for the operator.03
- Design philosophy also covered requirements of airframe fail safety (i.e., the ability to fly and land safely with significant structural damage). “Fail-safe designs provide inherent robustness in the event of damage from many possible sources, including fatigue cracking, corrosion, accidental damage, maintenance errors and discrete events such as engine bursts,”04
- The design philosophy also prescribed fail-safe features such as alternate/intermediate/adjacent airframe structural members that pick up load from failed members; crack-arrest features; substantial boundary members such as heavy frames; material toughness and slow crack-growth characteristics; and low stress levels.05
- The design philosophy required periodic application and revision of damage tolerance standards, including airframe-inspection intervals and methods.06
More detailed information on design principles can be found at the links at the end of the article.
An example of design philosophy in aviation
Навигационная панель на самолётах типа Boeing 7**
One of the vivid and understandable examples of the application of design philosophy is the navigation panel on Boeing aircraft.
At its core, this panel is a small rectangle with two digital windows and one main control element - a two-level selector. It is essentially two protrusions - an inner (higher and narrower) and an outer (lower and wider).
As a result of numerous tests and experiments, it was established that this shape is the most convenient and safe for use. It works on an intuitively understandable formula - in navigation frequencies, the first digit is always one, so it does not need to be changed. Therefore, the outer, larger part of the "dial" is responsible for the next two values - tens and units. And the inner one, which already responds to tenths and hundredths.
After using this design a couple of times, you won't even think about how you change the frequency. It will be enough for you to just look at the digital window, and your hand, even without visual control, will set the frequency you need.
Unlike a regular digital panel (like on a Num Pad keyboard, for example), there is no danger of "hitting the wrong button" and making a mistake if you "type blindly" - this system is both safe and convenient at the same time.
At its core, this panel is a small rectangle with two digital windows and one main control element - a two-level selector. It is essentially two protrusions - an inner (higher and narrower) and an outer (lower and wider).
As a result of numerous tests and experiments, it was established that this shape is the most convenient and safe for use. It works on an intuitively understandable formula - in navigation frequencies, the first digit is always one, so it does not need to be changed. Therefore, the outer, larger part of the "dial" is responsible for the next two values - tens and units. And the inner one, which already responds to tenths and hundredths.
After using this design a couple of times, you won't even think about how you change the frequency. It will be enough for you to just look at the digital window, and your hand, even without visual control, will set the frequency you need.
Unlike a regular digital panel (like on a Num Pad keyboard, for example), there is no danger of "hitting the wrong button" and making a mistake if you "type blindly" - this system is both safe and convenient at the same time.
Summary
Design philosophy plays a significant role in our lives - we encounter it everywhere, from our phones to our clothing. The need to make things both functional (safe) and convenient is a requirement for modern humans.
In aviation, this is even more strict - in our industry, every detail, every bolt or control element must not only be in its place but also have the perfect shape for its purpose. Design departments in Boeing and Airbus corporations are huge divisions where theories on improving flight safety and comfort are daily put forward and tested.
So understanding the basics of design philosophy can greatly help us better integrate into aviation and move towards that golden mean between safety and cost-efficiency, which we will definitely reach someday :)
In aviation, this is even more strict - in our industry, every detail, every bolt or control element must not only be in its place but also have the perfect shape for its purpose. Design departments in Boeing and Airbus corporations are huge divisions where theories on improving flight safety and comfort are daily put forward and tested.
So understanding the basics of design philosophy can greatly help us better integrate into aviation and move towards that golden mean between safety and cost-efficiency, which we will definitely reach someday :)
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