Month: April 2008

Airbus has won two Crystal Cabin Awards at this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany for two cabin system innovations it has developed.

Airbus’ Universal Wireless Backbone System won the award in the entertainment and communication category and it’s sustainable environmentally friendly fire suppression concept received the Judges Commendation Prize.

Universal Wireless Backbone System

Universal Wireless Backbone System (UWBS) is a single platform on which different wireless applications can be installed to offer a broad range of passenger services. UWBS will enable airlines to extend the range of wireless cabin services and is the only connectivity solution available for both new aircraft and as a retrofit. This innovative system is capable of using both current and future wireless communication standards. This means UWBS will bring cost savings for both the operations and maintenance of the aircraft.
For passengers the UWBS solution offers a very wide choice of services by enabling the use of multiple wireless connections, such as wireless LAN standards, mobile telephony or personal devices.
Airbus’ UWBS is based on a radio frequency (RF) combiner unit and “Leaky Line” antennas. The “leaky line” antenna is an innovative design by Airbus and is able to receive and transmit data, providing a uniform signal distribution throughout the cabin and guaranteeing highly reliable wireless communication links.

Sustainable environmentally friendly fire suppression concept

Today’s traditional fire suppression systems are based on halons. They offer a high fire suppression effectiveness in combination with low system weight and low complexity. However, in response to the negative impact of halons on the stratospheric ozone layer, Airbus has continuously replaced halon-based applications in the last years. However for certain applications – such as cargo bay fire protection – where safety-requirements are the highest, developing a halon-free substitution system posed many challenges.
The new Airbus solution offers a sustainable environmentally friendly concept that uses a waste product of a fuel cell system – its exhaust. Fuel cell systems, if operated with ambient air, produce nitrogen-enriched air that can be utilised to build up an inert fire suppressing atmosphere inside an aircraft cargo hold. The concept meets future regulatory requirements and reduces the impact of aviation on the environment.

Source: Airbus

Besides a new A350 XWB cabin concept, Airbus introduces a new galley concept, named “SPICE” at Aircraft Interiors Expo Hamburg (Germany). The SPICE (SPace Innovative Catering Equipment) galley concept is developed by Airbus and is the result of extensive investigation into the needs and requirements of the airline community. The benefits of the SPICE are so significant that Airbus believes the concept has the potential to become the first new industry-wide standard for galleys in over forty years.

SPICE replaces traditional catering trolleys with light-weight low-cost boxes, and foldable carts for service. A transfer table has been developed which enables better use of storage space at above the work surface, and enhances galley ergonomics. Furthermore, SPICE galley equipment will have one standard size, replacing the current wasteful jumble of different standard sizes.

These innovations combine together to improve aircraft efficiency by saving considerable weight and space in the aircraft cabin.

For example, the galley space saved due to the improved storage efficiency of SPICE could enable an airline to add from two to 11 seats in the cabin of a typical widebody aircraft. The weight savings of SPICE have been estimated to be between 10 and 20 per cent compared to current galley systems, which results in hundreds of kilograms per aircraft.

Since major studies show that over sixty percent of occupational injuries among cabin crew occur in the galley, ergonomic innovations are particularly important in improving the aircraft as a workplace. This was recognized by the industry in 2007 when the SPICE concept won the Crystal Cabin Award in the Comfort and Health category at last year’s Hamburg Aircraft Interiors Expo.

Another key benefit of the SPICE design is the addition of fully closed storage compartments. The doors of these compartments significantly improve the aesthetics of the galley in order to bring the level of design up to the same standard as other areas in the cabin. Additionally, the closed compartments are fully refrigerated which means that food can be kept fresher.

Airbus anticipates that from early next decade, the SPICE concept would be available for installation on newly delivered aircraft as well as for retrofit on the in-service fleet.

Watch the video at: http://www.airbus.com/

Source: Airbus
Images by Airbus