Design of a Geometric Backrest Surface Parameterization Tool

This undergraduate thesis pertains to the design of a parameterized tool intended for the modelling of business aircraft seat backrests. Backrests of seats vary in shape and size as per varying designs for optimal comfortability based on studies of spinal anthropometry. The overall study of backrest comfortability is of great significance due to the role it plays in the marketability and revenue generation of a business airlines. One of the ways in which backrest comfortability can be evaluated is through the biomechanical analysis of the pressure distributions amongst the surface. Hence, a parametric tool was developed as a means to provide a modular method for easily generating a geometric backrest surface and corresponding point cloud. This was achieved by determining prominent input parameters in a simplistic manner based on a literature review, developing a feasible methodology to define the backrest shape based on the inputs, and generating a corresponding three-dimensional fit of the backrest surface. As a means of validation, the tool was tested to generate backrest surfaces as per reference data, and comparisons were drawn based on error analysis between the actual surface and the tool-generated surface. Although the developed tool is not as robust as can be at this point in time, based on research of existing business aircraft seat backrests, it is able to provide fairly accurate geometric surfaces within a reasonable realm of user-inputted parameters. Contained in this report is an overview of the parametric tool design philosophy, a thorough description of its methodology, and error analysis with respect to reference data, as well as the corresponding MATLAB code(s) contained in the appendices.