Citation

Owen M, Galea ER, Lawrence PJ, Filippidis L. Aeronaut. J. 1998; 102(1016): 301-312.

Affiliation

Fire Safety Engineering Group, University of Greenwich, London

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, Royal Aeronautical Society, Publisher Cambridge University Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Computer based mathematical models describing the aircraft evacuation process have a vital role to play in the design and development of safer aircraft, the implementation of safer and more rigorous certification criteria, in cabin crew training and post-mortem accident investigation. As the risk of personal injury and the costs involved in performing large-scale evacuation experiments for the next generation ultra high capacity aircraft (UHCA) are expected to be high, the development and use of these evacuation modelling tools may become essential if these aircraft are to prove a viable reality. We describe the capabilities and limitations of the airEXODUS evacuation model and some attempts at validation, including its successful application to the prediction of a recent certification trial, prior to the actual trial taking place. Also described is a newly defined performance parameter known as OPS that can be used as a measure of evacuation trial optimality. In addition, sample evacuation simulations in the presence of fire atmospheres are described.