The CASTLE project (‘CAbin Systems design Toward passenger welLbEing’) has been developed to demonstrate improvements in passenger comfort and ergonomics that can address the specific needs of passengers with reduced mobility. The aircraft interior design concept also introduces ideas for passive technologies that reduce noise and vibrations for passengers, as well as eco-friendly composites derived from recyclable and bio-based materials.
Geven, the coordinator of the CASTLE project, has developed passenger seats, galleys, lavatories, lining panels, stowage bins, and T/A insulation blankets for the concept. The prototype cabin was installed in a full-scale demonstrator of a regional aircraft fuselage at Leonardo’s Large Structures Laboratory in Pomigliano D’Arco, Italy, and later at the Fraunhofer-Institut für Bauphysik IBP in Germany.
The mockup serves as a technological demonstrator so engineers can test the comfort of features as part of the Clean Sky 2 “Regional” programme. A set of unique cabin interior modules was also integrated into a business jet cabin demonstrator.
The CASTLE project also showcases Geven’s work to improve the sustainability of aviation. Bio-based materials were used in the full-scale regional aircraft demonstrator instead of fossil-based materials. Geven says this approach, quantified through Life Cycle Assessment, results in a reduction of at least 22% in carbon footprint over the aircraft’s entire lifespan.
Technologies developed under the Clean Sky programme aim to achieve a net reduction of at least 30% in greenhouse gases (GHGs) compared to the state of the art in 2020. This goal supports the entry of a new generation of aircraft by 2035, and promotes the replacement of 75% of the world’s civil aviation fleet by 2050.
