Emergency evacuation simulation of commercial aircraft

Abstract

In order to receive certification approval for new products, aircraft manufacturers have to comply with the specifications regarding cabin evacuation. In case of real evacuation trials, agent-based simulation can be deployed, as they are a less cost-intensive mean of analysing passenger behaviour during the evacuation of commercial aircraft. This paper aims at examining the suitability of agent-based simulation software to reproduce passenger behaviour during evacuation processes. For this purpose, the algorithms and methods of the software PATHFINDER are introduced. Besides, the cabin of a single aisle aircraft is reconstructed in a high-density configuration using software-specific tools. A representative passenger distribution is implemented according to EASA regulations. Evacuation simulations for a single-aisle aircraft are conducted taking EASA standards into account. The effect of vital parameters such as walking speed, body dimension, conflict behaviour, collision response, acceleration time and exit allocation on evacuation times are examined. Results are discussed and examined for plausibility in order to determine whether evacuation simulations of commercial aircraft are possible using agent-based simulation software.