A

Mini Project Report

On

EJECTION SEAT

Submitted in partial fulfilment.

for the award of the degree of

Bachelor of Technology
in
Department of Mechanical Engineering

Submitted to Submitted by
Dr. Jia Prakash Bhamu Amit Kumar
Coordinator III Year, VI Semester
21EEBME002

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Engineering College Bikaner
Bikaner Technical University

August, 2024
Ejection Seat Seminar report ’07

CONTENT

➢ Introduction………………………………………………...…2

➢ History Of Aircraft Escape System………………………….3

➢ Basic Components…………………………………………….3

➢ Ejection-Seat Terms………………………………………….4

➢ Physics Of Ejection…………………………………………...5

➢ The Working or Ejection Sequences………………………...9

➢ The ACES II Ejection Seat…………………………………..11

➢ Conclusion…………………………………………………….16

➢ Reference……………………………………………………….17

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1. INTRODUCTION

Almost since the first days of flight man has been concerned with the safe
escape from an aircraft which was no longer flyable. Early escape equipment consisted
of a recovery parachute only. As aircraft performance rapidly increased during World
War II, it became necessary to assist the crewmen in gaining clear safe separation from
the aircraft. This was accomplished with an ejector seat which was powered by a
propellant driven catapult - the first use of a propulsive element in aircrew escape.
Since then, this collection of componentry has evolved through several generations into
today's relatively complex systems which are highly dependent upon propulsive
elements. Ejection seats are one of the most complex pieces of equipment on any
aircraft, and some consist of thousands of parts. The purpose of the ejection seat is
simple: To lift the pilot straight out of the aircraft to a safe distance, then deploy a
parachute to allow the pilot to land safely on the ground.

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2. A LITTLE HISTORY OF AIRCRAFT ESCAPE SYSTEM

The first operational use of a propulsive element to assist an aircrew to escape

from an aircraft apparently occurred during World War II. It appears that the country to
receive credit for the first operational system was Germany, as it is known that
approximately 60 successful ejections were made from German aircraft during World
War II. It is interesting to note, however, that the first aircraft ejection seat was
designed and tested (successfully) with a dummy in 1910 by J. S. Zerbe in Los
Angeles, California. This was one year before the first parachutist successfully, jumped
from an aircraft. Another country involved in early ejection seat work was Sweden.
Initial experiments were made by SAAB in 1942 using propellant powered seats. The
first successful dummy in-flight ejection was on 8 January 1942. A successful live
ejection was made on 29 July 1946.At the end of World War II both the British and
Americans acquired German and Swedish ejection seats and data. This information and
equipment added impetus to their efforts. The first live flight test in England occurred
on 24 July 1946 when Mr. Bernard Lynch ejected from a Meteor III aircraft at 320
mph IAS at 8,000 feet, using a prototype propellant powered seat. On 17 August 1946
First Sergeant Larry Lambert ejected from a P61B at 300 mph IAS at 7,800 feet to
become the first live in-flight US ejection test.

3. BASIC COMPONENTS

To understand how an ejection seat works, you must first be familiar with the
basic components in any ejection system. Everything has to perform properly in a split
second and in a specific sequence to save a pilot's life. If just one piece of critical
equipment malfunctions, it could be fatal. Like any seat, the ejection seat's basic
anatomy consists of the bucket, back and headrest. Everything else is built around
these main components.

Here are key devices of an ejection seat:

• Catapult
• Rocket

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• Restraints
• Parachute

This early propulsive element has been called a gun or catapult and, is in
essence, a closed telescoping tube arrangement containing a propellant charge to
forcibly extend the tubes, thereby imparting the necessary separation velocity to the
"ejector seat" and its contents. The rocket is a propulsive device in the seat. The
catapult remained as the initial booster to get the seat/man mass clear of the cockpit,
while the rocket motor came on line, once clear of the cockpit, to act in a sustainer
mode. The restraint system for the crew member is the protective devices to avoid
injury while ejecting the seat. Harness straps can be tightened and body position can be
adjusted to reduce injury from the forces encountered during ejection. Leg lifting
devices and arm and leg restraints are provided to prevent limb flail injuries due to
windblast forces. The limb restraints do not require the crew to hook up as they enter
the aircraft and do not restrict limb movement during normal flight operations.
Parachute helped the pilot to land safely on ground.

4. EJECTION-SEAT TERMS

Bucket - This is the lower part of the ejection seat that contains the survival
equipment.

Canopy - This is the clear cover that encapsulates the cockpit of some planes; it
is often seen on military fighter jets.

Catapult - Most ejections are initiated with this ballistic cartridge.

Drogue parachute - This small parachute is deployed prior to the main

parachute; it designed to slow the ejection seat after exiting the aircraft.

Egress system - This refers to the entire ejection system, including seat
ejection, canopy jettisoning and emergency life-support equipment.

Environmental sensor - This is an electronic device that tracks the airspeed

and altitude of the seat.

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Face curtain - Attached to the top of some seats, pilots pull this curtain down
to cover his or her face from debris. This curtain also holds the pilot's head still during
ejection.

Recovery sequencer - This is the electronic device that controls the sequence
of events during ejection.

Rocket catapult - This is a combination of a ballistic catapult and an under-

seat rocket unit.

Underseat rocket - Some seats have a rocket attached underneath to provide

additional lift after the catapult lifts the crewmember out of the cockpit.

Vernier rocket - Attached to a gyroscope, this rocket is mounted to the bottom

of the seat and controls the seat's pitch.

Zero-zero ejection - This is an ejection on the ground when the aircraft is at

zero altitude and zero airspeed.

5. PHYSICS OF EJECTING

Ejecting from an airplane is a violent sequence of events that places the human
body under an extreme amount of force. The primary factors involved in an aircraft
ejection are the force and acceleration of the crewmember. To understand the forces in
the ejection we want to know the following.

Frames of Reference - refers to the orientation of the object in relation to some

reference. This way up/down, left/right, and front/back can be defined so others
understand the position. In ejections, the following convention is used:
The primary vector acceleration axes are defined relative to the crewman's spinal axis
(+Gz, positive spinal, eyeballs down; -Gz, negative spinal, eyeballs up; +Gx, positive
fore-and-aft, eyeballs in; -Gx, negative fore-and-aft, eyeballs out; +Gy, positive lateral,
eyeballs left; -Gy, negative lateral, eyeballs right).

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Forces and G's - Newton's second law states that the force on a body is a
function of the mass it contains and the acceleration it undergoes. It is represented in an
equation as

Force = Mass * Acceleration [F=MA].

The acceleration is usually measured in terms of the G, or gravity, force

equivalent. For each 32 feet/second^2 or 9.8 meter/second^2, one experiences 1 G of
acceleration. A rocket assisted seat has a G rating of 5-10, while a pure catapult seat
would be in the 10-20 G range.

G's and speed - To determine the speed of the seat at any point in time, one
solves the Newton equation knowing the force applied and the mass of the
seat/occupant system. The only other factors that are needed are the time for the force
to be applied and the initial velocity present (if any). This all works together in the
following equation:

Speed (final) = Acceleration * Time + Speed (initial)

[V(f) = AT + V(i)]

Initial velocity may involve the climb or sink rate of the aircraft, but most likely
involves velocity resulting from a previous ejection force. For example, in most current
seats, the ejection in a two-step process where an explosive catapult removes the seat
from the aircraft then a rocket sustainer gives final separation. So, to solve this seat
system, the Newton equation would be solved twice. Once with a V(i) of zero for the
catapult and a second time where the initial velocity would be the speed at which the
seat left the catapult.

Seat speed, aircraft speed, & aircraft size - All the above parameters, force,
mass, time, and seat sequencing, need to be considered when the system is applied to
an operating aircraft. A seat speed needs to be high enough to give a reasonable
separation distance between the occupant and the aircraft. At the same time, the
operating time needs to be short enough to move the person out of danger and allow all

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actions to take place. But as speed goes up and time goes down, the G force may
become excessive. Therefore, distance and time have to be balanced to provide a
system that will operate swiftly, provide adequate separation, and not impose an undue
G load on the seat occupant. This relationship is given in the following equation:

Distance = 1/2 * Acceleration * Time^2 + Speed (initial) * Time

[D = 1/2AT^2 + V(i)T]

Pilot size and weight - No discussion has been made about the occupant of the
seat. This is important since the mass of the pilot will ultimately have an effect on the
acceleration. There are three things determining the mass to be ejected and two of them
are essentially constant. These are seat mass, equipment mass, and pilot/occupant mass.
The seat mass is composed of the seat itself, any pyrotechnics that eject with it, the
survival kit, and the parachute.

These weights can vary greatly. For the Martin Baker H-7 seat as installed in the F-4
phantom they were as follows, seat = 193 pounds (88 kg), survival kit = 40 pounds (18
kg), and parachute = 20 pounds (9 kg). Looking at the McDonnell Douglas ACES II
seat, the seat weight drops to about 150 pounds (68 kg) with the other factors remaining
essentially constant. For seats used in some aircraft, weight is even less as the survival
kit may be deleted since the aircraft is only used for flight test or over land where
rescue is immediately available.

Equipment mass is what the pilot brings on board. The clothing worn by the
occupant does not count, however the G suit, torso harness, life preserver, and helmet
would. Depending on the aircraft and the occupant that may be 30-50 more pounds (14-
22 kg) of weight.

The pilot mass is the largest variable since the seat mass will be determined by the
aircraft and the equipment mass determined by the mission. When preparing for the
addition of women pilots, the United States Air Force revised its pilot weight data and
found a 5th percentile pilot to be a weight of 103 pounds (47 kg) and a 95th percentile

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pilot to be 205 pounds (93 kg). This difference in mass will produce a significant
difference in the forces involved

Pilot position and seat actuation - As noted above, wind blast is a factor during an
ejection. From the beginning, efforts were made to keep limbs and the head in place
during the ejection event. The first step was using the inertia reel straps and having
the pilot lock the harness prior to activation of the seat. As seats became more
automatic, gas pressure from seat activation was used to retract and lock the reel. This
helped to ensure the hips and torso were tight against the seat.

The head and arms received attention next. Seats designed on both sides of the
Atlantic settled on the face curtain as a means of seat activation and protection for the
occupant. Hands grasped a set of handles mounted at the top and pulled down. The
extended curtain helped hold the head back and gave some wind blast protection. The
arms were also tight against the body and, with muscles under tension, less likely to be
out of position. A similar idea was the use of the center pulls handle. By grasping in a
two-hand grip, the hands and arms are again inside the body and protected from wind
blast. The final option is the side firing levers. Some designers feel that moving the
hands up to a face curtain or into the center for the handle wastes valuable time.
Therefore, side firing handles put the hands and arms in an anatomically stable position
and also reduce reaction time when the need to eject arises.

The final appendages to consider are the legs and feet. Some seats, such as the
Escapac and ACES II, attempt to passively control them through the use of high sides
that keep the knees together and prevent the legs from abducting. Martin - Baker and
Stencel have favored the use of a strap and garter assembly that attaches to the aircraft,
passes through pulleys attached to the seat, and connects to the ankle of the occupant.
As the seat moved up the rails, the cords tighten and pull the feet and legs into the
bottom of the seat.

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6. THE WORKING OR EJECTION SEQUENCES

A typical ejection sequence includes the following functions which occur

generally in the order listed below:

6. 1. Seat activation: Seats are activated through different methods. Some have pull
handles on the sides or in the middle of the seat. Others are activated when a crew
member pulls a face curtain down to cover and protect his or her face.

6.2. Canopy or hatch jettison: Prior to the ejection system launching, the canopy has
to be jettisoned to allow the crewmember to escape the cockpit. There are at least three
ways that the canopy or ceiling of the airplane can be blown to allow the crewmember
to escape:

• Lifting the canopy - Bolts that are filled with an explosive charge are
detonated, detaching the canopy from the aircraft. Small rocket thrusters attached on
the forward lip of the canopy push the transparency out of the way of the ejection path.
• Shattering the canopy - To avoid the possibility of a crewmember
colliding with a canopy during ejection, some egress systems are designed to shatter
the canopy with an explosive. This is done by installing a detonating cord or an
explosive charge around or across the canopy. When it explodes, the fragments of the
canopy are moved out of the crewmember's path by the slipstream.

• Explosive hatches - Planes without canopies will have an explosive hatch.

Explosive bolts are used to blow the hatch during an ejection.

6.3. Seat ejection/crewmember extraction: In modern ejection seat there is a two-

stage propulsion system for Seat ejection/ crewmember extraction. The catapult
remained as the initial booster to get the seat/man mass clear of the cockpit, while the
rocket motor came on line, once clear of the cockpit, to act in a sustainer mode. When
combined into a single unit, this propulsive element was termed the rocket catapult.

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6.4. Drogue parachute deployment: This small parachute is deployed prior to the
main parachute; it designed to slow the ejection seat after exiting the aircraft. Once out
of the plane, a drogue gun in the seat fires a metal slug that pulls the drogue parachute,
out of the top of the chair. This slows the person's rate of descent and stabilizes the
seat's altitude and trajectory. After a specified amount of time, an altitude sensor causes
the drogue parachute to pull the main parachute from the pilot's chute pack. At this
point, a seat-man-separator motor fires and the seat falls away from the crewmember.
The person then falls back to Earth as with any parachute landing.

6.5. Seat man separation: Test flights and operational experience showed that some
aspects could be safely automated. One of the main ones was the removal of the
occupant from the seat. Multiple methods have been used ranging from simple to
complex. The simplest is gravity. The lap belt and shoulder restraints are released and
the seat will drop away of its own accord. In some cases, this is assisted. The original
Escapac seat used a rubber bladder system and a bottle of nitrogen. When the time
delay expired, a bell crank rotated pulling retaining pins from the straps and puncturing
the bottle. High pressure gas inflated bladders in the bottom and back of the seat,
pushing the occupant away.

There was a small probability of collision following the split. Therefore, in later
versions of the seat, the gas assembly was replaced by a downward firing rocket at the
top of the seat to insure a positive separation distance.

6.6. Recovery parachute deployment and inflation: The altitude of parachute

deployment is an important issue. Above 10 000 feet there is insufficient oxygen in the
air (reduced altitude thins the air) to maintain consciousness. If the parachute opens too
high, the occupant may become hypoxic and pass out. To alleviate this problem, many
seats added a barostatic sensor to the parachute assembly. If below the preferred
height, chute deployment would occur without delay. If above the appropriate height, a
delay was initiated until the altitude conditions were met. One would think that the
delay would not be needed since supplemental oxygen could be included as a part of
the seat. However, masks can be ripped off by wind blast. Therefore, altitude
restrictions and opening the chute at the correct height is still important.

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6.7. Parachute Descent and Landing: This phase of the ejection sequence is critical
to the outcome of the entire process of escape and yet 90 per cent of all non-fatal
injuries associated with escape occur during landing. Although the techniques of
landing by parachute are easily taught and simulated by jumps from training towers,
the incidence of sprained or fractured ankles is estimated to be 50 per thousand
descents. The correct procedures for parachute landing are taught aircrew during
several phases of their training.

7. THE ACES II EJECTION SEAT

The Advanced Concept Ejection Seat (ACES) was designed to be rugged and
lightweight compared to earlier systems. It also was designed to be easy to maintain
and updatable.

It includes the following features:

• Electronic Sequencing and timing

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• Auto sensing of egress conditions

• Parachute reefing to control opening at all speed ranges
• Multi-Mode operation for optimum recovery of the crewman

The ACES II is a third-generation seat, capable of ejecting a pilot from zero-

zero conditions up to maximum altitude and airspeeds in the 250 knots (288 mph / 463
kph) range. The peak catapult acceleration is about 12gz. The ACES II have three main
operating modes, one each for the low speed/low altitude, medium speed, and high
speed/high altitude.

• Mode 1: low altitude, low speed - Mode 1 is for ejections at speeds of less
than 250 knots (288 mph / 463 kph) and altitudes of less than 15,000 feet (4,572
meters). The drogue parachute doesn't deploy in mode 1.
• Mode 2: low altitude, high speed - Mode 2 is for ejections at speeds of
more than 250 knots and altitudes of less than 15,000 feet.
• Mode 3: high altitude, any speed - Mode 3 is selected for any ejection at
an altitude greater than 15,000 feet.

Deployment is delayed by the sequencer until the seat-man package reaches

either Mode 2, or Mode 1 conditions, whichever comes first.

Seat modes are selected by the sequencer based on atmospheric conditions, and
the modes vary depending on differences in the conditions such as apparent airspeed
and apparent altitude.

7.1 Recovery Sequencing Subsystem

Seat functions are normally activated by the Recovery Sequencing Subsystem

which consists of the environmental sensing unit, and the recovery sequencing unit, an
electronic box located inside the seat rear on the right-hand side. The environmental
sensing unit consists of two altitude compensated dynamic pressure transducers, and
two static pressures transducers. The dynamic pressure sensor (pitot tubes) is located
on or near the headrest and read the air pressure as the seat exits the aircraft.

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The pressure differential between them and the ambient (static) sensors behind
the seat is compared by the recovery sequencing unit to determine what operating
mode the sequencer should select.

7.2 Ejection control handles

Firing of the seat is normally by pulling one of the ejection control handles
mounted on the seat bucket sides. (On ACES seats fitted to F-16s and F-22s the
ejection control handle is located in the center of the front of the seat bucket) The side
pull handles are mechanically linked so that raising one will lift the other as well.
Raising the handles actuates a pair of initiators via mechanical linkages.

7.3 Stapac Package

One particularly unique feature to the ACES II is the STAPAC package.

STAPAC is a vernier rocket motor mounted under the seat near the rear. It is mounted
on a tilt system controlled by a basic pitch-rate gyro system. This system is designed to
help solve one of the great problems inherent to ejection seat systems. Center of
mass/Center of gravity is extremely important in terms of keeping the thrust of the
booster rocket from inducing a tumble. Rocket nozzles for the main boost of a seat are
aligned to provide thrust through the nominal center of gravity of the seat-man
package. The STAPAC provides a counter force to prevent extreme pitching in cases
where the CG is off by up to +2 inches. The yellow flag is a safety pin preventing
accidental firing of the STAPAC.

7.4 Survival kit

Another unusual feature is related to the survival kit. In most ejection seats the
survival kit is a rigid fiberglass box that makes up the seat inside the seat bucket. The
ACES II survival kit is a soft pack that is stored under a fiberglass seat lid that is
hinged at the front. When the pilot separates from the seat, the straps that connect him
to the survival kit lift the seat lid up and forward. The seat kit then slips free from the
rear end.

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7.5 Inertia Reel Harness Assembly

The Inertia Reel Harness Assembly is located in the center of the seat back just
below the headrest. The inertia reel fulfills two functions: (1) it acts like the shoulder
belt in a car, restraining the pilot against a 2gx forward (-x) motion. (2) upon ejection,
it retracts the pilot to an upright posture to minimize the possibility of spinal damage
due to spinal misalignment upon catapult ignition. On the left side of the seat bucket
there is a handle which allows the crew member to manually lock the reel prior to
intense maneuvers or landing to prevent possible injuries.

7.6 Drogue System

The Drogue System consists of a hemisflo chute, a small extraction chute, and
the Drogue Mortar. The drogue mortar is fired in Mode 2 and Mode 3 to slow and
stabilize the seat-man package. This is intended to prevent or limit the injuries to the
crewmember as he/she is exposed to the windblast after exiting the aircraft. The mortar
fires a 1.2 Lb slug of metal that draws the extraction chute out which by means of a
lanyard deploys the drogue chute. The extraction chute is packed in a small wedge-
shaped container on the upper left rear of the seat covered with metalized fabric. The
lanyard is also covered in the metalized fabric. The drogue mortar is below this, and
the drogue is packed in the metal covered box below this. The lid to the drogue is
retained by a small plunger unit that is held in place by machining on the slug and
released when the mortar fires.

7.7 Safety Lever

The seat is made safe by means of a Safety Lever on the left side of the seat
bucket which prevents the seat from being fired when the lever is in the up/forward
position. When it is down/back flat against the side of the bucket, it allows the seat to
be fired.

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7.8 Emergency Manual Chute Handle

The Emergency Manual Chute Handle is located on the right-hand side of the
seat bucket, and functions to fire the main chute mortar and initiate seat separation in
case of failure of the electronic sequencer. Unlike other seats, the manual chute handle
is inhibited in the aircraft and prevents the systems from functioning while the seat is
still in the rails. In the event of ground egress, the crewman would have to unstrap the
two shoulder harness connections, the two seat kit connections and the lap belt prior to
egressing the aircraft. Given the 0-0 capability of the seat, in any case requiring
extremely rapid egress, ejection would be a viable alternative.

7.9 Emergency oxygen system

The emergency oxygen system consists of an oxygen bottle attached to the seat
back, an automatic activation lanyard, and a manual pull ring. As the seat rises up the
rails, the lanyard activates the oxygen bottle and allows the crewman access to oxygen
as long as he is still connected to the seat. During an in-flight emergency that does not
require ejection, the oxygen bottle provides breathable air for enough time to return the
aircraft to 10000 feet or below where the atmosphere is thick enough for the pilot to
breath.

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CONCLUSION

The ejection seat has evolved into a complicated system with subsystems. Seat
improvement has improved the odds of survival, and expanded boundary limits for
successful ejection. The ability of the seat to monitor environmental factors has
allowed better control inputs, improving seat stability. The incidence of ejection
injuries is reduced by employing a complex acceleration profile. The profile is
impulsive and of high amplitude at the beginning and end of the acceleration period,
while relatively smooth and of low amplitude during the interposed major time
segment.

The next generation of escape systems will use controllable propulsion systems
to provide safe ejection over the expanded aircraft flight performance envelopes of
advanced aircraft. Continued research will only enhance the capability of future
ejection systems. Current research efforts are being directed toward solving the
problems associated with high speed and high-altitude ejections. So, we can expect that
in the future more advanced ejection seats will evolve which will be safer and will save
many valuable lives.

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REFERENCE

1. www.howstuffworks.com
2. www.ejectionsite.com
3. www.showcase.netin.net/web/herker/ejection
4. www.fas.org

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