Knowledge of Ejection Seat Systems

Introduction
"Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity, or neglect"

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

Human Behavior Considerations Risk Involved - Confidence In Machine

Economical Considerations

TYPES OF SAFTY SYSTEMS

ESCAPE SYSTEMS

EW
ECM MAWS(MISSILE APPROACH WARNING SYSTEM)

WEATHER RADAR COLLISION AVOIDENCE

TYPES OF ESCAPE SYSTEMS

Over Side Bail Out

Personal Chute Sys

Ejection Seat Sys Jettisonable Nose Escape Ejection Seat Capsule Escape Ejectable Cockpit Capsule

NEED FOR ESCAPE AID SYS

At speeds of 400 km/h or more dynamic force of air is very high (windblast)

Overcoming this force and abandoning aircraft not possible

At such high speeds little time for manual actions Also speed of aircraft is so high that chances of collision between ejecting pilot and aircraft tail is very high High g forces immobilize aircrew

Thus development of ejection seats

EJECTION SEAT

An ejection seat is a system designed to rescue pilot or other crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an explosive charge carrying pilot with it

EJECTION SEAT

Ejection seats are one of most complex pieces of equipment on an aircraft, and some consist of thousands of parts

Purpose of ejection seat : To lift pilot straight out of aircraft to a safe distance, then deploy a parachute to allow pilot to land safely on ground

EJECTION SEAT

It is meant to save life of pilot

It must help pilot to clear aircraft

It must get stabilized in air It must permit quick separation of pilot from seat Parachute must deploy at a set height

EJECTION SEAT
Ejection seats:
may be
gas powered rocket powered

may remove:
a single seat two seats a complete module

Ejection-seat Terms
Bucket - This is the lower part of ejection seat that contains survival equipment Canopy - This is the clear cover that encapsulates cockpit of some planes; it is often seen on military fighter jets Recovery sequencer - This is electronic device that controls sequence of events during ejection Drogue parachute - This small parachute is deployed prior to main parachute; it designed to slow ejection seat after exiting aircraft

Ejection-seat Terms
Catapult - Most ejections are initiated with this ballistic cartridge Rocket catapult - This is a combination of a ballistic catapult and an under seat rocket unit Egress system - This refers to the entire ejection system, including seat ejection, canopy jettisoning and emergency lifesupport equipment Environmental sensor - This is an electronic device that tracks the airspeed and altitude of the seat.

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

EJECTION SEAT- HISTORY

First ejection seats were developed during World War II by HEINKEL (Ger) and SAAB. Early models were powered by compressed air and first aircraft to be fitted with such a system was the HEINKEL He 280 prototype JET ENGINE FIGHTER in 1940 First live flight test of the Martin-Baker system took place on 24 July 1946, when fitter Bernard Lynch ejected from a METEOR MKIII JET

Types of Acceleration

Linear Accelerationreflects a change of speed in a straight line. This type of acceleration occurs during take-off, landing, or in level flight when a throttle setting is changed. Radial Accelerationis the result of a change in direction such as when apilot performs a sharp turn, pushes over into a dive, or pulls out of a dive. Angular Accelerationresults from a simultaneous change in both speed and direction, which happens in spins and climbing turns.

g-Forces - Gx
Gx is described as force acting on body from chest to back

+ Gx is experienced during take-off roll as throttle is advanced. This is force that pushes pilot back into seat as aircraft accelerates.
Gx is described as force from back to chest It is encountered during landing as throttle is closed. This force pushes the pilot forward into shoulder strap.

g-Forces - Gy and Gz
Gy - is a lateral force that acts from shoulder to shoulder, It is encountered during aileron rolls. Aerobatic pilots routinely encounter this type of G force and can still safely and precisely maneuver their aircraft. Gz - is a gravitational force that is applied to the vertical axis of the body. +Gz (positive) . It is experienced from head to foot This happens when a pilot pulls out of a dive or pulls into an inside loop. Gz (negative) travels from foot to head, and it is experienced when a pilot pushes over into a dive.

ESCAPE AID SYS: PHYSIOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS

Human body is a heterogeneous sys of solids, liquids & viscous elastic components

Each component has different response to acceleration forces

Hence max tolerance to g load dictated by component most severely affected Limits of accn load

MAX OF 5 g IN FIRST 0.1 s of ejection PEAK VALUE OF 25 g FOR 0.01 s RATE OF CHANGE OF ACCN NOT TO EXCEED 300 g/s

ESCAPE AID SYS: PHYSIOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS

Factors which limit tolerance level

Magnitude of accn Rate of change of accn Duration of high accn Direction of accn - Linear accn imp because high magnitude:
may exceed skeletal structure limits

Air blast effect

Force directly proportional to square of vel At 434 kts pr is 600 lbs/sq ft. Unprotected face can withstand this pr only for very short pd. Tear in facial tissues, numbing, etc will result

ESCAPE AID SYS: PHYSIOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS

High accn rate (say, 100g/s) even if acting for short time (say, 0.1sec) in axial dirn can cause skeletal damage

Statistics

Total successful ejections in IAF Spinal injury cases Other injuries Without injury Success rate of ejection below 500 ft

- 171 (plus) - 30% - 24.6% - 45% - 9%

Important aspects during ejection

Pilots posture Nature of seat, survival pack, Wind blast Seat stabilization

ESCAPE AID SYS: PHYSIOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS

Peak acceleration should not exceed 21 g and that this peak should not be held for longer than about 1/10th of a second Onset, or rate of rise of g should not be greater than 300 g per second In sustaining this acceleration, the body should be held in a position to ensure that adjacent spinal vertebrae are square to each other.

ESCAPE AID SYS: PHYSIOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS

To ensure that g came on relatively slowly and did not exceed first two conditions, a two-cartridge gun was designed, in which first cartridge started seat rising smoothly and second cartridge was fired by flame when uncovered by moving piston , building up pressure gradually to maximum required
To cater for third condition, sitting posture in seat was altered by rearranging footrests and by adoption of face screen method of firing seat In this method, firing handle was positioned above occupants head and attached to handle was a screen which, when handle was pulled forward and downward, completely covered occupants face. Advantage of scheme

occupant automatically assumed correct attitude by straightening his back and squaring up his spinal vertebrae, Screen afforded protection to face from air blast as seat left aircraft.

REQMT OF EJECTION SEAT

PHYSIOLOGICAL

Peak acceleration should not exceed 21 g and that this peak should not be held for longer than about 1/10th of a second Onset, or rate of rise of g should not be greater than 300 g per second In sustaining this acceleration, the body should be held in a position to ensure that adjacent spinal vertebrae are square to each other.

REQMT OF EJECTION SEAT

Complete sequence should be automatic Design sys should be safe through out flt envelope of a/c System should have very high reliability to ensure crew confidence

Size and wt of sys, in addn to thrust consideration must meet limitation of cockpit and allowable wt Suitable auto restraint sys to ensure correct posture of pilot
Avoid high accn

Economical

REQMT OF EJECTION SEAT

Seat must be stable in airstream over its entire speed range of op

To avoid limb injuries due to wind blast at high fwd speed seat must have effective leg and arm restraint mechanism Must have sensing devices to prevent untimely seat-man separation and dply of parachute
Seat must cater for oxygen supply for high alt ejection Seat structure should have adequate strength to withstand loads

REQMT OF EJECTION SEAT

Escape sys should incorporate canopy jettisoning sys with means for adequate separation between seat and the canopy at all speeds Must clear pilot off airplane without entangling in tail Should be adjustable to cater for varying pilot height Should provide adequate comfort and mobility to pilot during normal flying Must be easy to service and maintain

HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
Emergency understood but too many choices to decide Once an emergency is perceived it is to be evaluated

Various options evaluated

Decision taken as quickly as possible, more so at lower alt. Cases are on record, a pilot having declared an emergency, took considerable time before resorting to ejection.

HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
Recog of Emergency
Not an easy task
Control panel has a lot of instruments and gauges giving various data A continuous perception and integration of this info and a precise manipulation imposes heavy stresses on pilots Pilots attention may be concentrated on his task and ignores warning signals Actual perception of emergency situation is delayed That may prove to be critical in ejection

HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
Selection of choice based on personal experience
Tendency to overcome a sit by adopting a familiar choice rather than correct choice. (Knowledge Based Errors) i.e. In event of eng flameout , ejection may be preferable at times to relight

HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
ZEAL TO SAVE Pilot no doubt has great onus to save a/c But once he decides to eject, he must completely give up idea In his strong motivation to ctrl a/c upto last moment, he loses his life also Also trying to manoeuvre a/c out of inhabited area will only divert his concentration on overcoming emergency

HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
Professional pride

Having known emergency and aware of drill to overcome, a pilots ego interferes with quick decision and action
This attitude is more with senior pilots who have long experience on type of a/c

An overconfidence or complacency in his own ability is one of causes of failure to eject

MECH MALFUNCTIONING
This is involved in entire system and its subassemblies It may be a case of failure of Canopy to open or Main cartridge not firing or Pilot could get entangled due to improper strapping A thorough servicing standards will only reduce failures

HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
FEAR OF UNKNOWN.

Pilot feels more comfortable in cockpit. Due to poor indoctrination pilot is greatly biased on not resorting to ejections where he has misapprehensions on cartridge firing, parachute opening and ultimate location by rescue party. Besides adm repercussions he has to face, he is worried that adm action is primarily meant to find someone to blame rather than in fault finding.

Human inability

Aircraft in Spin

Pilot is unable to recover from spin, or he may try to eject when Aircraft is spinning.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

When ac is on fire, gases enter cockpit that may lead to suffocation of pilot.

Disorientation

This phenomenon occurs usually in night flying or when pilot has to fly in clouds with no visible ground marks for identification.

Human inability

Pilot in Panic Fear and anxiety are main cause of faulty ejection procedure Poor estimation of time by pilot leading to redundant or unnecessary actions. Adverse G Loads This occurs when aircraft is under heavy g loads. Pilot is unable pull main firing handle and in choosing to pull alternate firing handle, he may omit certain basic precautions. G LOC Pilot Incapacitated This may be due to bullet hits under enemy fire or bird hit or canopy inadvertently opening there by exposing pilot to intense air blast.

Measures to reduce ejection failures

A review of the ejections reveals that human factor is responsible for 50% of unsuccessful ejections. It is also obs that chances of successful ejection below 500 ft is only 9%. Following measures will improve rate of success

Conditioning of aircrew for early ejection. Each case is unique in itself. It must be realised that if a/c is crippled its loss is inevitable, but not that of pilot. It is purely prevailing cockpit conditions (of which the pilot is best judge) that decides issue. Hence early decision is required. Man vs machine aspects. Each a/c system has its own way of rescuing pilot. Seat is last resort, that too under most adverse conditions, hence it must be fully reliable, easily maint and simple in ops. System can be maint by thorough service standards. Suitable mods can be made if need be, with knowledge of past cases of ejection.
A better educative programme. Pilot must have sound practice on correct ejection drill. A realistic ejection trg can be given in a suitable rig, at regular intervals. Repetition of same sequence of acts makes response pattern relatively permanent.

Modes of operation

Modes of operation
Mode 1 operation
Low Speed Low altitude

Very critical
Time available very less Main parachute deployed imdly

Mode 2 operation
High speed Main parachute may break Drogue deployed imdt Speed reduced before

depy of main parachute

Modes of operation
Mode 3 operation
High altitude ejection

Drogue deployed to
stabilize seat Main deployed only after reaching 1000ft

Event
Time Sequence

PARTS OF EJECTION SEAT

DROGUE GUN
This line has attachment points on both sides of headrest which pull out a pair of clips. These clips release face curtain and parachute box retaining lines. Then the chute extraction line pulls out the main chute rip cord pins allowing pack opening spring to force flaps of parachute box open and launch parachute out to inflate. Drag from parachute overcomes friction of rest of connections between the crewmember and seat(all the 'hard' connections are released by the TRM) and pulls the crewmember off the seat. Parts such as the parachute container box, face curtain and overhead handle, and parachute box retaining straps, as well as seat itself continue on their merry way towards ground

DROGUE GUN
It is designed with a simple clockwork to fire after a second or two of delay from first seat motion to allow seat to clear structure and make sure drogue could be launched into clear air.
After delay, drogue gun fires a slug of metal that weighs about one pound into air with a cartridge. This physically, and violently rips drogue chute from its pack in headrest. Drogue chute inflates rapidly and slows seats forward motion, while stabilizing it vertically. Once TRM functions, drogue shackle which is attached to drogue chute lines is freed and pulls the main chute extraction line.

Ejection Gun and Guide Rail Assembly

Time Release Mechanism (TRM

TRM was designed to do several functions in two simple co-joined motions. It also functions with a basic clock mechanism that also has a short delay initiated by a trip rod attached to cockpit bulkhead second delay in it
This timer can be delayed by two possible mechanisms. One is a simple weight and spring mechanism that prevents it from functioning while the seat is decelerating too rapidly. In other words in a high speed ejection the timer delays activation for a fraction of time while the seat slows slightly. Then barostat inhibiter comes into play. Barostat is mounted on side of unit and by pressure differential determines if seat is above a preset altitude such as 10000 feet. This is to prevent seat separation to allow crewmember to descend to a warm, thicker atmosphere.

Time Release Mechanism (TRM

Then clockwork timer begins to work. Upon its expiration, strong springs drive a rod in the downward direction. Top portion retracts to release a 'scissor shackle' which releases drogue shackle and allows it to do its job. Lower end drives downward and releases by means of a torque tube inertial reel harness It also by a set of turnbuckle like links on torque tube releases seat kit and harness connections for lap belt as well as LEG RESTRAINERS

Barostatic Time Release Unit Barostatic Time Release Unit

2- DROGUE GUN

3- EJECTION GUN

WORKING OF EJECTION GUN

WORKING OF EJECTION GUN

Canopy Jettison
Canopy jettison equipment consisted of a unit bolted to rear of ejection seat guide rail and containing a canopy jettison breech, together with a one second delay mechanism. On pulling ejection seat firing handle sear of canopy jettison gun was withdrawn, cartridge detonated and gases passed through piping to the two canopy jettison jacks. Expanding gases forced pistons of jacks upward, first operating canopy locks and then raising canopy for airstream to carry it clear of aircraft.

Canopy Jettison
Under certain, it was possible canopy might not leave aircraft cleanly, even though it had been unlocked. This could give rise to ejected seat colliding with canopy and becoming entangled with it.

By providing an explosive canopy jettison system powerful enough to force canopy clear under all conditions, and by linking its operation to ejection seat firing handle,

DROGUE& MAIN PARACHUTES

SNUBBING UNIT & RESTRAINT MECHANISM

SEQUENCE OF OPERATION
Pre-ejection Pilot Leaving Aircraft Seat Stabilization and Pilot leaving seat Deployment of Main Parachute, safe Descent and landing

SEQUENCE OF OPERATION

Pilot recognizes emergency Weighs his options and Decides to eject Pulls firing handle Harness power retraction sys operates (Pilot in correct position for ejection) Canopy jettisoning gun fires next Ejection gun fires after a delay of approx 0.3 s Seat ascends rails, occupants leg pulled back Seat-a/c connections separated, drogue gun & BTRU sears withdrawn Emergency oxy sys and IFF txn automatically switched on in emergency mode Leg restraint end rivets snap free

SEQUENCE OF OPERATION

If canopy jettisoning fails, canopy breakers fitted on seat will break canopy for through canopy ejection Further movement of seat through static lines will initiate remote rocket pack which will augment upward thrust initially generated by ejection gun After a predetermined delay drogue gun fires and controller drogue is dply which in turn pulls out and dply main drogue, reducing fwd speed and stabilizing seat When ejection takes place above 6000 m a steadied free fall occurs At 6000 m BTRU op and after a delay of approx 2.0 s drogues, leg lines and harness are released from seat As drogue is pulled away it draws and dply main parachute and pilot safely descends onto ground
--CONTD

OPERATING SEQUENCE OF Mk.4 SEAT

1-Preparing to eject

2. -Face screen pulled to commence ejection sequence

OPERATING SEQUENCE OF Mk.4 SEAT

3- Canopy jettisoned

OPERATING SEQUENCE OF Mk.4 SEAT

4- Seat commences to eject, legs retracted, sear withdrawn from drogue gun. 5- Simultaneously the firing pin is withdrawn from time-release unit. 6- Half a second after ejection the drogue gun fires and the piston is ejected. 7- The line attached to the piston withdraws the drogues from the container.

OPERATING SEQUENCE OF Mk.4 SEAT

8- Stabilize seat and reduce its forward speed

9- When below 10,000 ft. and speed reduced sufficiently, time-release unit operates and scissor shackle opens.

OPERATING SEQUENCE OF Mk.4 SEAT

10- Pull of drogues is transferred to lifting lines and face screen and parachute are released from seat.

11- The combined harness and leg cords are released from the seat.

OPERATING SEQUENCE OF Mk.4 SEAT

12- Drogues deploy parachute occupant is lifted out of seat, seat falls freely.

13- Occupant makes a normal parachute descent

SEQUENCE OF OPERATION

7 6

FIRING HANDLE PULLED GUN FIRES EJECTION HARNESS POWER RETRACT SEAT ASCENDS ON LEG RESTRAINT CORDRAILS END SYS OP RESTRAINTS OP RIVETS SNAP FREE CORRECTED LEG PILOT POSTURE DROGUE GUN & BTRU GUN IF CANOPY JETTISONING AT6000 M BTRU OP CANOPY JETTISONING CONTROLLER DROGUE SEARS WITHDRAWN NOT OP BREAKERS COME LEG LINES, HARNESS & PULLS CONTROLLER DROGUE FIRES GUN DROGUE FIRES DPLY EMERGENCY OXY & IFF OP INTO PLAY DROGUE LINES RELEASED OUT MAIN DROGUE SEAT STABILISATION VEL ROCKET PACK INITIATED SHACKLE FROM FWD ARRESTED STARTS SEAT-MAN SEPARATION SEAT STABILISED MAIN PARACHUTE DRAWN OUT

5
4 1

CONCLUSION