Comfort Assessment in Urban Air Mobility Vehicles

Abstract

Electric-powered flight is a promising solution to carbon emissions in aviation. Although still not feasible for mass transport, small-scale urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles already proved their feasibility for short-range missions. Their ancestor in terms of operational capabilities, the helicopter, is also known for high vibrational levels. While UAMs usually feature relatively small or slow rotors and/or propellers, meaning that dominant Nb/rev vibrations are expected to be of lower amplitude and higher frequency, they operate in conditions similar to those of helicopters. Besides, most UAMs are of unconventional architecture, which could lead to unanticipated vibrational issues. This work discusses how comfort assessment in UAMs may be approached by presenting a modular and versatile simulation environment.