Energy absorbing aircraft seat frame structure

In a framing system for supporting a plurality of seats in a multi-passenger seating unit which has both lateral and fore and aft support means for supporting seat cushion means, said seating unit including front and rear support leg members attached at their upper ends at spaced locations to fore and aft located portions of said support means so that said upper ends will be maintained at a fixed distance from each other, said front and rear support leg members having their lower ends connected to each other by a connecting member and to a seating track on the floor by at least one track fitting member which includes locking portions which are adapted to engage complementary shaped openings in said seating track;

• said seating unit being characterized in that said front and rear support leg members are bent into a generally "U" shape with the leg portions of each "U" being divergent from each other and with the outer surface of the bend portion of the "U" of one support leg member being in engagement with the outer surface of the bend portion of the "U" of the other support leg member;
• said front and rear support leg members each, respectively, having the upper and lower leg portions thereof directed generally forwardly and rearwardly;
• means for maintaining the front and rear leg support members in engagement with each other at their bend portions;
• and a curved die member mounted in contact with the curved inside surface of the forward facing bend of the front support leg member, said curved die member serving to guide and control the bending movement of the upper and lower leg portions of said front support leg member toward one another when a sufficient downward and forward force is applied to said seating unit to cause the upper and lower ends of said front support leg member to move toward each other.