A Model-Based Approach to the Knowledge and Data Management of Aircraft Cabin Retrofitting

To keep aircraft cabins up to date and in mint condition during the aircraft's typical service life of up to 30 years, they are replaced, partially or completely, every 5 to 7 years. This so-called cabin retrofit is usually carried out by specialized organizations that plan, design and install the new cabins in the existing aircraft. Even if the aircraft type is known, previous retrofits and the continual maintenance of each specific aircraft result in individual states of each of them. This means that accurate information on the current condition of the aircraft must be manually collected to ensure that the new cabin fits seamlessly into the existing aircraft. Because the retrofit organization is typically neither the aircraft manufacturer nor its operator and because the aircraft is still in service and literally flying around the world, access to the asset itself is limited. Instead, general knowledge and specific information about the aircraft to be modified must be combined to create a holistic view. Today, this is done by manually going through a multitude of documents, starting with standard manuals and, in particular, the documentation of previous aircraft modifications. This is time-consuming and prone to errors.

This work addresses this scenario by digitizing common knowledge and generic information and combining it with specific information and documents to create a digitally accessible knowledge base. It is built on a model-based definition of generic and specific aircraft representations, including links to the individual documents from which this information originates and which contain further details. The dataset is then transferred into a graph database that allows further processing and easy interaction. An access tool in the form of a customized user interface provides engineers with a convenient way of accessing this knowledge base and thus the relevant knowledge, information and documents. An overarching process, which is integrated into the existing retrofit process, to iteratively create and extend the knowledge base complements this model-based approach.

The process and its tools are applied to a case study that includes a mock-up of the aft section of an Airbus A320, which represents the real asset to be retrofitted with new components. Based on this application to the case study, the developed approach is evaluated and assessed together with industry experts.