Integrated discomfort modelling of combined noise and vibration exposure in turbofan aircraft cabin

To address rising comfort expectations in turbofan aircraft cabins, this study developed a predictive model for multimodal discomfort from combined noise and vibration. The noise/vibration stimuli were generated based on recordings in front and middle cabins during taxiing and cruising and amplitude-modulated to four intensity levels. Using a 6-DOF vibration simulator replicating cabin dynamics, we exposed 26 participants to isolated and combined stimuli. Results revealed vibration attenuated noise discomfort in middle cabin during taxiing, while noise bidirectionally modulated vibration discomfort in middle cabin during taxiing or cruising and front cabin during cruising. Mutual inhibition neutralised cross-modal effects during peak taxiing conditions in middle section. Equivalence discomfort contours quantified the relative impact of each modality, identifying optimisation priorities. A multivariate regression model predicting combined discomfort from modality-specific inputs achieved high accuracy (adjusted R² = 0.819), providing an engineering tool for cabin environment design.