CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF AN AIRCRAFT TO MATCH THE MISSION PROFILE OF A MOBILE HOSPITAL FOR HUMANITARIAN SERVICE
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Date
2010-06
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Millions of people worldwide are unable to access medical care due to poverty and geographic isolation. Some locations, although being overpopulated, do not possess the infrastructure to find a solution to the ongoing medical problem. It is the objective of this thesis to design an aircraft capable of performing the mission profile of a flying hospital, thus providing life-saving treatments to these populations. The extensive equipment needed to sustain medical missions creates unique challenges in aircraft design, which are addressed by a systematic design build-up that uses the mission specifications as the main driver and therefore creates an aircraft specific to the mission. Aeronautical design of commercial aircraft must accommodate the crew, passengers, and baggage: However, the mobile hospital additionally requires operating, treatment, and recovery rooms. This specification brings with it a unique payload requiring weights and volumes atypical of most aircraft. The size of the aircraft needs to be chosen carefully in order to carry the necessary equipment while still maintaining the aircraft aerodynamically capable of servicing small, rough fields in the outskirts of places like Africa. Such requirements led to the design of a 413,000lb aircraft capable of servicing runways as short as 4,500ft in length. A surgical suite featuring 260 square ft has been installed inside along with recovery and clinical areas. It has been estimated that a medical crew of 25 will be able to service deprived areas, helping up to 8,000 patients in a given 21-day mission. Ultimately, the solution is only a small step in the huge stride that is providing medical help to the impoverished areas of the world. Yet, the MedWing Project looks to do its part in creating a better world as well as in inspiring others to step up and work with and in the humanitarian field.
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Keywords
hospital, aircraft design, humanitarian, mobile hospital