Eventos Anais de eventos
COBEM 2023
27th International Congress of Mechanical Engineering
DEVELOPMENT OF AN APPARATUS FOR SIMULTANEOUS MEASUREMENT OF WHOLE-BODY AND HAND-ARM VIBRATION
Submission Author:
Mário Fedatto Neto , RS
Co-Authors:
Mário Fedatto Neto, Herbert Gomes
Presenter: Leonardo Roso Colpo
doi://10.26678/ABCM.COBEM2023.COB2023-0694
Abstract
The human body is exposed to vibrations during daily activities, which can represent health risks depending on the intensity range and exposure time. The vast majority of motor vehicles provide discomfort in work posture and long journeys tha may bring safety issues, thus reducing operational capacity. Furthermore, this condition is associated with the development of several adverse health consequences, including back and neck pain, cardiovascular arrhythmias, neuropathies, digestive problems, and, in the long term, even cancer. To carry out an assessment of Whole Body Vibration (WBV) and Hand-Arm Vibration (HAV), commercial devices with single measurement local contact points are usually used. Thus, more than one device or measurements in different times are needed to perform all the necessary measurements for a vibrational diagnosis. This can generate a mismatch of information/data to obtain a complete and accurate study of the case. To fill this gap and perform a complete and synchronous analysis at all points that affect the operator's health, an unprecedented and exclusive device was designed, developed, calibrated, and validated in field tests for the simultaneous measurement of WBV and HAV at multiple points (floor, seat, backrest and steering wheel). For its construction, three seat pads and one hand pad were produced, encapsulating triaxial accelerometers for the characterization of the collected vibration values, at a high data acquisition rate. In the calibration phase, the equipment was taken to a shaker, and tests were carried out at different vibration frequencies, comparing the developed equipment to a previously calibrated commercial one. To process the data during the tests, an exclusive program was developed using MATLAB software, which acquires, reads, interprets, decides according to international regulations and rules imposed, and finally prints the results in a document format. This way, it is possible to fully explore and formalize hypotheses regarding: WBV, HAV, comfort and health classification according to ISO 2631, SEAT transmissibility, and compression impact on the spinal column (SdA). After development, calibration, testing, and application, the efficiency and originality of this unique equipment designed and implemented have been proven, since this same analysis would be hindered with the use of only commercial equipment.
Keywords
Simultaneous Vibration Measurement Equipment, WBV, HAV, seat, ISO 2631
