Title: A contribution to the investigation of simultaneous random translatory vibrations on human fatigue from the physiological standpoint

Authors: M. Demic

Addresses: Zavodi 'Crvena Zastava', OOUR 'Zastava razvoj', 34000 Kragujevac, Yugoslavia.

Abstract: In using vehicles, man is subjected to the influence of the vibratory environment. This influence may be represented by a system of random functions. The studies performed so far on the effect of oscillatory loads on the fatigue of man are in most cases based on monitoring the effects of one of the components of harmonic oscillations (e.g. the vertical or lateral components, etc.). More recent efforts are aimed at exploring phenomena of fatigue in subjects exposed to random vibrations. It should be noted that the results obtained so far are relatively scarce, relating to individual actions of the component of translatory accelerations. An attempt is made in the present paper to define more closely the behaviour of man subjected to random oscillations by way of monitoring translational oscillatory loads on the waist during the process of stationary normal walking on a group of 35 subjects. The investigation carried out indicates that man subjected to the simultaneous action of translational oscillatory loads tolerates the vertical oscillations better than the lateral and fore-and-aft oscillations up to about 3 Hz. Between approx. 3 and 6 Hz the fore-and-aft oscillations are tolerated better than the vertical oscillations, whereas between 3.5 and 5 Hz the lateral oscillations are tolerated better than the vertical oscillations. Above 6 Hz man tolerates the vertical oscillations better than the fore-and-aft oscillations, and above 5 Hz the same is true for the vertical and lateral oscillations, respectively. The result obtained maybe used for the purpose of proposing the standards for the assessment of the effects of simultaneous action of the translational random oscillatory loads on the fatigue of man.

Keywords: human fatigue; random translatory vibration; oscillations; physiological effects; vehicle vibration.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.1987.061205

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 1987 Vol.8 No.4/5/6, pp.391 - 399

Published online: 25 May 2014 *

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