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The application of SEAT values for predicting how compliant seats with backrests influence vibration discomfort

The application of SEAT values for predicting how compliant seats with backrests influence vibration discomfort
The application of SEAT values for predicting how compliant seats with backrests influence vibration discomfort

The extent to which a seat can provide useful attenuation of vehicle vibration depends on three factors: the characteristics of the vehicle motion, the vibration transmissibility of the seat, and the sensitivity of the body to vibration. The 'seat effective amplitude transmissibility' (i.e., SEAT value) reflects how these three factors vary with the frequency and the direction of vibration so as to predict the vibration isolation efficiency of a seat. The SEAT value is mostly used to select seat cushions or seat suspensions based on the transmission of vertical vibration to the principal supporting surface of a seat. This study investigated the accuracy of SEAT values in predicting how seats with backrests influence the discomfort caused by multiple-input vibration. Twelve male subjects participated in a four-part experiment to determine equivalent comfort contours, the relative discomfort, the location of discomfort, and seat transmissibility with three foam seats and a rigid reference seat at 14 frequencies of vibration in the range 1-20 Hz at magnitudes of vibration from 0.2 to 1.6 ms-2 r.m.s. The 'measured seat dynamic discomfort' (MSDD) was calculated for each foam seat from the ratio of the vibration acceleration required to cause similar discomfort with the foam seat and with the rigid reference seat. Using the frequency weightings in current standards, the SEAT values of each seat were calculated from the ratio of overall ride values with the foam seat to the overall ride values with the rigid reference seat, and compared to the corresponding MSDD at each frequency. The SEAT values provided good predictions of how the foam seats increased vibration discomfort at frequencies around the 4-Hz resonance but reduced vibration discomfort at frequencies greater than about 6.3 Hz, with discrepancies explained by a known limitation of the frequency weightings.

Backrest inclination, Prediction model, Seat design
0003-6870
1461-1474
Basri, Bazil
1c02e405-c466-44a4-95c0-4f3d7cc28092
Griffin, Michael J.
24112494-9774-40cb-91b7-5b4afe3c41b8
Basri, Bazil
1c02e405-c466-44a4-95c0-4f3d7cc28092
Griffin, Michael J.
24112494-9774-40cb-91b7-5b4afe3c41b8

Basri, Bazil and Griffin, Michael J. (2014) The application of SEAT values for predicting how compliant seats with backrests influence vibration discomfort. Applied Ergonomics, 45 (6), 1461-1474. (doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2014.04.004).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The extent to which a seat can provide useful attenuation of vehicle vibration depends on three factors: the characteristics of the vehicle motion, the vibration transmissibility of the seat, and the sensitivity of the body to vibration. The 'seat effective amplitude transmissibility' (i.e., SEAT value) reflects how these three factors vary with the frequency and the direction of vibration so as to predict the vibration isolation efficiency of a seat. The SEAT value is mostly used to select seat cushions or seat suspensions based on the transmission of vertical vibration to the principal supporting surface of a seat. This study investigated the accuracy of SEAT values in predicting how seats with backrests influence the discomfort caused by multiple-input vibration. Twelve male subjects participated in a four-part experiment to determine equivalent comfort contours, the relative discomfort, the location of discomfort, and seat transmissibility with three foam seats and a rigid reference seat at 14 frequencies of vibration in the range 1-20 Hz at magnitudes of vibration from 0.2 to 1.6 ms-2 r.m.s. The 'measured seat dynamic discomfort' (MSDD) was calculated for each foam seat from the ratio of the vibration acceleration required to cause similar discomfort with the foam seat and with the rigid reference seat. Using the frequency weightings in current standards, the SEAT values of each seat were calculated from the ratio of overall ride values with the foam seat to the overall ride values with the rigid reference seat, and compared to the corresponding MSDD at each frequency. The SEAT values provided good predictions of how the foam seats increased vibration discomfort at frequencies around the 4-Hz resonance but reduced vibration discomfort at frequencies greater than about 6.3 Hz, with discrepancies explained by a known limitation of the frequency weightings.

Text
14736 BB-MJG 2014 Seating_comfort_and_SEAT_values - Accepted Manuscript
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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 6 April 2014
e-pub ahead of print date: 30 April 2014
Published date: November 2014
Keywords: Backrest inclination, Prediction model, Seat design
Organisations: University of Southampton, Human Factors Research Unit

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 406271
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/406271
ISSN: 0003-6870
PURE UUID: eb982cc3-ad12-4fae-bb17-4072cf424f46
ORCID for Michael J. Griffin: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0743-9502

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Date deposited: 10 Mar 2017 10:43
Last modified: 05 Jun 2024 19:17

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Contributors

Author: Bazil Basri
Author: Michael J. Griffin ORCID iD

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