The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Measuring vibration-induced variations in pressures between the human body and a seat

Measuring vibration-induced variations in pressures between the human body and a seat
Measuring vibration-induced variations in pressures between the human body and a seat

When measuring total dynamic forces between the human body and seats during vibration, variations in force over the buttocks and the thighs have previously been ignored. In this study, sensors in a pressure mat were calibrated by applying static and dynamic pressures through foam and calculating transfer functions between the applied pressures and the outputs of the sensors. This provided static calibration of individual pressure sensors and dynamic calibration of groups of pressure sensors. Measurements of dynamic pressures were used to calculate the vertical forces over the ischial tuberosities, middle thighs, and front thighs and compare with similar measurements obtained by another method. Dynamic calibration of the pressure mat reduced errors in the total dynamic force to 10% at frequencies less than 5 Hz and less than 30% at frequencies between 5 and 15 Hz. Recommendations are offered for measuring dynamic pressures between the human body and seats in vibration environments. Relevance to industry: Dynamic pressure distributions at seat interfaces influence sitting comfort during whole-body vibration. Understanding of the dynamic performance of pressure sensors and recommendations on calibrating and using pressure sensors in vibration environments can assist seat design and other situations where dynamic pressure measurements are of interest.

Pressure mat calibration, Static and dynamic human-seat interface pressures, Whole-body vibration
0169-8141
274-282
Liu, Chi
df69bf48-da73-46c1-a2df-fe8306b5688a
Griffin, Michael J.
24112494-9774-40cb-91b7-5b4afe3c41b8
Liu, Chi
df69bf48-da73-46c1-a2df-fe8306b5688a
Griffin, Michael J.
24112494-9774-40cb-91b7-5b4afe3c41b8

Liu, Chi and Griffin, Michael J. (2018) Measuring vibration-induced variations in pressures between the human body and a seat. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 67, 274-282. (doi:10.1016/j.ergon.2018.05.006).

Record type: Article

Abstract

When measuring total dynamic forces between the human body and seats during vibration, variations in force over the buttocks and the thighs have previously been ignored. In this study, sensors in a pressure mat were calibrated by applying static and dynamic pressures through foam and calculating transfer functions between the applied pressures and the outputs of the sensors. This provided static calibration of individual pressure sensors and dynamic calibration of groups of pressure sensors. Measurements of dynamic pressures were used to calculate the vertical forces over the ischial tuberosities, middle thighs, and front thighs and compare with similar measurements obtained by another method. Dynamic calibration of the pressure mat reduced errors in the total dynamic force to 10% at frequencies less than 5 Hz and less than 30% at frequencies between 5 and 15 Hz. Recommendations are offered for measuring dynamic pressures between the human body and seats in vibration environments. Relevance to industry: Dynamic pressure distributions at seat interfaces influence sitting comfort during whole-body vibration. Understanding of the dynamic performance of pressure sensors and recommendations on calibrating and using pressure sensors in vibration environments can assist seat design and other situations where dynamic pressure measurements are of interest.

Text
14822 CL-MJG 2018 Author accepted manuscript - Accepted Manuscript
Download (1MB)

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 17 May 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 27 June 2018
Published date: 1 September 2018
Keywords: Pressure mat calibration, Static and dynamic human-seat interface pressures, Whole-body vibration

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 422768
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/422768
ISSN: 0169-8141
PURE UUID: b969c7c0-64ce-46c4-b974-242bd1803fe8
ORCID for Michael J. Griffin: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0743-9502

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 03 Aug 2018 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 06:50

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Chi Liu
Author: Michael J. Griffin ORCID iD

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×