Whole-body vibration: Characterization of seat-to-head transmissibility for agricultural tractor drivers during loader operation
Amandeep Singh, Siby Samuel, Yash Kumar Dhabi, Harwinder Singh
Abstract
The current study examines the tractor's vibration response during actual field loader operations. The study investigates the effect of vibration on the drivers' seat-to-head transmissibility (STHT) response. The tractor with a mounted loader was driven by nine (9) male tractor drivers during the experiment. The vibration levels were tested along three translational axes at the seat pan and the head. This study designed and implemented an Internet of Things (IoT) module for online data transmission to increase the efficiency of experimentation by eliminating potential causes of experimenter error. The data were examined using weighted root mean square acceleration (Aw), daily exposure A (8), signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios, power spectral density (PSD), and STHT. The vertical (z) axis dominated vibration exposure levels at the seat pan and head. The A(8) response was measured to be greater than the exposure action value limit of 0.5 m/s2 as specified by Directive 2002/44/EU. PSDs at the head and seat pan showed low-frequency dominating frequencies. In the 4–7 Hz and 8–12 Hz frequency bands, respectively, STHT showed primary and secondary resonance. The research's findings could be used by tractor designers and manufacturers to reduce high vibration amplitudes and important resonance frequencies to enhance ride comfort.