31 / 2021-03-23 13:59:47

Development of a methodology for integrated performance analyses of anti-vibration gloves for controlling the hand-transmitted vibration

Hand-transmitted vibration; Anti-vibration gloves; performance evaluation

Special Sessions > Vehicle noise, vibration and harshness: Challenge and Solution Ⅱ

This study proposes a methodology for evaluating the integrated performance of anti-vibration (AV) gloves considering manual dexterity, distributed palm, and fingers vibration transmission, and grip strength preservation, which generally pose conflicting design requirements. The weights for the conflicting performance measures are identified for the given work conditions, classified in accordance with the frequency ranges of predominant tool handle vibration (low and high), as defined in ISO-10819 together with the assembly/disassembly tasks. An index of weighted measures is formulated for identifying the most desirable AV glove for the given work condition. The results showed the greatest weighting for the fingers vibration response for high-frequency vibration spectra. Higher weightings for palm vibration and muscle activity were obtained for low-frequency vibration spectra, while the weighting for manual dexterity increased when coupled with manual tasks. An integrated performance index is identified and applied to rank nine different AV gloves and a conventional glove with known individual performance measures for identifying the most desirable glove. The gel2, air2, and hybrid gloves showed superior integrated performance for high- and low-frequency spectra among the ten alternatives. The fabric and rubber gloves revealed the best integrated performance for the multiple tasks in conjunction with the low-frequency vibration spectrum.