Whole-body vibration testing according to the ISO2631 standard

Introduction
Whole-body vibration is vibration transmitted into the human body when using heavy construction machinery like bulldozers or when traveling by bus or train. The vibration is transmitted via the supporting surfaces and depends on the persons position: Seated: legs, back and buttocks Standing: legs Recumbent: back and head Regular exposure to whole body vibration causes following health effects: Abdominal and chest pain General feeling of discomfort Reduced balance and motion sickness Spine problems The longer a person is exposed to the vibrating environment, the greater the risk of health effects. Measuring the whole-body vibration is a legal duty imposed by e.g. the european vibration directive 2002/44/EC and is required to be able to limit the daily exposure and vibration dose values.

Following products are concerned with whole body vibration: Buses, subway trains, locomotives, helicopters, trucks (tractor/trailer) Bulldozers and other earth moving machinery Power shovels, forklifts, cranes, wheel loaders

Measurement approach
Whole-body vibration is measured at all the supporting surfaces (floor, seat, back) and is measured in three orthogonal axes for each surface using a triax sensor. The measurement of vibration exposure can be divided into different stages: Measurement of the time signals of all acceleration channels. In case of standing and recumbent position this means 3 acceleration channels (X, Y, Z direction measured at the floor), in case of sitting position this means 9 acceleration channels (X, Y, Z direction each time measured at the floor, the back and the seat) The time signals are weighted with the appropriate time domain filters as specified in the ISO2631 standard: Wk for foot location of the seat Wd (X,Y) and Wk (Z) for seat location of the seat Wc for back location of the seat The vector sum for each location is calculated using the k-factors as specified in the ISO2631 standard: 0.25 for foot X and Y, 0.4 for foot Z 1 for seat X, Y and Z 0.8 for head X, 0.5 for head Y, 0.4 for head Z For all directions and for the vector sum, the weighted RMS values are calculated. For each vector sum, the weighted VDV (vibration dose values) are displayed and a color coding shows exceeding of the ISO standardized limits: Green = VDV below action value (9.1 m/s1.75) Yellow =VDV between action value (9.1 m/s1.75) and limit value (21 m/s1.75) Red = VDV above limit value (21 m/s1.75)

Industries and applications concerned

Measuring the whole-body vibration levels is a legal duty and needs to be done by the manufacturers of the products listed below, to limit the daily exposure. Following industries are concerned with whole body vibration: Manufacturing Construction Transportation Agriculture

Z Z Y Z X Y Z X Y Z X Y

Whole body vibration measures the acceleration levels in 3 directions at the foot, seat and back position. As an extention, also the steering wheel vibrations can be measured in the same run.

 In the different displays, one can see the following Time signals for all accelerations (for checking correctness of input signals) Real-time VDV values for every measurement location on the seat with color coding VDV values from last measurement Separate summary sheet with VDV values for every measurement location on the seat from last measurement Separate Validity sheet to check the validity of the data (complete measurement overview)

The LMS Test.Xpress solution for whole-body vibration testing

The LMS Test.Xpress system consists of a measurement front-end (LMS SCADAS Mobile SCM01 or SCM05) and the LMS Test.Xpress analyzer software. The LMS Test.Xpress Human Body Vibration Filters apply the ISO2631 time domain filters to the incoming vibration signals. Those filters are available both online as well as offline in case of post processing raw data. The number of channels can go from 4 to 40, thus allowing: Measurement of all directions from all the triax sensors in one run Combination of whole-body ISO2631 with hand-arm ISO5349 measurements Measure extra channels (speed, temperature, noise, ) Later in-depth analysis of the measurement data as all time signals are saved The Vibration Dose Values (VDV) are calculated and displayed in real time and a color coding clearly indicates exceeding of the exposure and/or limit values as specified in the ISO standard. At the end of the measurement, embedded MS Office reporting allows to finish the report on the spot. The whole measurement and reporting is controlled by use of a simple toolbar, and as all critical settings are blocked by a password there is no risk for errors or unwanted changes.
Summary sheet for the VDV values from the last measurement. Online visualisation with monitoring of the time signals, real-time VDV values with colour coding and VDV values from the last measurement.

Supported standards for whole-body vibration

The LMS Test.Xpress system supports the following WBV standards: ISO 2631-1 ISO 2631-2 ISO 2631-3 ISO 2631-4 General requirements Whole Body Vibration in Buildings Motion sickness Whole Body Vibration in Transport

Validation sheet showing the time signals for the complete measurement, allowing to quickly detect drop-outs or overloads on specific channels.

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