Effects and Characteristics of Cushion Covering Membranes

The present paper reports a portion of a rather comprehensive study of the transmission of forces to the human body through pads of various types and specifications (Chow, 1974). The basic objective of such pads is, of course, to impart the necessary forces without causing damage to the human tissue. Problems commonly arise in the case of handicapped individuals who are unable to shift their bodies so as to alter the force distribution with sufficient frequency to prevent tissue damage in the form of decubitus ulcers. Although the force transmission problem was considered in a general and fundamental way, particular attention was given to the special case of transmitting body weight to a seat cushion.