The Transmission Of Translational Floor Vibration To The Heads Of Standing Subjects

Abstract The head motions of standing subjects have been measured while they were exposed to floor vibration occurring in each of the three translational axes: fore-and-aft, lateral and vertical. While exposed to fore-and-aft floor vibration, the 12 male subjects were instructed to stand in two postures: holding a handrail in front of them lightly; and holding the handrail rigidly. During exposure to lateral floor vibration subjects stood in three postures: feet together, feet 30 cm apart and feet 60 cm apart. The postures investigated during exposure to vertical floor vibration were: straight legs (i.e., locked), legs very slightly bent (i.e., unlocked) and legs bent. Variability within and between subjects (i.e., intra- and inter-subject variability) was investigated for all axes of excitation and all postures. Transmissibilities between the floor and the head were calculated for all conditions. During exposure to fore-and-aft floor vibration, the head motion occurred mostly in the mid-sagittal plane; a rigid grip on the handrail resulted in higher transmissibilities than a light grip. During exposure to lateral floor vibration, the head motion occurred mainly below 3 Hz and in the lateral axis; the 60 cm foot separation resulted in more head motion below 3 Hz than the other postures. During exposure to vertical floor vibration, head motion occurred principally in the mid-sagittal plane. For frequencies below about 5 Hz, a legs bent posture resulted in the highest transmissibilities, while a legs locked posture showed the lowest motion; this order was reversed at higher frequencies. Differences in transmissibility as large as 20:1 occurred between subjects for some conditions.