Whole body vibration of the midibus driver with different seating condition

The current study focused on the vibration through the seat of the midibus with different seating conditions to evaluate the comfort of the driver. The vibration dose value (VDV) was the parameter studied with different anthropometric characteristics (mass, stature and BMI) of six male drivers. The seating conditions considered for the study were no backrest (NB), backrest with 90° (B90), backrest with 110° (B110) and backrest with 130° (B130). The test was conducted on a typical highway segment at a constant speed of 40kmph. The VDV on the seat and backrest in all directions (x, y &z) were calculated based on the vibration signal. The statistical significance of VDV of the seat and backrest was carried out using a statistical tool - "Wilcoxon signed rank" test. The correlation of anthropometric data with VDV was evaluated using a "Karl Pearson" correlation technique. The experimental results showed that at B130, the dynamic response of the body to vibration was severe in the x-direction as the resonance frequency varied from 0.92Hz (at NB) to 2 Hz (at B130). It was found that at B90 the ride comfort was good with the lesser VDV of as 3.12m/sec1.75 when compared to the B110 and B130.