This study investigated the effect of the arm posture and the type of material on the vibration measured at the hands during drilling operation. An experiment was conducted using three different materials (concrete, steel, and wood) and two different arm postures characterized as 90° and 180° angle between the upper arm and forearm. Six male subjects stood on a force platform to measure and control the feed force during the drilling operation. The vibration was measured at the interface between the drill and both hands. The results showed that the effect of arm posture was dependent on the type of material being drilled. For example, drilling in concrete yielded higher frequency-weighted acceleration with the 90° arm posture than the 180° posture while drilling in wood showed an opposite trend. The results tend to suggest no correlation between the material hardness and the vibration at the hands. Higher vibration was also observed at the right hand than the left hand. It is recommended to not use the vibration emission data reported by manufacturers of power tools to evaluate incidences of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) but to rely on real measurements taken in the field under typical operating conditions.
VergaraMSanchoJLRodríguezP, et al. Hand-transmitted vibration in power tools: accomplishment of standards and users’ perception. Int J Ind Ergon2008; 38: 652–660.
2.
GriffinMJ. Handbook of human vibration. London: Academic Press, 1990.
3.
FridenJ. Vibration damage to the hand: clinical presentation, prognosis and length and severity of vibration required. J Hand Surg2001; 26: 471–474.
4.
DongRGDongJHWuJZ, et al. Modeling of biodynamic responses distributed at the fingers and the palm of the human hand-arm system. J Biomech2007; 40: 2335–2340.
5.
AldienYMarcottePRakhejaS, et al. Influence of hand-arm posture on biodynamic response of the human hand-arm exposed to zh-axis vibration. Int J Ind Ergon2006; 36: 45–59.
6.
MarcottePAldienYBoileauP-É, et al. Effect of handle size and hand-handle contact force on the biodynamic response of the hand-arm system under zh-axis vibration. J Sound Vib2005; 283: 1071–1091.
7.
AdewusiSARakhejaSMarcotteP, et al. Vibration transmissibility characteristics of the human hand-arm system under different postures, hand forces and excitation levels. J Sound Vib2010; 329: 2953–2971.
8.
RakhejaSWuJZDongRG, et al. A comparison of biodynamic models of the human hand-arm system for applications to hand-held power tools. J Sound Vib2002; 249: 55–82.
9.
DongRGWuJZWelcomeDE. Recent advances in biodynamics of human hand-arm system. Ind Health2005; 43: 449–471.
10.
ReynoldsDDAngevineEN. Hand-arm vibration, part 2: vibration transmission characteristics of the hand and arm. J Sound Vib1977; 51: 255–265.
11.
WelcomeDEDongRGXuXS, et al. An examination of the vibration transmissibility of the hand-arm system in three orthogonal directions. Int J Ind Ergon2015; 45: 21–34.
12.
KihlbergS. Biodynamic response of the hand-arm system to vibration from an impact hammer and a grinder. Int J Ind Ergon1995; 16: 1–8.
13.
KattelBPFernandezJE. The effects of rivet guns on hand-arm vibration. Int J Ind Ergon1999; 23: 595–608.
14.
CherianTRakhejaSBhatRB. An analytical investigation of an energy flow divider to attenuate hand-transmitted vibration. Int J Ind Ergon1996; 17: 455–467.
15.
XuXSWelcomeDEMcDowellTW, et al. An investigation on characteristics of the vibration transmitted to wrist and elbow in the operation of impact wrenches. Int J Ind Ergon2009; 39: 174–184.
16.
TaylorMMaedaSMiyashitaK. An investigation of the effects of drill operator posture on vibration exposure and temporary threshold shift of vibrotactile perception threshold. Vibration2021; 4: 395–405.
17.
BurströmLLundströmR. Absorption of vibration energy in the human hand and arm. Ergonomics1994; 37: 879–890.
18.
BurströmL. The influence of biodynamic factors on the mechanical impedance of the hand and arm. Int Arch Occup Environ Health1997; 69: 437–446.
19.
JandákZ. Driving-point mechanical impedance of the hand-arm system at exposure to stochastic vibration. In: Proceedings of the eighth international conference on hand–arm vibration, National Institute for Working Life, Umeå, Sweden, 1998.
20.
BurströmL. Measurements of the impedance of the hand and arm. Int Arch Occup Environ Health1990; 62: 431–439.
21.
ReynoldsDDFalkenbergRJ. A study of hand vibration on chipping and grinding operators, part II: four-degree-of-freedom lumped parameter model of the vibration response of the human hand. J Sound Vib1984; 95: 499–514.
22.
ISO 5349-1:2001. Mechanical vibration - Measurement and evaluation of human exposure to hand-transmitted vibration - Part 1: general requirements.
23.
BurströmLLundströmR. Mechanical energy absorption in human hand-arm exposed to sinusoidal vibration. Int Arch Occup Environ Health1988; 61: 213–216.
24.
GurramRRakhejaSGouwGJ. Mechanical impedance of the human hand-arm system subject to sinusoidal and stochastic excitations. Int J Ind Ergon1995; 16: 135–145.
25.
BesaAJValeroFJSuñerJL, et al. Characterisation of the mechanical impedance of the human hand-arm system: the influence of vibration direction, hand-arm posture and muscle tension. Int J Ind Ergon2007; 37: 225–231.
26.
LindenmannASchröderTGermannR, et al. Effect of high level grip-and push force and elevated arm posture on the zh-axis hand-arm impedance. Int J Ind Ergon2022; 92: 103375.
27.
EdwardsDJHoltGD. Construction hand tools: vibration emissions from alternative inserts. Build Res Inform2007; 35: 329–342.
28.
CoenenPFormanoyMDouwesM, et al. Validity and inter-observer reliability of subjective hand-arm vibration assessments. Appl Ergon2014; 45: 1257–1262.
29.
ChiadJSBdawiBAAbbedAJ. Study the effect of the foundation surface on the vibration data at the worker arm using drilling machine. Int J Adv Sport Sci Res2015; 3: 539–548.
30.
ISO 28927-5:2009. Hand-held portable power tools — test methods for evaluation 486 of vibration emission. Part 5: drills and impact drills.
31.
ISO 5349-2:2001. Mechanical vibration — Measurement and evaluation of human exposure to hand-transmitted vibration—Part 2: practical guidance for measurement at the workplace.
32.
AlphinMSSankaranarayanasamyKSivapirakasamSP. Experimental investigation to study the influence of handle diameter on low-frequency, hand-arm vertical vibration. Hum Factors Ergon Manuf2013; 23: 140–148.
33.
XuXSDongRGWelcomeDE, et al. Vibrations transmitted from human hands to upper arm, shoulder, back, neck, and head. Int J Ind Ergon2017; 62: 1–12.
34.
LiljelindIWahlströmJNilssonL, et al. Variability in hand-arm vibration during grinding operations. Ann Occup Hyg2011; 55: 296–304.
35.
McDowellTWWelcomeDEWarrenC, et al. The effect of a mechanical arm system on portable grinder vibration emissions. Ann Occup Hyg2016; 60: 371–386.
36.
NawaysehN. Effect of the seating condition on the transmission of vibration through the seat pan and backrest. Int J Ind Ergon2015; 45: 82–90.
37.
NawaysehN. Transmission of vibration from a vibrating plate to the head of standing people. Sports Biomech2019; 18: 482–500.
