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Abstract

Elastomeric materials are commonly used as the padding of anti-vibration gloves for damping purposes. This study investigates the use of a breathable 3D knitted padding for vibration isolation in anti-vibration gloves. Sixteen (16) knitted fabric samples with different spacer structures, silicone inlay patterns, and inlay materials are produced to evaluate their effect on vibration transmissibility for a frequency range of 0-1000 Hz according to ISO13753:2008. The samples with the spacer structure that shows the best vibration isolation performance are made into the paddings for an anti-vibration glove which is then compared with four commercially available anti-vibration gloves in terms of vibration transmissibility based on ISO10819:2013. The results show that a thicker spacer structure with a larger number of needles in between the tuck stitches and inlaid with silicone hollow tubes can better isolate vibration. The vibration isolation performance of the 3D knitted fabric padded glove outperforms two commercially available gloves, though it falls short of the certified options. The findings show the possibility of using 3D knitted fabric as padding for anti-vibration gloves. However, further improvements to the glove and fabric design are needed to enhance the function and effectiveness of the glove. The development of lightweight breathable knitted padding can promote the wearing comfort of anti-vibration gloves which benefits the workers using vibrating hand tools and advances the development of personal protection equipment.

Keywords

Anti-vibration glove vibration transmission spacer fabric inlay knitting padding

Introduction

Anti-vibration gloves are a type of personal protective equipment that are worn to protect the hands when using vibrating hand tools, such as chainsaws, impact drivers, road breakers, ballast machines, etc. These gloves play a crucial role in reducing the risk associated with prolonged exposure to hand-arm vibrations, which have significant implications for human health.^1–4 The hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) is a condition marked by tingling, numbness, and hand pain in its early stages. As the condition progresses, there could be a loss of hand sensation and dexterity, thus culminating in irreversible full neurological damage and a significant reduction in hand function.^5,6 A study showed that construction workers in South Africa did not play much attention to hand protection and over 71% of the respondents reported at least one HAVS.⁷ Even in a well-developed country, the UK, there are over 215 new cases of HAVS reported in 2023.⁸ To prevent HAVS, using tools designed to produce less vibration, reducing the exposure time on vibrating hand tools, and having regular breaks during work could help. However, those solutions could be limited by the working progress and condition. A pair of anti-vibration gloves could be a simple and direct method to isolate vibration transmission.

The materials used for the palm of anti-vibration gloves to isolate vibrations are typically elastomeric materials, foam, resilient gel, air bladder, or chloroprene rubber. The vibration isolation properties of materials can be influenced by their stiffness, natural frequency characteristics, and damping attributes.⁹ The vibration isolation materials are usually air and moisture-impermeable, and the palm has the largest sweat gland density. Prolonged use of gloves with substantial thickness can lead to heat and moisture accumulation and hand fatigue, thereby causing discomfort to the wearers. Additionally, thicker and softer gloves may inhibit the grasping and controlling of hand tools, thus introducing potential safety risks.^10,11 Balancing the glove thickness, softness, and vibration isolation properties is crucial for optimal comfort and function of the glove.¹²

Spacer fabrics, known for their unique three-dimensional (3D) structure, are ideal as materials for vibration isolation. 3D knitting refers to the production of 3D-shaped garments or 3D structured fabrics directly from yarn.¹³ Characterized by a distinct sandwich-like structure that comprises two surface layers connected by spacer yarns, spacer fabrics have good compression and elastic properties which make them an ideal alternative to traditional cushioning materials. The properties of weft-knitted spacer fabric can be adjusted to accommodate different applications by manipulating the structural components, such as the surface yarn arrangement,^14,15 elasticity of the inlay,^16,17 tuck pattern, and characteristics of the connective spacer yarns. Spacer fabrics are a better option than elastomeric materials with their good breathability, moisture transfer, and air permeability which can enhance wear comfort.^18–23 Recent studies adopted 3D knitting in high-performance apparel, composites, energy harvesting, fabric sensors, and actuators.^24–27 For vibration isolation, spacer fabrics allow certain movements within their 3D structure and thus prevent the rapid transfer of energy that would typically occur in a solid structure. This movement effectively dissipates and dampens the vibrational energy, thus reducing resonance effects. Previous studies have observed that an increase in spacer fabric thickness results in a decrease in resonance frequency.^28,29 The vibrational energy is absorbed by the deformation and frictional resistance of the spacer yarns. However, balancing high compression strength to support the fabric structure during usage and low stiffness for vibration isolation and energy absorption within the spacer fabric can still be challenging.

Inlay knitting is a technique in which supplementary materials are integrated into knitted fabric to modify its mechanical properties.^30–32 The fabric thickness and compression behaviour can be changed by inlaying elastic yarn into the surface layers of spacer fabric.³³ The inlaying of silicone tubes into spacer fabric creates a novel 3D knitted fabric with enhanced compression properties and energy absorption ability.^34–36 The silicone tubes are inlaid into the connective structure by using miss stitches as a long float of yarn or front and back tuck stitches to form a zig-zag pattern inside the spacer fabric. Previous studies demonstrated the application of the spacer fabric with inlays in insoles, buoyant swimwear, and apparel.^37–40 We showed in our previous studies that spacer fabric inlaid with hollow silicone tubes can better isolate vibration of higher magnitude than that without an inlay and showed the feasibility of this novel structure.^41,42 However, the limitation of our previous work is that we have not examined the effect of the spacer structure of 3D knitted fabric with a silicone inlay on vibration transmissibility. Furthermore, the performance of anti-vibration gloves that use this 3D knitted fabric as the padding remains unclear. Silicone is viscoelastic and has good damping properties for absorbing and dissipating vibration energy. The difference in spacer structure greatly influences the mechanical properties. The presence of silicone tubes in the connective layer of the spacer fabric creates a complex network that affects the mechanical behaviour of the structure and could probably further enhance the isolation of vibration. Therefore, this study hypothesizes that the different silicone materials and ways of inlay at different spacer structures can significantly affect the vibration transmissibility of the 3D knitted fabric. Consequently, anti-vibration gloves utilizing the 3D knitted fabric with silicone inlays as padding will demonstrate superior performance in isolating vibrations, thereby offering enhanced protection and comfort to the wearer.

This study continues our work and conducts an extensive investigation of the impact of the spacer structure, inlay pattern, and silicone tube materials of 3D knitted fabric on vibration transmissibility. Three-dimensional knitted fabric with an inlay is used as the padding for an anti-vibration gloves to examine its ability to isolate vibration during a practical application. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of fabric parameters on vibration transmissibility and the effectiveness of using 3D knitted fabrics which have better air and moisture permeabilities and wear comfort as a vibration isolation material for anti-vibration gloves.

Methodology

Spacer fabric samples

Sixteen (16) knitted samples were used to investigate the knitting parameters including the: (1) spacer structure, (2) silicone inlay pattern, and (3) inlaid tubular materials to determine their ability to isolate vibration (Figure 1). The samples were fabricated by using a v-bed flat knitting machine (10 gauges, SWG091N210G, Shima Seiki, Japan). The samples use the same surface yarn (450D 3-ply 100% polyester draw textured yarn + 140D 100% spandex yarn) and spacer yarn (polyester monofilament with a diameter of 0.12 mm). The surface layers were knitted with a single jersey structure. Among the samples, three spacer structures with different connection patterns were adopted. The different spacing between the tuck stitches of the spacer yarn can affect the thickness and compression properties and could be a factor influencing fabric vibration transmissibility. Therefore, considering the machine gauge and resultant thicknesses of the samples, three spacer structures were designed. In Structure A, the spacer yarn was used to form the front and back tuck stitches which were alternated every 3^rd needle, and six courses were used to complete a repeat of the spacer structure with a tuck stitch by each needle. The front and back tuck stitches of the spacer yarn were created every 4^th needle with eight courses in a repeat and every 2^nd needle with four courses in a repeat for Structures B and C respectively. In each structure, three samples with different silicone inlay patterns, and one sample without the silicone inlay were produced. Silicone hollow tubes which have 1 mm in diameter and 0.5 mm in the diameter of the hollow was used. Inlay 1 consisted of a silicone tube that was inlaid by using all miss stitches to form a long float of yarn in the connective layer and the inlay was inserted into every four repeats of spacer courses. Inlay 2 is similar to Inlay 1 but a silicone tube was inlaid into every six repeats of spacer courses. Inlay 3 has a different inlay pattern. The silicone tube was used to form the front and back tuck stitches for every 5^th needle and the inlay was inserted into every four repeats of spacer courses. The different ways of inlay could provide different reinforcement to the 3D fabric structure and could be a factor affecting the vibration transmissibility. Four samples were made by using silicone foam rods which are 1 mm in diameter as the inlay material for comparison with the corresponding samples made with silicone hollow tubes. The texture, stiffness, and tensile strength of silicone foam rods are different from silicone hollow tubes making it a potential factor impacting the vibration transmissibility of the fabric.³⁵ The details of the samples are listed in Table 1. The first letter of the sample number denotes the spacer structure while the following number denotes the silicone inlay pattern. The letter F indicates the use of a silicone foam tube instead of a silicone hollow tube as the inlay material.

Figure 1.

3D knitted samples with three different spacer structures, three silicone inlay patterns and two types of tubular inlay materials.

Table 1.

Details of 3D knitted fabric.

Sample no.	Spacer structure	Inlay materials	Inlay pattern	Fabric thickness (mm)	Cross-sectional view
Sample no.	Spacer structure	Inlay materials	Inlay pattern	Fabric thickness (mm)	Horizontal direction	Vertical direction
A-0	A		No inlay	4.3 ± 0.2
A-1	A	Silicone hollow tube	Inlay inserted into every 4 repeats of spacer courses as float yarn	5.7 ± 0.1
A-2	A	Silicone hollow tube	Inlay inserted in every 6 repeats of spacer courses as float yarn	5.3 ± 0.1
A-3	A	Silicone hollow tube	Inlay inserted into every 4 repeats of spacer courses with front and back tuck patterns	5.7 ± 0.5
B-0	B		No inlay	5.2 ± 0.2
B-1	B	Silicone hollow tube	Inlay inserted into every 4 repeats of spacer courses as float yarn	8.5 ± 0.5
B-2	B	Silicone hollow tube	Inlay inserted in every 6 repeats of spacer courses as float yarn	7.7 ± 0.6
B-3	B	Silicone hollow tube	Inlay inserted into every 4 repeats of spacer courses with front and back tuck patterns	7.9 ± 0.3
C-0	C		No inlay	3.0 ± 0.1
C-1	C	Silicone hollow tube	Inlay inserted into every 4 repeats of spacer courses as float yarn	3.6 ± 0.1
C-2	C	Silicone hollow tube	Inlay inserted into every 6 repeats of spacer courses as float yarn	3.5 ± 0.1
C-3	C	Silicone hollow tube	Inlay inserted into every 4 repeats of spacer courses with front and back tuck patterns	4.2 ± 0.3
AF-1	A	Silicone foam rod	Inlay inserted into every 4 repeats of spacer courses as float yarn	5.3 ± 0.1
BF-1	B	Silicone foam rod	Inlay inserted into every 4 repeats of spacer courses as float yarn	6.6 ± 0.1
CF-1	C	Silicone foam rod	Inlay inserted into every 4 repeats of spacer courses as float yarn	3.5 ± 0.0
AF-3	A	Silicone foam rod	Inlay inserted into every 4 repeats of spacer courses with front and back tuck patterns	5.3 ± 0.1

Evaluation of vibration transmissibility of 3D knitted fabrics

The vibration transmissibility of the 3D knitted fabrics was evaluated in accordance with ISO 13753:2008 -Method for measuring the vibration transmissibility of resilient materials when loaded by the hand-arm system. The experimental setup can reflect the condition that the material is gripped by hand when using vibrating hand tools which aligns with the application as padding of anti-vibration gloves (Figure 2). The samples were prepared in a circular shape with a diameter of 90 mm. A vibration generator (513-B, EMIC Corporation, Japan) connected with a random signal generator (SF-05, Rion, Japan) and a power amplifier (371-A, EMIC Corporation, Japan) was excited by a wide-band random signal with a frequency range of 20-1000 Hz and excitation magnitude of 1 m/s². A flat square platform was fixed onto the vibration generator and an accelerometer (a₁) was placed at the centre of the platform. The fabric samples were then placed on the platform during testing. A cylindrical load mass (with a weight of 2.5 kg and diameter of 90 mm) which is equivalent to the pressure exerted when materials are gripped by the hand as specified in ISO 13753:2008 was placed on top of the samples. Another accelerometer (a₂) was positioned at the top and centre of the load mass. The two accelerometers were connected to a fast Fourier transform (FFT) analyser (CF-9200, Ono Sokki, Japan) for examining the vibration transmissibility (T) in terms of the magnitude of the frequency response by using the following frequency response function (FRF):

T = 20 \log_{10} | \frac{A_{2}}{A_{1}} |

where, A₁ and A₂ are the Fourier transforms of a₁ and a₂, respectively. The transmissibility represents the fraction of the applied excitation transmitted through the fabric samples to the part are being protected. FRF characterises the steady-state response to the input signals and the magnitude of FRF indicates the amplitude of the output signal compared to the input signal.

Figure 2.

Vibration transmissibility evaluation of 3D knitted fabric samples.

Anti-vibration glove use

Glove samples

The glove samples are shown in Figure 3. Four types of anti-vibration glove samples that are purchased in stores, G1, G2, G3 and G4, are used as a basis for evaluation. The four glove samples were chosen to represent different designs and types of anti-vibration that are commonly used and easily found in the market. The properties and design features of the commercial glove samples have been studied previously in.^43,44 G1 is made of artificial leather with patched chloroprene rubber on the palm and polyester mesh fabric on the dorsal. G2 is a pair of nylon/cotton knitted fabric gloves coated with chloroprene rubber with small rectangular patterns on the palm side. G3 is made by applying chloroprene rubber between two layers of artificial leather laminated with knitted fabric on the palm and a thin polyester mesh fabric on the dorsal. G4 is a multi-layer structure with an outer layer of cow leather and an inner layer of knitted fabric, and chloroprene rubber and polyurethane foam were laminated in between on the palm. The glove thickness at the palm of G1, G2, and G3 is 5.81 mm, 6.36 mm and 8.25 mm, respectively. The thickness of the palm of G4 varies between 7.76 and 19.27 mm. Amongst the four gloves, G3 and G4 are certified ISO 10819:2013 and JIS-T8114:2007 anti-vibration gloves, respectively.

Figure 3.

Five anti-vibration glove samples.

G1 was used as the reference sample with GN, the 3D knitted padding. GN was constructed with a polyester spandex mesh knitted fabric for the dorsal side, artificial leather for the palm side and Velcro tape at the wrist for donning the glove. On the inside of the glove, several pockets were sewn at the fingers and palm areas to insert the 3D knitted padding. The paddings were cut into shapes matching the pockets, simply put inside the pockets, and fastened by the Velcro tapes. The padding could be therefore easily changed and replaced. The 3D knitted fabrics that have the structure to best isolate vibration were used to fabricate the padding. The padding was trimmed so that it could be inserted into the pockets and two layers of paddings were used.

Vibration transmissibility evaluation of gloves

The vibration transmissibility of the glove samples was evaluated in accordance with ISO 10819:2013– Measurement and evaluation of the vibration transmissibility of gloves at the palm of the hand. The testing method is commonly used for certifying anti-vibration gloves for hand protection during the use of vibrating hand tools. Five participants, two females, and three males, took part in the vibration transmissibility test. They ranged from 20 to 35 years old (mean = 24.1, SD = 4.1), and their average weight and height are 65.9 kg (SD = 15.1 kg) and 175.4 cm (SD = 8 cm), respectively. All of the participants are right-handed, with no history of upper limb injuries, and do not have any wounds on their hands and upper limbs. The length of their hand was required to be within the range of 18-19.5 cm to fit into the medium (M) size glove samples. They were given an overview of the study and provided written consent before the commencement of the experiment. The experiment was conducted in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Human Subjects Ethics Committee of the Kyoto Institute of Technology (approval no.: 2020-05) on Mar 2020.

The glove vibration transmissibility testing system is presented in Figure 4. Similar to the vibration transmissibility test for fabric, the vibration generator is connected to a signal generator and a power amplifier excited by a wide-band random signal with a frequency range of 20-1000 Hz and an excitation magnitude of 1 m/s². A handle was adhered to the vibration generator, which contained a pair of feed force sensors and a pair of grip force sensors. The force sensors were connected to a computer to show the force measurement on a continuous basis which would ensure that the grip and feed forces were maintained at 30 ± 5 N and 50 ± 8 N respectively throughout the testing. An accelerometer (a₁) was placed in the centre of the handle while another accelerometer (a₂) was placed in an adapter which was placed on the palm under the glove during testing. The measurements from the two accelerometers were processed by using the FFT analyser to obtain the vibration transmissibility. The participants donned all of the glove samples along with a bare hand condition in random order. During the testing, the participants clasped the handle with the adaptor which contained the accelerometer, maintained their forearm along the axis of the vibration, bent their elbow and wrist at an angle of 90° ± 15° and 0 to 40°, respectively, and maintained the required grip and feed forces. Each glove sample was subjected to three consecutive tests which were each 30 seconds in length as specific in the testing standard. The participants were given a break for 3 to 5 minutes between each test. The total time that each participant held the vibrating handle was less than 1 hour each day, which is within the exposure limit value. The bare-hand condition was used for transmissibility correction to compensate for the frequency response of the adapter held in the palm. In the bare-hand condition, the participants directly clasped the adaptor and the handle and perform the same posture, gripping, and feeding as the gloved condition. The glove vibration transmissibility was divided by the corresponding transmissibility values for the bare-hand condition.

Figure 4.

Vibration transmissibility evaluation of anti-vibration gloves.

Results and discussion

Vibration transmissibility of 3D knitted fabric

Effect of spacer structure

The vibration transmissibility of the 3D knitted fabric samples is explained by using FRF. When the magnitude of the frequency response is lower than 0 dB, the vibration is absorbed or isolated by the fabric samples. A lower frequency response denotes more vibration is being isolated by the fabric samples. On the other hand, when the magnitude of frequency response is above 0 dB, the vibration is amplified. Comparisons of the impact of the three types of spacer structures, Structures A, B, and C, on vibration transmissibility are presented in Figure 5. Regardless of the inlay pattern, the effect of the spacer structure is consistent, and the vibration transmissibility differences between the three spacer structures are significant. Structure B best isolates vibration followed by Structure A and then Structure C. Structure B also has the widest damped frequency bands.

Figure 5.

Vibration transmissibility at 0-1000 Hz of 3D knitted fabric samples: (a) without inlay, (b) with Inlay 1, (c) with Inlay 2 and (d) with Inlay 3.

The spacer structure is varied through the location of the front and back tuck stitches of the spacer yarn and hence the inclination angles of the spacer yarn with the surface layers. The thicknesses of the samples significantly change. Structure B forms the thickest fabrics with the thickest connective layer. The relatively longer monofilament yarns across the fabric height are more flexible which reduces the rigidity of the fabric and favours the damping of vibration. On the other hand, the monofilament yarns in Structure C hold the surface layers close together to form a relatively compact fabric that does not facilitate the damping of vibration.

Effect of inlay pattern

The silicone tubes inlays create a complex structure of pathways for the vibration energy. The multiple interfaces and material changes could dissipate the energy. When examining the effect of the inlay pattern on vibration transmissibility, the impact is not consistent among the different spacer structures (Figure 6). It is observed from Figure 6 that the curves of FRF of some samples are very similar. In order to examine the significance of the differences between samples with different inlay patterns, ANOVA was used to evaluate the differences in the first natural frequencies between samples. The data are normally distributed. Significant differences are found among the samples with different inlay patterns for all three structures. However, in the Sidak pairwise comparison, no significance can be found on the first natural frequency between the pair of A-0 and A-2, B-1 and B-2, C-0 and C-1, C-0 and C-2, and C-1 and C-2s which aligns with the observation from Figure 6.

Figure 6.

Effect of vibration transmissibility at 0-1000 Hz of 3D knitted fabric samples based on inlay pattern: (a) Structure A, (b) Structure B and (c) Structure C.

Inlay 2 does not have a significant impact on Structure A which shows a similar frequency response across the tested frequency range as the sample without any inlay. Inlay 1 which has inlaid silicone tubes at a higher density can help to lower the magnitude of the frequency responses of the sample with Structure A which results in better vibration isolation. As for Structure C, no inlay, and Inlays 1 and 2 show similar frequency responses across the tested frequency range. In a thin compact structure, the influence of the inlaid silicone as a float yarn in vibration transmissibility is limited. However, when the silicone is inlaid with a tuck pattern with Inlay 3, the silicone tubes affect the connective structure and significantly increase the fabric thickness by 32% and 40% compared to Structures A and C without an inlay, respectively. The thicker, silicone tuck pattern inlaid spacer structure contributes to the enhancement of the vibration isolation of the samples fabricated by using Structures A and C.

However, the effect of the inlay differs for the spacer fabric with Structure B. All three types of inlay patterns can help to lower the magnitude of the frequency response, thus resulting in a lower natural frequency and showing a positive effect on vibration isolation. However, the effect of the different inlay patterns is similar with Inlay 2 being only slightly better. A less dense silicone inlay can provide a certain compression of the fabric structure with an increment in thickness and also retain the softness of the fabric which makes Inlay 2 slightly better than Inlay 1 in isolating vibration. The insertion of the inlay material significantly lowers the natural frequency, especially in B-2, indicating that the inlay plays a role in reducing the stiffness of the fabric in the thickness direction. The insertion of the inlay has the effect of increasing the thickness of the fabric and reducing its stiffness. An increase in insertion density can cause an increase in thickness but also simultaneously increase the stiffness. The findings also showed that the inlay pattern can have different effects on the vibration transmissibility of fabric with different spacer structures. The silicone inlaid with a tuck pattern effectively improves the vibration isolation of thinner structures with fewer needles between the tuck stitches of the spacer yarn and fewer courses in a repeat of the spacer structure. For a thicker structure with a higher number of needles between the tuck stitches of the spacer yarn and more courses in a repeat of the spacer structure, the impact of the silicone inlay is significant for all three types of inlay patterns. Therefore, optimization of the density of the inlay layer, fabric thickness, and stiffness is probably one of the issues to be addressed for vibration isolation enhancement.

Effect of inlay materials

The vibration transmissibility of the samples made with two types of inlay materials, silicone hollow tubes, and silicone foam rods, are compared and shown in Figure 7. Regardless of the spacer structure, samples inlaid with silicone hollow tubes usually have a lower frequency responses across the tested frequency range than the samples inlaid with silicone foam rods. For Inlay 1, the difference is more significant for samples made with Structure B than those made with Structures A and C. It is also observed that the fabric thickness difference caused by the inlay materials are more significant on Structure B with a 1.9 mm difference than on Structures A and C with differences of only 0.4 mm and 0.1 mm respectively. Structure B is a relatively thick structure and has a thick connective layer. The tension from the inlay materials could easier to bring a contraction on fabric width, increase the fabric thickness, change the fabric stiffness and hence the vibration transmissibility. The silicone hollow tube has a higher tensile strength than the silicone foam rod and hence can bring larger contraction to the fabric width and promote the vibration isolation capability. On the other hand, Structures A and C are more condensed structures. The impact on the tension of inlay materials is not significant to them. When looking at Structure A, the difference in magnitude of the frequency response between the two inlay materials is more obvious in Inlay 3. In Inlay 3, the inlay material forms a zig-zag pattern which is in a direction more aligned with the vibration transmission direction. Therefore, the impact of the inlay material is more significant. The silicone hollow tubes and silicone foam rods have different tensile and compression properties³⁵ which could be factors that affect the resultant vibration transmissibility of the fabrics. The hollow nature allows the silicone tube more flexible in compressing and deforming to absorb energy and reduce the amplitude of the vibration. The silicone hollow tubes are a better option as an inlay for enhancing the vibration isolation of the fabric.

Figure 7.

Vibration transmissibility at 0-1000 Hz among 3D knitted fabric samples inlaid with silicone hollow tubes and silicone foam rods with (a) Structure A-1, (b) Structure A-3, (c) Structure B-1 and (d) Structure C-1.

Vibration transmissibility of glove

As Structure B has the best performance in vibration isolation amongst the three spacer structures, the five fabric samples with Structure B, that is, B-0, B-1, B-2, B-2, and BF-1, were used to fabricate the paddings for the designed anti-vibration gloves, which are labelled as GN-B-0, GN-B-1, GN-B-2, GN-B-3 and GN-BF-1 respectively. The vibration transmissibility of the glove samples with the 3D knitted padding and the commercial gloves are presented in Figure 8. As there is a constant resonance at around 750-800 Hz caused by the test set-up and amplified in the gloved condition, frequency responses up to 700 Hz are used for comparison.

Figure 8.

Vibration transmissibility at 0-700 Hz of (a) glove samples with different 3D knitted paddings (GN-B-0, GN-B1, GN-B2, GN-B-3 and GN-BF-1) and (b) commercial glove samples, G1, G2, G3 and G4, and the optimal GN glove (GN-B-2).

The results of the 3D knitted padded gloves are in agreement with the vibration transmissibility of the fabrics (Figure 8(a)). Expect for GN-B-2, the gloves started to isolate vibration from an excited frequency of 400 Hz with a frequency response below 0. GN-B-0 and GN-BF-1 have a similar vibration transmission behaviour which further confirms that an inlay with silicone foam rods inserted into spacer fabric does not significantly increase vibration isolation. GN-B-3 showed a slight reduction in frequency response from 450 to 700 Hz compared to GN-B-0 while the reduction is more significant for GN-B-1 and GN-B-2. The silicone tubes inlaid as float yarn can better isolate vibration when used in spacer fabric with Structure B. Amongst the 3D knitted padded glove samples, GN-B-2 can provide vibration isolation at a larger frequency range and higher magnitude which is also in agreement with the results of the fabric vibration evaluation.

The four commercial gloves showed significantly different vibration transmissibility. G4 is the best amongst the commercial gloves followed by G3 and then G2. G1 not only cannot isolate vibration well for a frequency of 0-600 Hz but even amplifies the vibration at a frequency of 250-600 Hz. This shows that the vibration isolation ability of anti-vibration gloves in the market varies, protects the hand and isolates vibration at different levels and frequency ranges. However, not much information about the vibration ability of the commercial gloves is available. Consumers can only know whether the glove is a certified one or guess the protection level based on the thickness of the glove. The vibration transmissibility of GN-B-2 is then compared to that of the four commercial gloves. Although GN-B-2 cannot provide vibration isolation as well as G3 and G4, it is better than G1 and G2. This indicates the vibration isolation function of the gloves that contain 3D knitted fabric as padding is comparable to that of some of the anti-vibration gloves in the market. However, further improvements in the padding and glove design are recommended to enhance the vibration isolation performance. The use of knitting for padding production is flexible in altering the properties by applying different knitting patterns and materials. There are still rooms and many possibilities for enhancement in vibration isolation performance. The soft and light weight of the 3D knitted structure could help to improve the comfort of wearing. Although 3D knitted fabric has much better air-permeability and breathability than elastomeric materials due to the porous interlooping structure, the impact of using the 3D knitted padding in anti-vibration on the improvement of comfort during actual practice has not been explored. It is suggested to carry out in future studies to support the development of an all-rounded anti-vibration glove.

Conclusion

The importance of developing materials with advanced vibration properties has been acknowledged for occupational safety, particularly the design and creation of anti-vibration gloves. This study has investigated the vibration transmissibility of various 3D knitted fabrics with spacer structures and silicone inlay and of anti-vibration gloves with paddings made of these fabrics. Based on the results, it is found that a thicker spacer structure with a larger number of needles in between the tuck stitches can enhance vibration isolation. The effect of the inlay pattern varies in the different spacer fabric structures. An inlay of silicone hollow tubes can have a positive effect on vibration isolation. However, the effect of using silicone foam rods as the inlay is not significant. The results of the vibration isolation of the developed anti-vibration gloves which use 3D knitted fabrics as padding are in agreement with that of the vibration transmissibility of the corresponding fabrics. The 3D knitted fabric used to pad gloves can better isolate vibration at a frequency range of 0-700 Hz as opposed to two of the anti-vibration gloves obtained in the market but fall short of the two certified anti-vibration gloves.

This study identified how the fabric parameters of the 3D knitted fabrics influence the vibration transmissibility and show the vibration isolation function when used as a padding of anti-vibration gloves. It demonstrated the possibility of using a 3D knitted fabric to replace the unbreathable elastomeric materials. The insufficient protection information for the current anti-vibration gloves is also noticed. The consumers can benefit if the protection frequency range and the corresponding vibration hand tools of the anti-vibration gloves can be provided. The outcomes form an important step for the development of anti-vibration gloves and advanced knitting technology. However, there are some limitations in this study. As the sample gloves have different designs and material combinations, the resultant vibration transmissibility of the glove could be affected by both. However, the method of using the 3D knitted padding in anti-vibration gloves and the design of the glove are not investigated. Besides, the influence of the developed padding and gloves on hand dexterity, wear comfort, and experience is not examined in this study. Therefore, it is suggested that future studies can be carried out on the glove design, development of the 3D knitted fabric together with the physiological and psychological responses of users towards the paddings and gloves through conducting wear trial for a longer period and with different experimental settings corresponding to various industrial applications. A simulation model on the complex 3D knitted fabric is also recommended to further understand the behaviour of the entire structure. The ultimate goal of a comfortable and effective anti-vibration glove for hand protection during work could then be achieved.

Footnotes

Declaration of conflicting interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the JSPS Kakenhi (23K12682) and the Start-up Fund from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Ethical statement

ORCID iD

Annie Yu

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Evaluation of anti-vibration properties in work gloves using novel 3D knitted padding

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Methodology

Spacer fabric samples

Evaluation of vibration transmissibility of 3D knitted fabrics

Anti-vibration glove use

Glove samples

Vibration transmissibility evaluation of gloves

Results and discussion

Vibration transmissibility of 3D knitted fabric

Effect of spacer structure

Effect of inlay pattern

Effect of inlay materials

Vibration transmissibility of glove

Conclusion

Footnotes

Declaration of conflicting interests

Funding

Ethical statement

ORCID iD

References