A study on the reduction of uncertainty in the measurement of power tool vibration

Abstract

To increase accurateness and reliability of the evaluation of power tool vibration transmitted to an operator, it is necessary to measure the grip and feed forces during the measurement of hand-transmitted vibration. In the study a system was invented to measure the vibration and the grip and/or feed force, which consists of a measurement handle and a PC with a data acquisition system and the corresponding software. Strain gages and an accelerometer were mounted on the handle surface for the simultaneous measurement of the forces and the vibration. The program in the system makes it possible to monitor the grip and feed force during the tool operation so that the operator keeps the applying forces within the pre-determined range. Investigating the vibration total values, frequency-weighted root-mean-square accelerations at the handle, obtained in repetition for each power tool with control of the grip and feed force showed more consistency than those measured without force control. By using the system the experimenter can reduce uncertainty in measurement of hand-held power tool vibration.