Biomechanical analysis of accurately and carefully placing an aerospace avionics box in restricted space

Abstract

The design of a spacecraft has many trade-offs to reduce its mass, which typically result in reduced work space for the installation of Line Replaceable Units (LRU). One common LRU in aerospace vehicles is the avionics box found in the space shuttle. To prevent damage to cold plates, the installation of these boxes requires designing for accurate and careful placement; yet there are no standards to follow nor studies to consider for designers concerning human limitations for installing boxes accurately and carefully. In the literature, there are an abundance of lifting studies; however, there are only a few studies that have placed a box in restricted space or on a target as a constraint. Of those studies, only three have looked at the biomechanics, and none of those studies have looked at factors affecting the Placement Control (accurate and careful placement) of a box on a target in restricted or unrestricted space. Thus, the focus of this study is to determine the biomechanical stresses and the human performance metrics for Placement Control (accurate and careful placement) of a box on target in restricted space.