Abstract
Objectives: To improve the ride comfort of the passenger car driver using an air-inflated cushion on top of the conventional polyurethane foam seat. Methodology: The acceleration between the base of the driver and the seat interface in a small passenger car is measured in all the three Cartesian directions for three different drivers each of different weights, on four different types of roads using SV106 Whole Body Vibration (WBV) measurement equipment. The car is driven at different speeds within the range of 20 kmph to 80 kmph on smooth road like highways and a limited maximum speed of 40 kmph on the other roads. The obtained results are used to calculate the percentage Seat Effective Amplitude Transmissibility (%SEAT) to estimate the ride comfort. Findings: The results proved that by using the air-inflated seat cushion placing over the polyurethane seat cushion has decreased the vibration that is transmitted to the driver and the ride comfort is enhanced rather than using only polyurethane foam cushion that is provided by the manufacturer. The air-inflated cushion used is of compartmental celled model which will not get deflated easily assuring comfort for a long period of safe drive. Keywords: Air-celled Cushion, Seat, Transmissibility, Ride-comfort, Whole Body Vibration.
Highlights
In the present-day scenario, cars have become the preferred means of transport since they offer independence, comfort, pollution-free ambience, and relative safety for the occupants
Many experimentations have been carried out to reduce the transmissibility of vibrations to the human body, especially the driver in the passenger cars the researches have suggested different ways and methods to increase ride comfort through attenuation of vibrations transmitted to the driver by using active or passive isolation system [5,6], but improvising the suspension system may only help in reduction of vibration exposure but the peak acceleration frequencies harmful to human bodies are still transmitted [7] and it is a costly affair
ISO 2631-1 has defined a range of vibration frequencies which are harmful to the human body where they are amplified and specified that the seat cushion characteristics significantly influence the transmissibility of vibrations
Summary
In the present-day scenario, cars have become the preferred means of transport since they offer independence, comfort, pollution-free ambience, and relative safety for the occupants. Base vibrations are created by the Poodipeddi Krishna Kiran and Maganti Pramila Devi road profile, especially at high car speeds, and are transmitted to the chassis of the car. These vibrations are modified by the seat frame and are partly absorbed by the cushion material on top of the seat. Reducing the exposure of human body to vibrations gives a comfortable ride as well as decreases the chance of getting ill This context has led the researchers to concentrate their studies on reducing the transmission of vibrations to occupants or drivers in automobiles to minimize the discomfort and improve the efficiency of driver [2]. The air filled cushion is modeled and simulated using a quarter car model with three degree of freedom
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