In an effort to understand the vibration-induced injuries incurred by manual workers, mechanical models are developed and used to predict the biodynamic responses of human body parts that are exposed to vibration. Researchers have traditionally focused on the arms and hands, but there has been only limited research on finger modeling. To simulate the accurate response of a single finger, a detailed mechanical model based on biodynamic finger measurements is necessary. However, the development of such models may prove difficult using the traditional one-point coupling method; therefore, this study proposes a new approach. A novel device for single-finger measurements is presented and used to expose the finger to a single-axial broadband excitation. The sequentially measured responses of the different finger parts are then used to identify the parameters of a multibody mechanical model of the index finger. Very good agreement between the measured and the simulated data was achieved, and the study also confirmed that the obtained index-finger model is acceptable for further biodynamic studies.
The biodynamic response method is increasingly being used to study the human hand-arm system and vibration-induced injuries that affect the hand. Most measurements are made in the dominant forearm direction of excitation, but recently research has turned to multi-axis measurements as well as excitation. This study looks at a new instrument handle that measures the biodynamic responses at the palm and the fingers in multiple directions and, at the same time, removes the need to stop the test and change the orientation of the handle. In addition to the biodynamic response, the sensors inside the handle are able to measure the static push and grip forces simultaneously and therefore remove the need for an additional force plate or force sensor at the handle base, which is typically used to measure the push force. The apparent mass of the handle was measured in order to determine the usable frequency range of the system. Additionally, the apparent mass distribution along the hand was investigated and it was found that the apparent mass distribution along the hand varies with frequency.
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