Prediction of vehicle discomfort from transient vibrations

Vehicle manufacturers are continuously seeking to improve vibration comfort. In this paper, subjective responses from transient vibrations in a forklift were analyzed on the basis of ISO 2631-1 and a number of additional variables. The objectives were to define: the effect of different operating conditions and appropriate background variables of subjects on perceived motions; the development of model that describes perceived discomfort as a function of measured vibrations; and important frequencies for prediction of vibration discomfort. The experiment was based on 12 different operating conditions defined by the variables: vehicle speed, obstacle height and load conditions. Eleven professional drivers participated and their responses of overall discomfort were defined by a vector sum of three perceived motions: shaking, for-aft and up-down motions. The evaluation method, maximum transient vibration value as defined in ISO 2631-1 was found to be adequate in predicting vibration discomfort during a four second transient vibration exposure. By analysis of narrow frequency band spectra of vibrations several explanations for the test results are discussed. The best results were obtained using a prediction model based on accelerations in 1/3-octave bands of pitch vibrations. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.