This paper reports on the development of an active seat suspension system to reduce the terrain-induced whole-body vibration to which operators of off-highway vehicles are exposed.
A literature review of the effects of prolonged exposure to whole-body vibration, in terms of health risks and reduced productivity, is presented.
The specifications for an active seat suspension system, based on acceleration measurements on forestry vehicles, are outlined.
The design of the system, which consists of a hydraulic actuator, electrohydraulic valve, accelerometer and microprocessor controller, is presented. laboratory evaluations of the system, using field data fed into a shaker stand, are discussed.