Investigation of the Effects of Whole-Body Vibration Exposure on Vehicle Drivers when Travelling over Covered Manholes Embedded in Public Roadways

Abstract

The study investigated the whole-body vibration (WBV) levels that people riding in the vehicle are exposed to while passing through the manhole covers subsidence of passenger cars. In this context, vibration measurements were made with a passenger car at different speeds on two separate road sections with a bump with a known geometry in the middle. With the help of these data obtained, a vehicle dynamic model was calibrated, and vehicle responses were digitized. WBVs were dynamically simulated at 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10 cm manhole depths at one-to-one and five-to-one transition slopes on before and after manhole passes. The simulated vibrations were produced by increasing ten units at speeds between 10 and 50 km/h in these criteria and evaluated the effects of ride speed on WBV. Within the scope of the study, vertical vibration data were characterized and evaluated with the help of frequency weighted root-mean-square acceleration (aw), vibration dose value (VDV), and equivalent static compressive stress (Se) parameters defined in ISO 2631. The analysis found that many passes through the manhole at ride speeds of 40 km/h and above at depths of 7.5 cm and above, potential health risk occurs in the human body.