Evaluation of the Accelerations Transmitted to the Tractor Driver’s Whole-Body During Agricultural Operations at Different Tire Inflation Pressures
摘要
Agricultural tractor drivers are generally exposed to impactful physical agents, such as vibrations and noise, which can have consequences on the driving comfort and safety, and above all on their health. Current Italian regulation require the employer to evaluate all risks deriving from the exposure to said agents in order to identify and adopt adequate prevention and protection measures. This work reports the results of tests aimed at observing how the variation of tyre inflation pressure affects the whole-body accelerations transmitted to the tractor’s driver during transfers at different speed and on different surfaces (asphalt, gravel road and headland) and during soil primary tillage (ploughing and harrowing). The tests were carried out on a 4WD high-power tractor (205 kW) with tires set at three different inflation pressures. Vibration levels were measured using a B&K triaxial accelerometer positioned on the seat, orienting the three axes as required by ISO 2631-1:1997, connected to an eight-channel “Soundbook” signal acquirer/processor with “Samurai” software for subsequent data processing. The graphics and statistical data processing provided significant indications on the trend of the vibration levels transmitted as a function of the test conditions examined.