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Abstract

The present work analyzes the subjective responses of people exposed to transient vibrations caused by systems with a single degree of freedom. In this context, the main objective of the research was to identify the main effect of vibrations on people's well-being at work (in particular on vessels crew) and to discover those frequencies that lead to the greatest discomfort. In order to achieve this goal, 12 laboratory experiments were carried out involving ten male subjects in good health, aged between 28 and 42. The variables of the vibratory system considered are: acceleration (4.8 ÷ 8.6 m/s¡2), amplitude (1 ÷ 3.7 mm), frequency (4 ÷ 10 Hz) and exposure time (10 and 30 min). At the end of the experiments, it was found that half of the subjects abandoned the experiment in case number 3 from Table 2 (for a ¼ 7.6 m/s¡2, f ¼ 7.8 Hz and exposure time ¼ 10 min). The responses of the participants in the experiment were analyzed by means of two different methods: the Likert scale and the Semmes-Weinstein monofilament method. As a result, it was found that, as the vibration parameters rise, the subjects' discomfort increases. Interestingly, this growth does not appear to be a linear one, but a "power" type one. It was also found that there were no significant differences between the subjects' responses, although naturally, every person reacts in his own way to different stressors.

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