A procedure for developing a vibration test method for specific categories of industrial trucks

Industrial trucks drivers may be exposed to high values of whole-body vibration with frequencies below 10 Hz due to surface irregularities and the lack of suspension systems on these vehicles. Machinery Directive 89/392/EEC and its amendments require that vibration measurements be made and values put into the instruction books if the whole body vibration values are greater than 0·5 m/s2. A standard (pr EN 13059) has been prepared to provide a method so that different establishments obtain comparable and representative results of vibration measurements. The procedure consists of measuring the vibration transmitted to the operator when the truck is travelling over a test track made up of a straight length of good quality surface with obstacles whose characteristics depend on the type of truck and its wheel characteristics. The aim of this paper is to report the methodology which was used to develop the test method for each specific category of industrial truck. This paper emphasizes the qualities to be expected from a vibration test code which should provide repeatable, representative, valid, and inexpensive results. © 1998 Academic Press.