Biomedical subjects

R Gurram

Publications and source records attributed to R Gurram.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1996

Development of a grip force dependent hand-arm vibration model.

The driving-point mechanical impedance of the human hand-arm system is strongly dependent on the grip force and excitation frequency. In this study, the biodynamic response of the human hand-arm is characterized by three and four degree-of-freedom (DOF) linear and nonlinear mass excited model incorporating grip force dependence of the restoring and dissipative properties. The model parameters are identified by minimizing a constrained objective function compromising impedence magnitude and phase errors between the computed and measured target driving-point mechanical impedance characteristics. The target impedance values are established in the 10 to 1000 Hz frequency range from the measurements performed in the three orthogonal directions (Xh, Yh and Zh) using 2 x g peak acceleration sinusoidal excitation and different magnitudes of constant grip force ranging from 10 to 50 N. The linear and nonlinear models are analyzed to determine the driving-point mechanical impedance characteristics for different levels of grip force. The computed response characteristics are compared to the target values to demonstrate the validity of the proposed models. The results of the study revealed that the four-DOF nonlinear grip force dependent model yields good correlation with the measured response in all three directions, for the range of grip forces considered.

Arm↗

PubMed1995

Influence of power tool-related parameters on the response of finger flexor muscles.

Surface electromyography (EMG) and statistical analysis techniques were applied to investigate the response of finger flexor muscles to hand-transmitted vibration in all the three orthogonal directions. The trends in measured data were examined to derive the influence of variations in the tool-related parameters. Single-factor and multi-factor statistical analyses were performed to establish the significance of influence of different individual and coupled power tool-related parameters. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results indicated that the vibration direction, acceleration and grip force influence the EMG of finger flexor muscles in a significant manner (P < 0.001), while the effect of vibration frequency was observed to be insignificant (P > 0.9). The electrical activity measured under different vibratory test conditions was observed to be 1.5-6.0 times higher than that measured under the static loads. The increase in electrical activity of the finger flexor muscles with an increase in the grip force was observed to be most significant under static as well as dynamic loading conditions.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1995

A study of hand grip pressure distribution and EMG of finger flexor muscles under dynamic loads.

A matrix of miniature and flexible pressure sensors is proposed to measure the grip pressure distribution (GPD) at the hand-handle interface of a vibrating handle. The GPD was acquired under static and dynamic loads for various levels of grip forces and magnitudes of vibration at different discrete frequencies in the 20-1000 Hz range. The EMG of finger flexor muscles was acquired using the silver-silver chloride surface electrodes under different static and dynamic loads. The measured data was analysed to study the influence of grip force, and magnitude and frequency characteristics of handle vibration on: (i) the local concentration of forces at the hand-handle interface; and (ii) the electrical activity of the finger flexor muscles. The results of the study revealed high interface pressure near the tips of index and middle fingers, and base of the thumb under static grip conditions. This concentration of high pressure shifted towards the middle of the fingers under dynamic loads, irrespective of the grip force, excitation frequency, and acceleration levels. The electrical activity of the finger flexor muscles increased considerably with the grip force under static as well as dynamic loads. The electrical activity under dynamic loads was observed to be 1.5-6.0 times higher than that under the static loads.

Computer Simulation↗

PubMed1993

Development of linear and nonlinear hand-arm vibration models using optimization and linearization techniques.

Hand-arm vibration (HAV) models serve as an effective tool to assess the vibration characteristics of the hand-tool system and to evaluate the attenuation performance of vibration isolation mechanisms. This paper describes a methodology to identify the parameters of HAV models, whether linear or nonlinear, using mechanical impedance data and a nonlinear programming based optimization technique. Three- and four-degrees-of-freedom (DOF) linear, piecewise linear and nonlinear HAV models are formulated and analyzed to yield impedance characteristics in the 5-1000 Hz frequency range. A local equivalent linearization algorithm, based upon the principle of energy similarity, is implemented to simulate the nonlinear HAV models. Optimization methods are employed to identify the model parameters, such that the magnitude and phase errors between the computed and measured impedance characteristics are minimum in the entire frequency range. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through derivations of models that correlate with the measured X-axis impedance characteristics of the hand-arm system, proposed by ISO. The results of the study show that a linear model cannot predict the impedance characteristics in the entire frequency range, while a piecewise linear model yields an accurate estimation.

Arm↗