Exposure to vibration



Vibration can cause long-term painful damage to your hands and fingers. It has been proven that operators face significant risk of muscle, joint and nerve damage caused by the inherent vibration of power tools. By reducing the amount of vibration you can reduce muscle and joint fatigue as well as the potential risk for permanent damage, as described in ISO 5349-1:2001- Mechanical vibration -- Measurement and evaluation of human exposure to hand-transmitted vibration.





Vibration Amplitude Measurement



Vibration



[: Forced vibration is when an alternating force or motion is applied to a mechanical system; due to an imbalance]



Vibrations can be caused by imbalances in the rotating parts, A Dual action machine random elliptical orbit (OPM) is one that has two controlled components of the backing plate / pad; orbiting around a centre spindle, while the backing plate / pad freely spins on its own axis. The backing plate mounting is off-centre, as the drive rotates centrifugal force moves the backing plate in an elliptical motion (due to its offset) to balance this motion a counter weight is fitted to counteract machine vibration








Centripetal force is a force that makes a body follows a curved path: it is always directed orthogonal to the velocity of the body, toward the instantaneous centre of curvature of the path [1]



Centrifugal force is the apparent outward force that draws a rotating body away from the centre of rotation is often confused with centripetal force. Centrifugal force is most commonly introduced as an outward force apparent in a rotating frame of reference. It is apparent (fictitious) in the sense that it is not part of an interaction but is a result of rotation - with no reaction-force counterpart.



All other parameters being equal, a machine featuring a large stroke (or offset) will create more centripetal force than a machine featuring a small stroke, because centripetal force is the primary element that causes the backing plate to rotate.










Therefore, if you use a machine with a large stroke size, you should generally see an increase in random pad rotation versus an identical machine featuring a short stroke. If the orbit offset is doubled, the speed of the backing plate is also doubled; however the abrasive ability is increased more than double



Anti-Vibration Gloves



Gloves with anti-vibration features are increasingly used to reduce impact vibrations or shocks transmitted to the hands of power tool operators. Ergoair - RETURN



Bibliography



1. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Handbook



Relevant Articles



1. Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)- http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-d...pment-ppe.html



2. Detailing Health Risks - http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-d...ml#post1448766