Investigation of Dynamic Forces and Moments in the Neck Region of the Driver of a Vehicle

High internal forces in the human body may have adverse effects on internal organs and may cause muscle fatigue. The neck region forces are of special concern since they are related to headache and motion sickness. It is difficult to determine these internal forces and moments experimentally. This work attempts to predict neck region forces and moments through a 12 degree-of-freedom (DoF) human body model. This has been integrated with a nonlinear cushion model, an inclined multi-compression damper-based seat suspension model and a 7 DoF full car model. The integrated system is analysed using MATLAB-SIMULINK for random and bump road profiles. With the increase in road roughness, the moments and forces in the neck region tend to rise continuously. With an increase in cushion damping, the neck region parameters tend to be lower. A cushion with a higher value of damping dissipates a larger amount of vibrational energy leading to improved human comfort. Cushion damping has a higher effect on the neck region in rough roads. With an increase in vehicle speed, neck region rotational moment and forces rise continuously, leading to deterioration in human comfort.