Determination of whole body vibration (WBV) of main battle tank (MBT) PT-91M

Vehicles expose humans to mechanical vibrations which can interfere with comfort, working efficiency and, in some circumstances, health and safety. Safer vehicles for the military applications are very important to ensure that military personnel are always in good health and at the level best of performance. This will allow them to perform their tasks with optimum capabilities. One of the factors that need to be examined in order to maximise human comfort inside the military vehicles is the ergonomic aspect. For this purpose, monitoring ergonomic factors such as Whole Body Vibration (WBV) is important and necessary. This study is aimed at assessing the WBV level of the Main Battle Tank (MBT) PT-91M Pendekar. The methods employed are based on current standard practices, which refer to Directive 2002/44/EC, 2002 and ISO 2631-1, 1997. For measurement of WBV, the equipment used are WBV set type B&K model 2238.From this study, it is concluded the WBV inside the PT-91M has to be improved because from the results show that the WBV values are relatively high, causing discomfort for the drivers and passengers