Vibration energy absorption (VEA) in human fingers-hand-arm system.

A methodology for measuring the vibration energy absorbed into the fingers and the palm exposed to vibration is proposed to study the distribution of the vibration energy absorption (VEA) in the fingers-hand-arm system and to explore its potential association with vibration-induced white finger (VWF). The study involved 12 adult male subjects, constant-velocity sinusoidal excitations at 10 different discrete frequencies in the range of 16-1000 Hz, and four different hand-handle coupling conditions (finger pull-only, hand grip-only, palm push-only, and combined grip and push). The results of the study suggest that the VEA into the fingers is considerably less than that into the palm at low frequencies (< or = 25 Hz).

A structural fingertip model for simulating of the biomechanics of tactile sensation.

Tactile performance of human fingertips is associated with activity of the nerve endings and sensitivity of the soft tissue within the fingertip to the static and dynamic skin indentation. The nerve endings in the fingertips sense the stress/strain states developed within the soft tissue, which are affected by the material properties of the tissues. The vibrotactile sensation and tactile performance are thus believed to be strongly influenced by the nonlinear and time-dependent properties of the soft tissues.

Elimination of the friction effects in unconfined compression tests of biomaterials and soft tissues.

The mechanical properties of biomaterials and soft tissues are determined conventionally using unconfined compression tests. In such tests, frictionless specimen/platen contact in unconfined compression tests has to be assumed in determining the material properties of the materials. Previous theoretical analysis demonstrated, however, that the effects of the friction at the specimen/platen contact interface on the measured stress responses are non-negligible.

Nonlinear and viscoelastic characteristics of skin under compression: experiment and analysis.

In physiological loading conditions, the soft tissues in the hands and fingers are predominantly in compression. The goal of the present study was to characterize the nonlinear and time-dependent behavior of skin in compression. The pigskin samples used in the study were collected from five different animals.

Analysis of skin deformation profiles during sinusoidal vibration of fingerpad.

Vibrotactile perception threshold measurement has been widely used to diagnose the severity of peripheral neuropathy associated with hand-arm vibration syndrome and sensory losses in stroke and diabetic patients. The vibration perception threshold is believed to be influenced by many factors, such as contact force and vibration frequency. The present study is intended to analyze, theoretically, the time-dependent deformation profile of skin surface, strain distributions within soft tissue, and response force of a fingertip when it is stimulated by a probe vibrating with a sinusoidal movement.