Journal of Ergonomics
Open Access

Abstract

Experimental Investigation of Energy Absorbency and Dampening Characteristics of D3O^® Material during Low Velocity Static Impacts.

Anas A. Shargawi*, Ryan Z. Amick, Michael J. Jorgensen and Ramazan Asmatulu

Personal protective materials used to reduce shock impacts are available on the market for use in the sports and industry sector. Many of the materials may attenuate vibrational impact forces and protect the human body from potential injuries incurred during long term exposure. An experiment was performed to evaluate material energy absorption level, displacement effectiveness, and dampening characteristics, for two different recoil pads and one back protector D3O^® materials, as well as two silicone based viscoelastic rubbery materials. Low, medium, and high energy impact levels, similar to impact forces produced by percussive power hand-held tools (i.e., rivet guns) were applied to all five samples of the materials using a low velocity impact tower to measure materials energy absorption and calculate dampening ratios. Material D3O^® indicated a higher energy absorbency level (p=0.00) and a higher dampening ratio compared to silicone-based materials. However, the back-protector D3O^® material indicated a much higher dampening ratio and a higher energy absorbency level compared to all other materials (p=0.00). The higher the level of energy absorbed with sufficient displacement during the impact, the higher the attenuation of transmitted impact forces through the material. This indicates which types of materials may be more appropriate to use based on the impact level. Although static testing may not represent the dynamic environment of percussive hand-held power tools, these results provide detailed information under systematic impact loads.

Published Date: 2021-11-08; Received Date: 2021-10-18