The effects of container size, frequency and extended horizontal reach on maximum acceptable weights of lifting for female industrial workers

In the development of our present manual materials handling (MMH) guidelines (Snook, S.H., Ciriello, V.M., 1991. The design of manual tasks: revised tables of maximum acceptable weights and forces. Ergonomics 34, 1197-1213), the assumption was made that the effects of frequency on maximum acceptable weights (MAWs) of lifting with a large box (hand distance, 38 cm from chest) were similar to that of lifting with a small box (hand distance, 17 cm from chest). The first purpose of the present experiment was to investigate this assumption with female industrial workers. The second purpose was to study the effects of extended horizontal reach lifting (hand distance, 44.6 cm from chest) on MAWs as a confirmation of the results of a previous studies on this variable with males (Ciriello, V.M., Snook, S.H., Hughes, G.J., 1993. Further studies of psychophysically determined maximum acceptable weights and forces. Hum. Factors 35(1), 175-186; Ciriello, V.M., 2003. The effects of box size, frequency, and extended horizontal reach on maximum acceptable weights of lifting. Int. J. Ind. Ergon. 32, 115-120). Lastly, we studied the effects of high frequency (20 lifts/min) on MAWs of lifting. Ten female industrial workers performed 15 variations of lifting using our psychophysical methodology whereby the subjects were asked to select a workload they could sustain for 8h without "straining themselves or without becoming unusually tired weakened, overheated or out of breath". The results confirmed that MAWs of lifting with the large box was significantly effected by frequency. The frequency factor pattern in this study was similar to the frequency pattern from a previous study using the small box (Ciriello, V.M., Snook, S.H., 1983. A study of size distance height, and frequency effects on manual handling tasks. Hum. Factors 25(5), 473-483) for all fast frequencies down to one lift every 2 min with deviations of 7%, 15%, and 13% for the one lift every 5 and 30 min tasks and the one lift in 8h task, respectively. The effects of lifting with an extended horizontal reach decreased MAW 22% and 18% for the mid and center lift and the effects of the 20 lifts/min frequency resulted in a MAW that was 47% of a 1 lift/min MAW. Incorporating these results in future guidelines should improve the design of MMH tasks for female workers.     

Synthesis and characterisation of alumina pillared Texas montmorillonite and determination of the effective Keggin ion charge

Controlled calcination of Texas montmorillonite has allowed production of a range of materials of cation exchange capacity from 70 mequiv./100 g dry clay to virtually zero. Pillaring of these with Chlorhydrol precursor solution has then provided a family of materials of pillar density ranging from about one per six unit cells to zero. The analytical technique based on isomorphous metal dilution (IMD) that follows pillaring is validated. The results provide a consistent value for the precursor (Keggin) ion charge, in the conditions normally used, of 3.15±0.10 rather than the formal value of 7. An approach to the attainment of pillar densities consistent with the introduction of shape/size selectivity on pillared layered materials is outlined.     

A national cross-sectional study in the Danish wood and furniture industry on working postures and manual materials handling

Musculoskeletal disorders constitute a major problem in the wood and furniture industry and identification of risk factors is needed urgently. Therefore, exposures to different work tasks and variation in the job were recorded based on an observation survey in combination with an interview among 281 employees working in wood working and painting departments. A questionnaire survey confirmed high frequencies of symptoms from the musculoskeletal system: The one-year prevalence of symptoms from the low back was 42% and symptoms from the neck/shoulder was 40%. The exposure was evaluated based on: (1) classification of work tasks, (2) work cycle time, (3) manual materials handling, (4) working postures, and (5) variation in die job. Among the employees 47% performed feeding or clearing of machines, 35% performed wood working or painting materials, and 18% performed various other operations. Among the employees 20% had no variation in their job while 44% had little variation. Manual materials handling of 375 different burdens was observed, which most often occurred during feeding or clearing of machines. The weight of burdens lifted was 0·5-87·0 kg, where 2% had a weight of more than 50 kg. Among the lifting conditions 30% were evaluated as implying a risk of injury. An additional risk factor was the high total tonnage lifted per day, which was estimated to range from 132 kg to 58 800 kg. Working postures implied a risk of injury due to prolonged forward and lateral flexions of the neck, which was seen most frequently during wood working or painting materials. These data substantiate the finding that work tasks mainly during feeding or clearing of machines imply a risk of injury to the low back and a risk of injury to the neck and shoulder area mainly during wood working or painting materials. Optimal strategies for job redesign may be worked out by using these data in order to prevent occupational musculoskeletal disorders.     

A review of “ The Co-ordination and Regulation of Movements” By N. Bernstein. (Pergamon Press, 1967.) [ Pp. xii+ 196.] 505

Abstract

The complaints of workers in a noisy workshop were taken as the basis of recognition and attitude to noise. However, all the complaints based on noise exposure could not be attributed to neurotic responses. The distinctive character of homeostatic changes induced by noise exposure was attributable to the depression of the adreno-cortical function. The possibility was considered that the metabolism of the brain was disturbed by the noise exposure. It was concluded that the complaints of workers exposed to noise must be considered from the view-point that workers have a physical, mental and social existence.     

Mode III fracture of a magnetoelectroelastic layer: exact solution and discussion of the crack face electromagnetic boundary conditions

This paper develops a closed-form solution for anti-plane mechanical and in plane electric and magnetic fields in a magnetoelectroelastic layer of finite thickness. Explicit expressions for the stresses, electric fields, and magnetic fields, together with their intensity factors are obtained for the extreme cases for impermeable and permeable cracks. Solutions for some special cases, such as a magnetoelectroelastic layer with infinite thickness, are also obtained. Applicability of the crack face electromagnetic boundary conditions is discussed. It is found that the crack profile is important in obtaining the correct electromagnetic fields and their intensity factors. The stress intensity factor, however, does not depend on the crack face electromagnetic boundary condition assumptions.     

Meshless local Petrov-Galerkin method for continuously nonhomogeneous linear viscoelastic solids

A meshless method based on the local Petrov-Galerkin approach is proposed for the solution of quasi-static and transient dynamic problems in two-dimensional (2-D) nonhomogeneous linear viscoelastic media. A unit step function is used as the test functions in the local weak form. It is leading to local boundary integral equations (LBIEs) involving only a domain-integral in the case of transient dynamic problems. The correspondence principle is applied to such nonhomogeneous linear viscoelastic solids where relaxation moduli are separable in space and time variables. Then, the LBIEs are formulated for the Laplace-transformed viscoelastic problem. The analyzed domain is covered by small subdomains with a simple geometry such as circles in 2-D problems. The moving least squares (MLS) method is used for approximation of physical quantities in LBIEs.     

Base Pressure Measurements under a Scale Model Stockpile

The ability of a granular bulk material to transmit internal shear stress is a fundamental property that is often overlooked or underestimated, yet it is this ability that allows many observed physical phenomena to occur. One such area that continues to be a focus for numerical, theoreticals and experimental researchers is the pressure that a stockpile of granular material places on the supporting surface. While appearing to be a simple problem, the ability of granular materials to transmit shear stress makes this an extremely complex problem. This article presents high-quality data collected under a 2 m high stockpile and full details of the experimental facilities used in the collection of the data.

The work presented is of significant value, having a much greater scale than previous studies (Jotaki & Moriyama, 1979; Lee & Herington, 1971; Smid & Novosad, 1981), and the deliberate inclusion of a central reclaim channel offers insight into stress changes during gravity reclaim and refilling. The results of this work have shown that the so-called 'M' pressure does exist under larger stockpiles both with and without reclaim hoppers; of more significance is the reemergence of the M pressure upon refilling of an emptied stockpile. This clearly illustrates that the M pressure is a robust and natural pressure distribution for a conical stockpile.