Parameter Sensitivity Analysis of a Passenger/Seat Model for Ride Comfort Assessment

The paper deals with the parameter sensitivity analysis of a passenger/seat model that can be used for ride comfort assessments. The final aim is to produce a comprehensive framework for enabling vehicle seat designers to develop comfortable (and healthy) seats, especially for those people who spend their lives while working on vehicles. In this paper a seated passenger proprietary model has been proposed and validated either by comparing it with a mathematical model derived by means of commercial software, either by experimental activities. On the basis of the validated model a sensitivity analysis has been performed, aiming to identify the key parameters affecting the ride comfort. A total of 47 parameters were accounted for. Many parameters seem relevant to describe the ride comfort of a seated road vehicle passenger. The most important conclusion of the research is that the parameters referring to posture have proved to influence ride comfort to a great extent. Other relevant but less important parameters are: the stiffness and damping of the seat, the geometry of the seat, the size and inertia properties of the body segments, and the stiffness and damping of the different parts of the human body. Different running conditions have been considered, i.e. vehicle passing over cleats or running on a randomly profiled road. Different running conditions influence differently the ride comfort, so care has to be used when performing either experimental or numerical simulations.