BULETINUL INSTITUTULUI POLITEHNIC DIN IAŞI

Publicat de
Universitatea Tehnică „Gheorghe Asachi” din Iaşi
Volumul 63 (67), Numărul 3, 2017
Secţia
CONSTRUCŢII. ARHITECTURĂ

THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF VIBRATIONS ON HUMAN

BY

IRINA ŞTEFAN (OANCEA)*, MIHAI BUDESCU and MIHAELA MOVILĂ

“Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iaşi

Faculty of Civil Engineering and Building Services

Received: July 28, 2017

Accepted for publication: September 1, 2017

Abstract. This paper presents the harmful effect of vibrations on the human
body. The vibration effect is quantified using the perception coefficient, K. In
order to determine the perception coefficient, measurements were made in an
area near the railways. Based on the measurements, the intensity of vibration and
the degree of human vibration perception were determined. The results show that
the vibrations generated by the railway transport and transmitted to the adjacent
areas are highly perceptible, thus imposing vibration mitigation measures.
Keywords: coefficient of perception; intensity of vibration.

1. Introduction

Vibrations are dynamic phenomena commonly encountered in people's

lives, with positive implications (heart beats, winding trees, vibrations produced
by musical instruments), but also negative (tremors of buildings in earthquakes
or those produced by means of transport).
Vibrations are analyzed for the purpose of highlighting and
characterizing vibration sources, determining the vibration levels experienced
both inside and outside buildings, their impact on human comfort, and
highlighting control, protection and mitigation measures.
*
Corresponding author: e-mail: irina.oancea@tuiasi.ro
34 Irina Ştefan (Oancea), Mihai Budescu and Mihaela Movilă

The two harmful factors commonly occurring in traffic are noise and
vibration. Vibrations have complex harmful effects on humans and the built
environment, affecting the health of the human body, the quality of human
work, the physical and mental comfort, the resistance of the building
components, etc.
Both mechanical and acoustic vibrations can become dangerous for
humans beyond certain limits. Studies on the harmful action of vibrations on the
human body show that vibrations produce a number of harmful effects, both
physiological and physical. For example, long-term exposure to low-frequency
vibrations ranging from 5 to 15 Hz can lead to relative displacements of various
organs, pulmonary hemorrhage, etc. (Ene, 2012).
Studies that investigate human comfort show that traffic vibrations
generate discomfort, the annoyance increases with increased vibration, and
these increase the disturbing effect of noise (Findeis, 2004; Gidlof-Gunnarsson,
2012). In addition, vibrations and noise are related to sleep disorders reported
by people exposed to rail traffic (Howarth, 1991) and lead to changes in heart
rate (Croy, 2013).
Vibrations can be transmitted to humans in three ways (Buzdugan,
1980):
a) on the whole body, through its entire surface, when it is under the
effect of sound waves in the air, or immersed in water;
b) on the whole body, through the surface of contact with the
environment, when the person is standing, sitting or lying down;
c) on parts of the body, for example hands that perform certain
technological operations.
For the human body, the direction of the vibratory motion is also of
interest (Buzdugan, 1982). Thus, if we would consider three rectangular axes to
pass through the heart, the vibrations would be:
i) longitudinal, from head to toe;
ii) horizontal, perpendicular to the chest;
iii) horizontal, left-right.
It is customary to establish certain limits of vibration, depending on
their physiological level. According to ISO 2631-1: 2001, we can talk about 3
criteria for assessing the harmful effect of vibrations on humans:
1. decrease in work efficiency (fatigue limit);
2. the health hazard (threshold of harm);
3. comfort limit (threshold of perception).

2. Quantitative Criteria for Assessing Vibrations

In order to set tolerable vibration limits, it is necessary to determine

certain parameters to measure them.
 Bul. Inst. Polit. Iaşi, Vol. 63 (67), Nr. 3, 2017 35

The vibration strength level, as well as the noise level, is a subjective

parameter, which depends on how human perceive the vibration. The same
vibration is perceived differently by different people, depending on their
sensory capacities. In practice, to measure the vibration strength level, the unit
of measurement called pal is used. At the 1 Hz reference frequency, the
vibration strength (in pal) is equal to their intensity level (in vibrar).
Most studies evaluate vibrations through the three kinematic sizes –
acceleration, velocity and displacement – as well as frequency. Frequency has a
particularly strong influence on the body's response, especially on high
frequency vibrations, which are transmitted more easily through tissues, but it
can not be considered as a determining factor in the physiological action of
vibrations.
According to Zeller, the intensity of vibration is
a02 2 2 3
Z  16 4 x0 f 3 , [cm /s ], (1)
f
where: a0 is the acceleration amplitude, x0 – displacement amplitude for
harmonic motion and f is the vibration frequency.
To define the degree of vibration perception by humans, the vibration
level is quantifed as:
Z , [Pal]. (2)
P  10 log
Z1
Considering Z1 = 0.5 cm2/s3, one obtains
P  10 log 2 Z , [Pal] (3)
In order to set the acceptable limits of vibrations, a series of parameters
must be specified (Buzdugan, 1980):
a) the intensity of vibration;
b) frequency;
c) exposure duration;
d) direction of body vibration.
Fatigue threshold limits are given depending on the effective
acceleration value. Dieckmann introduced a perception coefficient K taken as a
measure of the effect of vibrations on man. The value of K is determined with
the relation:
 (4)
K  a ef
1 ( f / f 0 ) 2
where: aef – weighting acceleration [m/s2]; f – vibration frequency, [Hz]; f0 =
10 Hz – frequency of reference; α = 18 s2/m.
36 Irina Ştefan (Oancea), Mihai Budescu and Mihaela Movilă

Table 1 gives the perceived steps and perceptual modes, depending on

the K values, as they appear in the German VDI – Richtlinien 2057 standard.
Table 1
Vibration Perception Steps
Perception coefficient K Step Perception degree
0.1,..., 0.25 A Imperceptible
B the threshold of perception
Barely perceptible
0.25,...,0.63 C Perceptible
0.63,...,1.6 D Well perceptible
1.6,...,4 E Strongly perceptible
4,...,10 F Very
10,...,25 G strong
25,...,63 H perceptible
> 63 I

Depending on the frequency, the effects of vibrations on the human

body are different (Biriş, 2012):
a) vibrations below 10 Hz, specific to vehicles (automobiles 1.5,...,2 Hz,
trucks 2,...,4 Hz, trains 3,...,8 Hz) at prolonged exposure can lead to general
discomfort, chest pain, abdominal pain;
b) vibrations with frequencies between 10 and 40 Hz can cause
headaches and problems with balance and walking.
For these reasons it is really justify the need to study vibrations in order
to combat and reduce the harmful effects of vibrations on the human body.

3. Case Study
3.1. On-Site Measurements Description

In this paper it is presented a case study in witch the level of vibrations

caused by trains and perceived in the adjacent area have been measured. Due to
the development of the city without taking into account the problems that can
arise due to the railroad, it has come to the unfortunate situation in which the
city of Iasi is crossed by an important railway network, similar situations being
encountered in most of the Romanian cities.
The studied area was chosen due to the presence near the railway of
some important residential areas, but especially of a school, which influences
the physical and psychological comfort of the children during the study. This
negative influence is due to both the surface vibrations induced by the trains and
the noise generated by them. Figure 1 shows the location of the railroad and
adjacent areas.
 Bul. Inst. Polit. Iaşi, Vol. 63 (67), Nr. 3, 2017 37

Human comfort under the influence of vibrations that can be felt in

residential buildings is also a problem. It is therefore imperative to reduce the
transmission of vibrations to buildings to acceptable levels by designing an
effective system to prevent them.
An important aspect is also the comfort at the pavement level, including
within the schoolyard, starting from the idea that people's lives do not take place
only inside buildings, but also outside.
Incorporating a system to prevent the transmission of vibrations from
the source to neighboring areas will have the effect of improving comfort both
at the urban and indoor areas.

Fig. 1 – The studied area.

In order to study the effect of vibrations on the human body, a series of

measurements of the acceleration amplitude were taken. The measurements
were made in the Nicolina Bridge area, at the ground level, near the railway, on
the sidewalk and near the school.
Measurements were made using 6 accelerometers mounted as follows: 3
horizontal accelerometers (Acc 0, Acc 2 and Acc 4) and 3 vertical (Acc 1, Acc
3 and Acc 5), one in the area near the railway, one at the sidewalk and one near
the school (Fig. 2). The accelerometers (Fig. 3) transmitted the information to
the ESAM Traveler acquisition system, which incorporates a dedicated ESAM
CF software for data processing.
38 Irina Ştefan (Oancea), Mihai Budescu and Mihaela Movilă

Fig. 2 – Location of accelerometers.

Fig. 3 – The setup of the accelerometers 4

(horizontal) and 5 (vertical).

Table 2 shows the types of trains that circulated during the

measurements and for which the amplitudes of the vibrations produced were
recorded. We note that all trains were trains for travelers, because during the
recordings there were no freight trains, with a higher weight and which,
implicitly, would have produced vibrations with higher amplitudes than those
for passengers.
 Bul. Inst. Polit. Iaşi, Vol. 63 (67), Nr. 3, 2017 39

Table 2
Types of Passing Trains During the Tests
Nr. Description
Test 1 Blank acquisition
Test 2 Train-blue arrow
Test 3 Tram
Test 4 Locomotive
Test 5 Locomotive + 1 wagon
Test 6 Locomotive + 2 wagons
Test 7 Locomotive + 3 wagons
Test 8 Locomotive + 4 wagons
Test 9 Locomotive + 2 wagons
Test 10 Locomotive + 6 wagons

3.2. Results of the On-Site Measurements

For the 10 tests the vibration amplitudes were recorded, their

frequencies being between 0,...,40 Hz. This range of frequencies was divided
into 3 intervals (0,...,15 Hz, 15,...,25 Hz, 25,...,40 Hz) for a consistent vibration
amplitude reporting, and the maximum vibration amplitudes for each frequency
range were centralized. For the obtained values the vibration intensity Z
(according to relation 1), the degree of vibration perception, P (according to
relation 3) and the perception coefficient, K (according to relation 4) were
determinated.
Figs. 3,...,8 show the values of the perception coefficient for the 10 tests
for each frequency range, differentiated in the horizontal and vertical direction
of measurement.
From these measurements, tests 2, 7 and 8 stand out.
At the school level, in the horizontal direction, for test 2 (blue-arrow)
there is a reduction in the perception coefficient between 50% and 89%, which
has values above 2 (strongly perceptible) for the frequency ranges 0-15Hz and
25,...,40 Hz, and over 7 (very strong perceptible) for the 15,...,25 Hz range. For
test 7, this reduction is between 38% and 85%, with values above 2 (strongly
perceptible) for the frequency ranges 0,...,15 Hz and 15,...,25 Hz, and 0.9 (well
perceptible) for the 25,...,40 Hz range. For test 8, the perception coefficient
reduction, on the horizontal axis, is between 55% and 91%, with values above 3
(strongly perceptible) for the frequency range of 25,...,40 Hz, over 4 and 8 (very
strong perceptible) for intervals 0,...,15 Hz and 15,...,25 Hz, respectively.
40 Irina Ştefan (Oancea), Mihai Budescu and Mihaela Movilă

Fig. 3 – Variation of vibration perception, depending on the position of the

accelerometer relative to the source – range 0,...,15 Hz, horizontal direction.

Fig. 4 – Variation of vibration perception, depending on the position of the

accelerometer relative to the source - range 15,...,25 Hz, horizontal direction.
 Bul. Inst. Polit. Iaşi, Vol. 63 (67), Nr. 3, 2017 41

Fig. 5 – Variation of vibration perception, depending on the position of the

accelerometer relative to the source - range 25,...,40 Hz, horizontal direction.

Fig. 6 – Variation of vibration perception, depending on the position of the

accelerometer relative to the source - range 0,...,15Hz, vertical direction.
42 Irina Ştefan (Oancea), Mihai Budescu and Mihaela Movilă

Fig. 7 – Variation of vibration perception, depending on the position of the

accelerometer relative to the source - range 15,...,25 Hz, vertical direction.

Fig. 8 – Variation of vibration perception, depending on the position of the

accelerometer relative to the source - range 25,...,40 Hz, vertical direction.
 Bul. Inst. Polit. Iaşi, Vol. 63 (67), Nr. 3, 2017 43

At the school level, in the vertical direction, for test 2 (blue-arrow) there
is a reduction in the perception coefficient between 79% to 94%, having values
above 2 (strongly perceptible) for the frequency ranges 0,...,15 Hz and
25,...,40 Hz, and above 4 (very strong perceptible) for the 15,...,25 Hz range.
For test 7, this reduction is between 55% and 77%, with values above 2
(strongly perceptible) for the 0,...,15 Hz and 15,...,25 Hz frequency ranges, and
1.5 (well perceptible) for the 25,...,40 Hz range. For test 8, the reduction in the
perceiption coefficient is between 57% and 90%, having values above 3
(strongly perceptible) for the frequency range 25,...,40 Hz, over 4 (very strong
perceptible) for the range of 0,...,15 Hz , and over 10 for the 15,...,25 Hz range.

3. Conclusions

Although there was no freight train within the time interval in which the
measurements were taken, the frequency range for the vibrations produced by
the passenger trains ranged between 10 and 40 Hz.
As can be noted from the graphs presented, the perception coefficients
in the horizontal direction decrease at the sidewalk as a result of the amplitude
damping due to the road infrastructure, only to increase in the area of the
school.
Both in the horizontal and vertical directions, the value of perception
coefficient near the school is the most reduced one, over all frequency ranges,
yet having values that show that vibrations are strongly perceptible. For the 0-
15 Hz frequency range, those vibrations that we are most sensitive to and which
have a strong negative influence on comfort, the perception coefficient
decreases on average by 65% in the vertical direction and by 56% in the
horizontal direction. However, the K value is between 2 and 4, which means
that vibrations are strongly perceptible.
Under these circumstances, and taking into account that there are also
residential buildings in the railway area, a series of measures must be taken to
isolate the traffic area through various procedures. These could be: the
modernization of the components of the rail transport system, a vertical
systematization of the area adjacent to the railways, which could help in the
reduction of vibration transmission, the use of anti-vibration isolators.
The aim is to reduce the degree of the vibration perception in the
adjacent urban area and to increase the degree of comfort.

REFERENCES

Biriş A., Arghir M., Acţiunea vibraţiilor induse de maşinile unelte portabile asupra
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paticipare internaţională “Prof. Dorin Pavel – fondatorul hidroenergeticii
romaneşti”, Sebeş, 2012, 215-222.
44 Irina Ştefan (Oancea), Mihai Budescu and Mihaela Movilă

Buzdugan G., Fetcu L., Radeş M., Vibraţii mecanice, Edit. Didactică şi Pedagogică,
Bucureşti, 1982.
Buzdugan G., Izolarea antivibratorie a maşinilor, Edit. Academiei Republicii Socialiste
Romania, Bucureşti, 1980.
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Ene G., Pavel C., Introducere în tehnica izolării vibraţiilor şi zgomotului, Edit.
Matrixrom, Bucureşti, 2012.
Findeis H., Peters E, Disturbing Effects of Low Frequency Sound Immissions and
Vibrations in Residential Buildings, Noise and Health, 6, 23, 29-35 (2004).
Gidlof-Gunnarsson A., Ogren M., Jerson T., Ohrstrom E., Railway Noise Annoyance
and the Importance of Number of Trains, Ground Vibration, and Building
Situational Factors, Noise and Health, 14, 59, 190-201 (2012).
Howarth H.V.C., Griffin M.J., The Annoyance Caused by Simultaneous Noise and
Vibration from Railways, J. of Acoustical Society of America, 89, 5, 2317-
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Koch H.W., Determining the Effects of Vibration in Buildings, V.D.I.Z., 25, 744-747
(1953).
*
* * Evaluarea expunerii umane la vibraţiile globale ale corpului. Partea 1. Condiţii
generale, ISO 2631-1:2001, 2001.

EFECTELE NOCIVE ALE VIBRAŢIILOR ASUPRA OMULUI

(Rezumat)

Articolul prezintă efectul nociv al vibraţiilor asupra organismului uman.

Efectul vibraţiilor este cuantificat cu ajutorul coeficientului de percepere, K. Pentru
determinarea coeficientului de percepere s-au efectuat măsurători într-o zonă din
apropierea căilor ferate. Pe baza măsurătorilor s-a determinat intensitatea vibraţiei şi
gradul de percepere a vibraţiei de către om. Rezultatele arată că vibraţiile produse de
transportul feroviar şi transmise în zonele adiacente sunt puternic perceptibile,
impunându-se astfel măsuri de amortizare a acestora.