Gite L P
Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Nabibagh, Bhopal, India.
J Hum Ergol (Tokyo). 1993 Jun;22(1):21-7.
A blade harrow is a tillage implement commonly used by the farmers of Central and Western India. The handle is one of the main components of a blade harrow and its height has an influence on operator's comfort as well as work performance. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the optimum handle height for an animal-drawn blade harrow. Two experiments were conducted with four male subjects to study postural discomfort and physiological reactions separately at six handle heights. Downward force applied by the operator on handle, and depth and speed of operation were also recorded. The lowest postural discomfort was noticed at handle height equal to 1.0 metacarpale III height. Here, the overall discomfort rating was 2.4 on an eight point psychophysical rating scale (0 = no discomfort, 7 = extreme discomfort) and the body part discomfort score was 16.3 (the maximum being 53.8 at working height equal to 1.6 metacarpale III height). The mean heart rate and oxygen consumption at this handle height were 103.9 beats/min and 0.536l/min, respectively. Considering the data of postural discomfort and also of heart rate and oxygen consumption, the optimum handle height for the animal-drawn blade harrow worked out to be equal to 1.0 metacarpale III height, i.e. 637 to 732 mm (5th and 95th percentile values respectively, of metacarpale III height of Indian agricultural workers).
耙刀是印度中部和西部农民常用的一种耕作农具。手柄是耙刀的主要部件之一，其高度会影响操作人员的舒适度和工作性能。因此，本研究旨在确定畜力耙刀的最佳手柄高度。对四名男性受试者进行了两项实验，分别在六个手柄高度下研究姿势不适和生理反应。还记录了操作人员对手柄施加的向下力以及操作深度和速度。在手柄高度等于第三掌骨高度时，姿势不适程度最低。在此高度下，在八点心理物理学评分量表上的总体不适评分为2.4（0 = 无不适，7 = 极度不适），身体部位不适评分为16.3（在工作高度等于第三掌骨高度1.6时最高为53.8）。此手柄高度下的平均心率和耗氧量分别为103.9次/分钟和0.536升/分钟。综合姿势不适以及心率和耗氧量的数据，畜力耙刀的最佳手柄高度为等于第三掌骨高度，即637至732毫米（分别为印度农业工人第三掌骨高度的第5和第95百分位数值）。
