Evaluation of Seat Comfort of Office Armchairs: an Impact of Articulated Seat Support and Gas Spring

Abstract

This paper describes the application of an alternative seating system. The aim of this alternative approach was to determine the comfort of offi ce armchairs equipped with new construction solutions ensuring articulated support of the seat as well as articulated mounting of the gas spring. An offi ce armchair with a different seat support and gas spring was selected. Operational loads were applied to the seat surface. The following parameters were measured and calculated in the course of the performed experiments: contact area, average contact pressure and coeffi cient of seat pressure distribution (SPD). A new discomfort coeffi cient D expressing seat quality was elaborated. Preliminary data suggests that the prototypes provided greater sitting comfort than did the conventional chair. It was demonstrated that the new construction solution of the gas spring support guaranteed the highest comfort of the use of the examined armchairs.