Modal Analysis of Hand-Arm Vibration (Humerus Bone) for Biodynamic Response Using Varying Boundary Conditions Based on FEA

Abstract

The main objective of hand-arm vibration (HAV) study is to identify the effect of vibration on human hand. Humerus bone is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that connects the shoulder to elbow. Free vibration analysis was performed to know the natural frequencies and natural vibration modes and identify the fracture location of the bone through the computer simulation based on FEA. Finite element analysis is an approximation technique used for the analysis of complex objects and geometries. The humerus bone analysis is subjected to free-free and fixed-fixed boundary conditions. For these two different boundary conditions, natural frequencies and natural vibration modes were identified. The mode shape shows that the natural frequency of free-free boundary condition varies from 0 to 1,185.3 Hz and for fixed-fixed boundary condition 943.36 to 7,703.9 Hz. On the basis of these two boundary conditions, mode shape is determined and fracture location can be easily notified. To prevent the fracture of humerus bone, external excitation frequency must be avoided to coincide with these natural frequencies. The results were compared with experimental results available in literature. For the design of humerus bone model, SOLID EDGE software is used and the model is imported in ANSYS R 14.5 (FEA based software) for the free vibration analysis. © Springer India 2015.