Comparative study of body pressure distribution on the user-cushion interfaces with various support elasticities

摘要

Comfortable sitting plays an important role in reducing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and is linked with the continuous increase of the prolonged computer aided office work. This explains the intensification of research focusing on healthy chair development. The majority of the body's weight is placed upon the supporting area of the seat pan; therefore, special attention should be paid to the seat cushions. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the influence of support geometry and elasticity on the sitting comfort and to compare the real and simulated pressure distribution data. For data acquisition, the Tekscan's CONFORMAT body pressure distribution measuring system was used. The effect of geometry, flexibility, load pad shape and body build was evaluated with the peak pressure and contact surface values. Research data and analysis revealed that seat cushion structure and cushion support characteristics significantly influence the body pressure distribution, an important factor in seat comfort determination.