Which Whole Body Vibration Weightings Should I Use?

Measurements with HVM200 Human Vibration Meter

When measuring human vibration, it is important to use the correct weightings for your measurement situation to account for the different resonances within the human body. Following is a chart of common vibration scenarios with the appropriate frequency weighting factor for each axis. There are settings pre-programmed in the HVM200 for some vibration conditions. Note that in addition to the pre-programmed settings, a user can create and save custom settings as needed.

Human Vibration Postures

Vibration Condition	x-axis	y-axis	z-axis	HVM200 Setting
Vibration transmitted through the seat, measured at the seat surface	W_d	W_d	W_k	ComfortSeat/ HealthSeat
Vibration transmitted through the seat on a fixed-guide transport system, such as a train or subway, measured at the seat surface	W_d	W_d	W_b	N/A
Vibration transmitted through the seat, measured at the seat back	W_c	W_d	W_d	ComfortBack / ComfortMod
Vibration transmitted through the seat for a fixed-guide transport system, such as a train or subway, measured at the seat back	W_c	W_d	W_b	N/A
Vibration transmitted at the feet for a person in a seated position	W_k	W_k	W_k	ComfortFeet
Vibration transmitted through the floor to a standing person	W_d	W_d	W_k	N/A
Vibration transmitted through the floor under the pelvis to a person in a prone position	W_d	W_d	W_k	N/A
Vibration transmitted through the floor under the pelvis to a person in a prone position when on a fixed-guide transport system, such as a train or subway	W_d	W_d	W_b	N/A
Vibration transmitted through the floor at the head to a person in a prone position	W_j	W_d	W_k	N/A
Vibration transmitted through the floor at the head to a person in a prone position, when on a fixed-guide transport system, such as a train or subway	W_j	W_d	W_b	N/A
Whole body vibration in buildings	W_m	W_m	W_m	WmBuilding
All hand-arm vibration measurements	W_h	W_h	W_h	Hand-Arm
Rotational vibrations for a seated person	W_e	W_e	W_e	ComfortRot

For further reference, these are the frequency weightings defined by ISO 2631-1

Frequency Weighting	ISO 2631-1 Definition
W_b	z-axis vertical vibration, seated, standing, or recumbent for fixed-guide transport systems
W_c	x-axis, horizontal, seat back, seated person
W_d	Horizontal whole body, x- or y-axis, seated, standing, or recumbent; z-axis seated (at seat back)
W_e	Rotational, all directions, seated person
W_f	Vertical whole-body, z-axis motion sickness (for low-frequency whole body vibration signals), seated or standing
W_h	Hand-arm, all directions
W_i	Vertical head vibration, x-axis, recumbent person
W_j	Vertical whole body, z-axis seated (at seat surface), standing, or recumbent
W_m	Whole body in buildings, all directions

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