The influence of support elasticity on siting comfort

Autors: Levente Dénes, Péter György Horváth, Ede Bálint, Réka Mária Antal

Abstract: The comfortable sitting plays an important role in reducing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and linked with the continuous increase of the computer aided office work duration justify the intensification of researches focusing on healthy chair development. Majority of the body’s weight is placed upon the supporting area of the seat pan therefore a special attention should be paid on the seat cushions. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the influence of support geometry and elasticity on the sitting comfort. For data acquisition, the Tekscan’s CONFORMAT body pressure distribution measuring system was used. The effect of geometry and flexibility was evaluated by the peak pressure and contact surface values. Research data and analysis revealed that seat cushion structure and cushion support’s characteristics significantly influence the body pressure distribution, an important factor in seat comfort determination.

Article presented at the 7th International Ergonomics Conference – “Emphasis on Wellbeing”, 13-16 June, 2018, Zadar, Croatia and published in the conference magazine, on page 103.