Anthropometry and

Biomechanics

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Outline of the Lecture
 Review Basic Considerations in
Anthropometry and Biomechanics
 Understand Use of Static and
Functional Anthropometry
 Understand Postural and Seating
Issues
 Overview of SAE Occupant
Packaging Practices

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Anthropometry
Anthropometry is a science of
measurement of human body
dimensions of different populations.

It deals with skeletal dimensions,

contour dimensions, shape, area,
volumes, centers of gravity and
weights of the entire human body and
body segments.
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Biomechanics

Biomechanics is a multi-
disciplinary science
compromising mainly
anthropometry , mechanics,
physiology and engineering of
the mechanical structure and
behavior of biological materials.
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Biomechanics
 It deals primarily with dimensions,
composition and mass properties of body
segments, joints linking the body
segments, mobility of joints, the
mechanical reactions of the body (e.g.
stresses, tolerance, injury) to force fields
(e.g. vibrations, impacts), voluntary body
movements in applying forces (torques,
energy/power) to external objects (e.g.
controls, tools, handles, etc.)
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Occupant Packaging
 It is a term used in the auto industry
to include vehicle design work
(primarily in the form of drawings or
CAD models) related to
accommodation and positioning of
occupants (driver and passengers at
the manufacturer’s designated seating
positions) in the vehicle space and in
relation to various vehicle components
(controls, displays, window openings,
etc.).
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Occupant Package or Seating
Package Layout
It includes details of the occupant compartment with
position of the occupants (key reference points, e.g. AHP,
SgRP), manikins [J826, J4002], occupant packaging
contours/zones [generated by using SAE practices e.g.
J1516, J1517, J 4004, J941, J1052, J287, J1050], primary
vehicle controls (s/w, pedals) and some vehicle body and
trim components.
Occupant
Package

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First determine user
population and its
anthropometric and
biomechanical
characteristics
 Market segment, countries, racial

mix, age, male: female ratio, secular

variations, health status
/occupations
 Design to accommodate most of the
population (90%, 95%, 99%) by
considering their fit, comfort,
preferences, expectations in all 8
Body Size
Compariso
ns
of Three
Principal
Racial
Groups

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Effect of Age
on
Stature
(inches)
and
Weight (lbs)

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Age
 Squaring of the U.S.
Population Pyramid

Width of the bars denote number of people in each age interval

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What human anthropometric
characteristics /
measurements are needed for
vehicle
Stature
design and what data:
 Seated height
 Eye location
 Reach distances
 Elbow-to-elbow width, hip width, shoulder width
 Lengths of feet, legs, arms (upper & lower)
 Stomach depth, palm width, finger dimensions
 Strength – s/w turning, pedal operations, hand grip, ….
 Lifting strength, ……..

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Anthropometry
 Static (Traditional) Anthropometry:
Measurements of human body
dimensions under static standardized
postures (primarily, standing and
seated).

 Functional Anthropometry:
Measurements of relevant dimensions
directly made on actual work postures
(e.g. reaching for a control while seated
in a car, location of driver’s eyes).
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Problem: Human body dimensions
and strength characteristics
change depending upon user’s
posture in the work place, and
work/usages are dynamic in
nature
 Therefore, data obtained under static
postures should be used with caution
(difficult to predict postural
dimensions).
 These data usually require adjustments
(allowances, field factors) and thus, are
approximations.
 But static data are still useful especially
if functional data obtained under actual
usage conditions are not available.
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Static Anthropometric
Dimensions

Standing Posture

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Anthropometry Equipment

Anthropometer
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Use of Percentiles
 Majority of human characteristics
are normally distributed.
 Percentile values are used to
evaluate accommodation with
respect to a given parameter
 For example, 99th percentile value of
stature means only 1% of the
individuals in that population would
be taller than that value.

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 Stature (mm)
U
S
U M

1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
S
Fe ales
m
U ale
K s
U M
K a
G Fe les
e
G rm ma
er a le
m nM s
an al
F
F r em es
F r enc al
en h es
M
Ja ch
p
Ja an m
F e al es
pa es a
ne e les
H se Mal
o

Populations
H ng Fem es
on ko
gk ng ale
on M s
g
Fe ales
In
di ma
In an le
di s
an Ma
F e l es
m
al
es
Stature of Males and
Females in Seven Countries

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95%tile
Median
5th %tile
Anthropometry
 Purpose: to assure that products are
suitable for the intended user populations

 Design Strategies
- Design for the average
- Design for the extreme individuals
- Design for the most
- Let the small woman reach and the
large man fit.
- Design with adjustments
(increases product features/complexity)

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 Sr. No. Measurement Gender 5th 50th 95th Std. Dev. Reference

Body
1 Stature: Vertical distance from the floor to the Male 1647 1756 1855 67 Kroemer et al. ,1994.
vertex
Female 1415 1516 1621 63

Dimensio 2 Stature: Vertical distance from the floor to the

vertex
Male 1640 1755 1870 71 Pheasant and
Haslegrave , 2006.

ns 3 Stature: Vertical distance from the floor to the

Female

Male
1520

1670
1625

1790
1730

1900
64

70 Jurgens, Aune &

vertex Pieper, 1990.
Female 1540 1650 1760 67
4 Stature: Vertical distance from the floor to the Male 1636 1763 1887 76 McDowell et al.,
vertex 2008.
Female 1507 1622 1731 68
5 Stature: Vertical distance from the floor to the Male 1665 1756 1880 62 Sanders, 1983.
vertex
Female 1572 1643 1708 64
6 Eye Height: Vertical distance from the floor to Male 1528 1634 1743 66 Kroemer et al. ,1994.
the eyes
Female 1415 1516 1621 62
7 Shoulder Height: Vertical distance from the Male 1342 1442 1546 62 Kroemer et al. ,1994.
floor to the acromion
Female 1241 1334 1432 58
8 Elbow Height: Vertical distance from the floor to Male 995 1072 1153 48 Kroemer et al. ,1994.
the radiale
Female 926 998 1074 45
9 Wrist Height: Vertical distance from the floor to Male 778 846 915 41 Kroemer et al. ,1994.
the wrist
Female 728 790 855 39
10 Sitting Height: Vertical distance from the sitting Male 854 914 972 36 Kroemer et al. ,1994.
surface to the vertex
Female 795 852 910 25
11 Sitting Height: Vertical distance from the sitting Male 855 915 975 36 Pheasant and
surface to the vertex Haslegrave , 2006.
Female 800 860 920 36
12 Sitting Eye Height: Vertical distance from the Male 735 792 848 34 Kroemer et al. ,1994.
sitting surface to the eyes 20
Female 685 739 794 33
Some Considerations in
Determining Vehicle
Dimensions:
 Space / Clearances during entry/exit
(space for head, feet, knees, buttocks,
etc.), comfortable seating
(neck/torso/leg angles), use of controls
and displays, movements during
information acquisition, walk-throughs,
usages of items (e.g. cup holder), etc.
 Reach: hand/ foot
 Visibility: Sight lines from various eye
points to various targets
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Opening the Outside Door
Handle

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Opening the Outside Door
Handle

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Opening the Outside Door
Handle

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Liftgate (5th door)
Closure

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Loading: Grocery Bag &
Luggage

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 Manikin Positioning
Problems
Problems with Assumptions
Related to:

- Body Segment Lengths

- Simple joints
- Joint angles
- Postural comfort
- Independence of body segments
- Pedal operating forces
- Armrest usage

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Considerations in
Determining Vehicle
Dimensions:
Package Evaluation Approaches:
• Subjective judgments of users under
representative usage situations
• Comparisons with other products in the
same or other market segments
(benchmarking)
• Applications of standards (developed by
SAE, company, government, etc.)
• Past experiences and customer
comments/complaints, expert reviews,
etc.
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 Sr. No. Measurement Gender 5th 50th 95th Std. Dev. Reference
Hand 30 Hand Length: Distance from the crease of the wrist Male
to the tip of the middle finger with hand held straight
179 194 211 98 Kroemer et al. ,1994.

Anthropom
and stiff Female 165 180 197 97
31 Hand Length: Distance from the crease of the wrist Male 183 197 212 9 Garrett, 1971.
to the tip of the middle finger with hand held straight
and stiff Female 165 179 193 9

etric
32 Hand Breadth: Maximum breadth across the palm of Male 84 90 98 4 Kroemer et al. ,1994.
the hand at distal ends of the metacarpal bones
Female 73 79 86 4
33 Hand Breadth: Maximum breadth across the palm of Male 83 90 97 4 Garrett, 1971.

Data
the hand at distal ends of the metacarpal bones
Female 71 77 83 4
34 Hand Depth: Measured at Thenar Pad Male 55 62 70 5 Garrett, 1971.
Female 45 52 58 4
35 Hand Thickness: Measured at Metacarpale III Male 30 33 36 2 Garrett, 1971.
Female 25 28 30 2
36 Thumb Breadth: Measured at interphalangeal joint Male 22 24 26 4 Kroemer et al. ,1994.

Female 19 21 23 1
37 Thumb Breadth: Measured at interphalangeal joint Male 21 23 25 4 Garrett, 1971.

Female 17 19 21 1
38 Digit 2 Breadth: Measured at interphalangeal joint Male 17 18 20 1 Garrett, 1971.

Female 14 15 17 1
39 Digit 3 Breadth: Measured at interphalangeal joint Male 17 18 20 1 Garrett, 1971.

Female 14 15 17 1
40 Digit 3 Depth: Measured at interphalangeal joint Male 14 16 18 1 Garrett, 1971.

Female 12 13 15 1
41 Digit 1 (Thumb) Length: Fingertip to crotch level Male 51 59 66 5 Garrett, 1971.

Female 47 54 61 4
42 Digit 2 Length: Fingertip to crotch level Male 68 75 82 5 Garrett, 1971.

Female 61 69 78 5
43 Digit 3 Length: Fingertip to crotch level Male 78 86 95 5 Garrett, 1971.

Female 70 78 87 5

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Biomechanical Issues:

 Strength considerations
 Forces generated in the muscles
depend upon locations and directions
of external loads, attachment points
and orientation of muscles, dynamic
considerations, etc.
 Strength endurance curve
 Seating considerations

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Third Class of Lever

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Human Muscle Characteristics
 A muscle can shrink to half its normal
length -- called muscular contraction.
 A muscle produces its greatest force at
the beginning of its contraction --when
it is still at its relaxed state. As muscle
shortens, its power declines.
 Maximum force generally builds over
about 4 to 6 seconds.
 Max. muscle strength about 3 to 4
kg/cm2
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Human Muscle
Characteristics (contd.)

 Max. voluntary exertion level is

generally well below the
physiological tolerance of the
muscle-bone-tendon system of well-
motivated subjects.
 Safety factor is not known, but could
be as high as 30%.

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Strength- Endurance
Relationship

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Some Factors affecting
Strength
 Gender (women about 65-70% of
men)
 Age
 Posture
 Duration
 Static vs. dynamic
 Anthropometry
 Training
 Motivation
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Effect
of
Age on
Streng
th

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Shape of
The
Vertebral
Column
under
Standing
Posture

L5/S1

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Effect of
Different
Sitting
Postures,
Seatback
Angle and
Lumbar
Support on
Disc
Pressure at
L5/S1

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Seat Shape Considerations

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 Seat Shape
Considerations
(contd.)

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 Next Topics
 SAE Occupant Packaging Practices
- Overview
- J 1100
- Exterior
- Interior
- J 826

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