Engineering Project: Analyzing Driver Fatigue in Lightweight Cars

This engineering project investigates the fatigue and discomfort experienced by drivers of lightweight cars during long-distance drives. The research begins with an executive summary and table of contents, providing a clear overview of the project's structure. The introduction highlights the increasing prevalence of driver fatigue due to factors like constant posture and vehicle vibrations, setting the objective to analyze these effects through theoretical and experimental means. The literature review explores existing research on driver fatigue, including the impact of government regulations, vehicle design, and human factors. The project then poses research questions regarding the effects of long-distance driving, posture, and car vibration. The theoretical content section discusses the unique characteristics of lightweight cars and their impact on driver comfort and fatigue. The experimental setup outlines plans for field tests, including instrumentation and driver surveys. The results, outcome, and relevance section discusses the relationship between comfort and fatigue, highlighting the significance of low-frequency vibrations. The project includes a project planning section with a Gantt chart. The conclusion summarizes the findings and suggests future research directions. References are provided to support the research.

Running Head: ENGINEERING PROJECT PREPARATION
Engineering Project Preparation
Name of the Student
Name of the University

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Executive Summary
This research has been conducted in order to analyze the fatigue and discomfort faced by drivers
who generally drive lightweight cars over a long distance at a continuous basis. According to the
study, there are several reasons associated with it, which have been discussed in the report. In
addition to the theoretical study, a proposal for field texting and experimental analysis has also
been forwarded and planned. The final conclusion of the research will be determined from the
comparison of theoretical and experimental data collected throughout the course of the research.

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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction................................................................................................................................3
2.0 Literature Review......................................................................................................................3
3.0 Research Questions....................................................................................................................6
4.0 Theoretical Content...................................................................................................................6
5.0 Experimental Setup....................................................................................................................7
6.0 Results, Outcome, Relevance....................................................................................................8
7.0 Project Planning and Gantt Chart..............................................................................................9
8.0 Conclusion...............................................................................................................................13
References......................................................................................................................................15

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1.0 Introduction
Due to long driving, many drivers of lightweight vehicles face uneasiness, discomfort and
pain on the back mainly due to continuously constant posture as well as the angle of the seat with
respect to the body. In addition, the continuous vibration of the vehicles also adds up to the
discomfort of the driver. This is becoming an extremely serious problem as the numbers of cars
are increasing at a significant rate globally and people are preferring travel by car for long drives
and trips. As a result, more and more drivers nowadays are facing the same problem.
This project has been developed to theoretically and experimentally analyze the various
effects contributing to the discomfort of lightweight car drivers during long distance drives. The
ultimate objective of this study is mainly for developing a solar powered lightweight car that will
be used for participation in a competition, where a driver will be required to drive the car for 300
km under harsh conditions. This drive will be analyzed for identifying the various issues of
discomfort faced by the driver.
2.0 Literature Review
The requirement for this research is increased by various late administrative activities put
forth by different government organizations. For instance, according to Zhigang et al. (2014), the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has discharged its Safety Action Plan,
which calls for diminishing fatalities in crashes including substantial cars by as much as half and
diminishing wounds by no less than 20%. Vehicle vibrations, which business vehicle drivers are
subjected to, would be a piece of the OSHA ergonomic standard. The above endeavors require a
superior comprehension of human fatigue in business vehicles, specifically as it identifies with

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the vehicle outline and working condition, through productive and logically based strategies that
can be utilized successfully practically speaking. Jagannath and Balasubramanian (2014) said
that the DOT has presented its business car driver hours-of-benefit (HOS) change want to
Congress to confine the hours that car drivers can work. The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) has proposed an arrangement of ergonomic standards to diminish and
counteract dull movement related working environment damage. As the years progressed, the
transportation business has endeavored to address the issue of driver fatigue in vehicles.
Nevertheless, countless issues with respect to fatigue as a rule 2 and the impact of the driver
situate outline specifically still remain. These must be tended to before we can make a less
exhausting and more secure condition in business vehicles (Siren and Meng 2013). Studies have
built up a few approved measures that can be utilized to assess driver comfort. These
investigations incorporate goal and subjective estimations on a progression of various seat pads
by a subset of drivers. Approval of these measures is performed by discovering some
deterministic connection between physical information and driver comfort surveys. While the
advantage of a dependable measure to assess driver fatigue caused by the dynamic condition is
clear, there are numerous impediments that have counteracted researchers in setting up such
measures. The essential trouble is the impact of the dynamic human-vehicle interface on human
fatigue is not notable. While these investigations have had a few triumphs distinguishing a few
measures of comfort on froth situate pads, even this comprehension is restricted. Moreover, it is
not known if these outcomes specifically apply to various seating innovations. Human fatigue is
influenced by numerous physical variables, including the weight profile at the seat region, pose,
body flow and vibrations, and various natural factors in the vehicle taxi. All through this report,
the expression "comfort" is utilized to characterize the transient impact of a seat on the human

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body, which is regularly the impression that happens from sitting on a seat for a brief timeframe.
Conversely, the expression "fatigue" is utilized to characterize the physical weakness that
outcomes from introduction to the seat elements for a drawn out stretch of time (Apostolopoulos,
Lemke and Sönmez 2014). While there have been great outcomes in the zone of comfort, many
investigations have demonstrated that there is little connection between's comfort (the transient
sensation) and fatigue (the long haul physical impact) of a seat. As such, what may feel
comfortable upon starting contact with the human body will not really be less exhausting over
the long haul. This implies the investigations performed for comfort can't be specifically
connected to fatigue. Fatigue may prompt diminished consideration, recognition, basic
leadership, carefulness, and response time. Subjective testing is additionally confused by subject
inconstancy, which incorporates physical, physiological, and mental contrasts between drivers.
Since this fluctuation 3 makes it harder to discover critical patterns, bigger specimen sizes are
frequently used to decrease the impact of this inconstancy. Regardless of the trouble in setting up
these measures, an arrangement of approved physical estimations to assess driver fatigue would
have preferences as far as expanded comprehension of the impact of a dynamic domain on driver
fatigue and enhanced outlines as far as driver fatigue (Useche, Cendales and Gómez 2017). In
the extent of a comfort contemplate; a huge specimen estimate is achievable, as each subject's
assessment may take just a couple of minutes. On account of a fatigue examine, nonetheless, vast
example estimate isn't down to earth, as it can incredibly increment both cost and time, since
each subject's fatigue assessment can take hours or even days. Along these lines, the test
confronting mainstream researchers, unique equipment makers (OEM), and seat providers is the
way to assess fatigue in light of an arrangement of physical estimations that can be promptly
made in the vehicle and on the administrator, and utilize that information to build up

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administrator fatigue. In spite of the fact that a preparatory research center investigation has
endeavored to address this test, much work still stays as far as further approving the proposed
approaches through more practical field tests.
3.0 Research Questions, Aims/Objectives, Sub-Goals
Based on the initial requirement analysis, the following set of research questions can be
determined.
i. What are the effects of long distance driving on the drivers in lightweight
vehicles?
ii. What is the role of the driver’s posture in the cause of discomfort?
iii. What is the role of the car vibration in the cause of discomfort?
Accordingly, the aims and objectives of the project along with the sub-goals are as
follows.
Objective 1: To conduct literature review based on long distance driving and driver
comfort
Sub-Goal: To find the effects of the car vibration and driver’s posture on his comfort
Objective 2: To conduct an experiment (field test) to find more details about driver
fatigue in long distance drives
Sub-Goal: To study the effects of vibration on the driver’s fatigue throughout the field
test

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4.0 Theoretical Content
Lightweight cars are one of a kind as in they are particularly created to transport people
over long distances without any difficulty. As needs be, high need has been given to toughness
and utilitarian productivity. Interestingly, the cars are made to comfortably suit travelers over
generally shorter separations. Both the individual car and the business car encounter a similar
street excitations, yet the vehicle reaction can be very unique. In like manner, the car situate has
created from the one of a kind dynamic properties of the car (Phillips and Sagberg 2013). Car
drivers spend extend periods of time in the driver's seat contrasted with the normal worker.
Components including ride comfort, handling, and appearance are of high significance in
offering individual autos. These prerequisites have driven the development of business car
outline and individual vehicle configuration in particular ways. Of specific significance in the
advancement of business cars is the car situate. It is this diminished driving capability that has
incited research researchers to recognize the particular reasons for discomfort and fatigue related
with car situate outline and moreover to create measures for assessing them (Rufa’I et al. 2015).
Extended periods of situated action in a dynamic domain can prompt discomfort and even
fatigue, which can cause diminished consideration, recognition, basic leadership, carefulness,
and response time – all significant to safe driving.
Introduction to vibration can make an expansive range of sensation the human body
contingent upon the sort of vibration, the physical attributes of the individual, and the span of
presentation. The capacity of the vehicle to limit discomfort and fatigue because of these
vibrations is of real worry of both suspension and seat outline. Vibration can prompt both
discomfort and fatigue, however in various ways. Driving is a dynamic action in which the
seated individual is presented to different excitation sources (Shackel and Parkin 2014). These

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sources incorporate contributions from street unpleasantness, the tire/wheel get together, the
driveline, and the car. Discomfort is generally connected with the dynamic properties of the
human body and how it responds to vibration. For instance, it turns out to be very uncomfortable
when the neck and head are shaken at their thunderous recurrence. The muscle tissue and organs
act both effectively and latently act to control vibration and subsequently can wind up plainly
fatigued. Fatigue because of vibration is believed to be caused by delayed muscle movement,
both deliberate and automatic, coming about because of the body's endeavor to check the
vibration.
5.0 Experimental Setup
Street tests will be performed utilizing existing lightweight cars in the everyday
operations in order to address the developed research questions. A retrofit air-swelled seat pad
will introduced in the test cars, and the drivers will be permitted to conform to the seats over
around one week. After this modification period, twelve drivers will ride on both the air-swelled
seat pad and their unique situate pad within the testing phase, for a sum of 120 hour and 4800
miles of field testing. Surveys will be gathered all through the test sessions and the car seats will
be fitted with instrumentation to catch physical estimations of seat weight dissemination.
6.0 Results, Outcome, Relevance
Many examinations have demonstrated that there is little relationship between's comfort
(the transient sensation) and fatigue (the long haul physical impact) of a seat. As it were, what
may feel comfortable on introductory contact with the body will not really be less exhausting
over the long haul. This reverse relationship has additionally been bolstered with respect to

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comfort where research has discovered that comfort assessments for here and now and long haul
driving do not concur. A couple of studies have demonstrated the conceivable relationship
amongst fatigue and low recurrence vibration ordinarily experienced via car drivers. Likewise, it
has been discovered that vibration introduction causes changes in body science that could prompt
fatigue impacts. Nevertheless, in many investigations fatigue must be coherently reasoned
without supporting confirmation.
In particular, among city transport drivers, there are different working modalities as
indicated by driving hours, some of them more basic than others for the strength of this word
related gathering. As indicated by the investigations performed by research encounters, rehashed
lacking recuperation from business related fatigue, could be clarified as the take-off of an endless
loop; in this sense, the performed additional exertion "must be applied toward the start of each
new working period to rebalance the imperfect psychophysiological state, and to avert execution
breakdown". In a past reports, some researchers found that rates of self-reported fatigue were
higher on drivers of open administration performing two day by day moves (split timetable) than
those performed amid just a single move for every day, in spite of the fact that this move keeps
going twice as long. Given that rest is the instrument second to none by which recuperation is
performed, in circumstances of rehashed introduction to stressors, delayed initiation and
inadequate rest, it is regular to discover a break in the homeostatic adjust, following a total
change process, bringing about negative mental and physiological responses that may wind up
noticeably irreversible in the soundness of drivers. As indicated by the proof, the primary driver
of fatigue of drivers shows to be sluggishness gotten from rest misfortune, remaining wakeful for
intemperate periods, and the reality of driving amid the circadian low. Some of these impacts, as
indicated by their many-sided quality, can run from a straightforward delayed sentiment fatigue

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to perpetual rest issues and the improvement of manifestations identified with burnout, every one
of them conceivably debilitating the driving execution.
7.0 Project Planning and Gantt Chart
The project plan is based on the following deliverables as follows.
Task Name Duration Start Finish
Analysis of Driver Fatigue in Long
Distance Travel
365 days Mon 23-10-17 Fri 15-03-19
Research Initiation 25 days Mon 23-10-17 Fri 24-11-17
Research Requirement Analysis 5 days Mon 23-10-17 Fri 27-10-17
Preparation of Requirement Draft 5 days Mon 30-10-17 Fri 03-11-17
Analysis of Research Scope 5 days Mon 06-11-17 Fri 10-11-17
Analysis of Research Objective 5 days Mon 13-11-17 Fri 17-11-17
Development of Research
Questions
5 days Mon 20-11-17 Fri 24-11-17
Theoretical Study 60 days Mon 27-11-17 Fri 16-02-18
Detailed Literature Review 15 days Mon 27-11-17 Fri 15-12-17
Collection of Data 15 days Mon 18-12-17 Fri 05-01-18

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Analysis of Data 20 days Mon 08-01-18 Fri 02-02-18
Identification of Data that
Addresses Research Questions
10 days Mon 05-02-18 Fri 16-02-18
Experimental Study 260 days Mon 19-02-18 Fri 15-02-19
Setting Up of Experimental Setup 30 days Mon 19-02-18 Fri 30-03-18
Renting of Cars for Field Testing 10 days Mon 02-04-18 Fri 13-04-18
Hiring of Volunteer Drivers 10 days Mon 16-04-18 Fri 27-04-18
Initiation of Field Testing 5 days Mon 30-04-18 Fri 04-05-18
Detailed Field Testing 150 days Mon 07-05-18 Fri 30-11-18
Collection of Experimental Data 15 days Mon 03-12-18 Fri 21-12-18
Analysis of the Experimental Data 30 days Mon 24-12-18 Fri 01-02-19
Determination of Final Conclusion 10 days Mon 04-02-19 Fri 15-02-19
Research Closing 20 days Mon 18-02-19 Fri 15-03-19
Final Analysis and Comparison of
Theoretical and Experimental Data
10 days Mon 18-02-19 Fri 01-03-19
Documentation 10 days Mon 04-03-19 Fri 15-03-19
Accordingly, the Gantt Chart is as follows.