Analysis and Redesign of Battery Handling using Jack™ and HUMOSIM Motions 2004-01-2145

The evaluation of maintenance tasks is increasingly important in the design and redesign of many industrial operations including vehicles. The weight of subsystems can be extreme and often tools are developed to abate the ergonomic risks commonly associated with such tasks, while others are unfortunately overlooked. We evaluated a member of the family of medium-sized tactical vehicles (FMTV) and chose the battery handling from a list of previously addressed concerns regarding the vehicle. Particularly in larger vehicles, similar to those analyzed in this paper, batteries may exceed 35 kg (77 lbs). The motions required to remove these batteries were simulated using motion prediction modules from the Human Motion Simulation (HUMOSIM) laboratory at the University of Michigan. These motions were visualized in UGS PLM Solutions' Jack™ and analyzed with the embedded 3-D Static Strength Prediction program. Critical design issues were immediately apparent, such as location, orientation, contact stress, and clearance; all directly related to the difficulty and increased risk of injury associated with replacing the batteries. Simple ergonomic interventions were evaluated for the modification of existing vehicles.