Electronic Journal of Polish Agricultural Universities (EJPAU) founded by all Polish Agriculture Universities presents original papers and review articles relevant to all aspects of agricultural sciences. It is target for persons working both in science and industry,regulatory agencies or teaching in agricultural sector. Covered by IFIS Publishing (Food Science and Technology Abstracts), ELSEVIER Science - Food Science and Technology Program, CAS USA (Chemical Abstracts), CABI Publishing UK and ALPSP (Association of Learned and Professional Society Publisher - full membership). Presented in the Master List of Thomson ISI.

Copyright © Wydawnictwo Akademii Rolniczej we Wroclawiu, ISSN 1505-0297

Mederski P. , Bembenek M. , Hoffman L. 2005. ANALYSIS OF THE TIME OF EXPOSURE TO NOISE OF THE VIMEK 606 6WD FORWARDER OPERATOR IN SELECTED CONDITIONS OF PILE TIMBER FORWARDING, EJPAU 8(3), #17.
Available Online: http://www.ejpau.media.pl/volume8/issue3/abs-17.html

ABSTRACT

The performed analyses comprised the time of exposure to acoustic loads of the operator of the Vimek 606 6WD forwarder during the forwarding of pile timber harvested using two methods: with and without a midfield. Timber intended for forwarding was harvested with the Timberjack 770 harvester employing one of the following two technologies: 1/ with a midfield – the spacing of strip roads exceeds two times the range of the harvester crane; 2/ with strip roads (without the midfield) with distances between them not greater than twice the range of the harvester crane. The alternative method of timber harvest <footnote>, in which more raw material was gathered close to the skid road, allowed reducing the proportion of driving time needed by the harvester during timber forwarding. The stacked wood was forwarded with the Vimek 606 6WD forwarder. In each of the treatments, the time of exposure of the harvester operator to noise was investigated.

In the course of the performed experiments, using the Bruel & Kjaer 2231 audiometer, the noise intensity was measured in the closed cabin of the forwarder during the following two operations: timber loading (85.2 dB (A)) and driving to timber piles (90.2 dB (A)).

The performed analyses of the measurement data in the above-described variants of timber forwarding revealed variations in the exposure time of the forwarder operator to noise. In the treatment with the midfield, the authors recorded the shortest forwarding time needed to complete one timber loading (23.28 min.) and a shorter exposure of the operator to noise calculated per 1 m³ of forwarded timber. In the variant without the midfield, the skidding time amounted to 25.80 min. of which the driving time was 4.79 min. In addition, the time analysis of labour operations showed that the noise of the higher sound level (during driving) was shorter in the treatment with the midfield (3.10 min.).

Key words: noise, timber forwarding, forwarder.

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Piotr S. Mederski
Department of Forest Utilisation,
August Cieszkowski Agricultural University of Poznan, Poland
Wojska Polskiego 71A, 60-625 Poznan, Poland
tel.: (48 61) 848 7761
fax: (48 61) 848 7755
email: mederski@owl.au.poznan.pl

Mariusz Bembenek
Department of Forest Utilisation,
August Cieszkowski Agricultural University of Poznan, Poland
Wojska Polskiego 71A, 60-625 Poznan, Poland
tel.: (48 61) 848 7761
fax: (48 61) 848 7755

Leszek Hoffman
Research and Development Centre of State Forests in Bedon, Poland

email: l.hoffman@orwlp.com.pl

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Responses to this article, comments are invited and should be submitted within three months of the publication of the article. If accepted for publication, they will be published in the chapter headed 'Discussions' and hyperlinked to the article.

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