Analysis of the point mechanical impedance of fingerpad in vibration

Biodynamic responses of the finger–hand–arm system, such as apparent mass and mechanical impedance, characterize the relationship between the motion of the finger–hand–arm system and the dynamic force acting on the driving point, and they are useful for vibration exposure assessment. In the present study, a two-dimensional finite element (FE) model has been proposed to simulate the biodynamic responses of the fingerpad in vibration tests. The fingernail was supported by the rigid ground while the fingerpad was activated by a vibration probe. The fingertip model is composed of skin, subcutaneous tissue, bone, and nail. The soft tissues (i.e., skin and subcutaneous tissues) were assumed to be non-linearly elastic and linearly viscoelastic. The FE model was applied to predict the effects of pre-indentation of the vibration probe onto the fingerpad, the damping of the soft tissues, and probe mass on the magnitude and phase angle of the mechanical impedance and the apparent mass, as measured in the vibration tests. The model predictions showed that the probe mass has non-negligible effects on the measured biodynamic responses in the vibration tests. In order to determine “true” biodynamic responses of the finger–hand–arm system, the mass effects have to be cancelled using an appropriate approach. The present analysis provided a theoretical explanation, from a biomechanical point-of-view, for the inconsistencies in the published experimental data for the biodynamic responses of fingerpad.