Date of Award

2011

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Systems Engineering

First Advisor

Jiang, Steven X.

Abstract

Fluid power technology is constantly evolving as a result of the interaction between the human and the system. Systems such as the hydraulic excavator utilize this technology in order to deliver safe, efficient, and effective performance. However, traditional research has placed much emphasis on technical performance rather than on human components. Imbalances of this nature demonstrate inadequate understanding, lack of knowledge, and limited research on the factors affecting performance. This research aims to address these shortcomings by using an integrated approach to better model human performance in fluid power systems. Through the development of an integrative framework considering cognitive and physical components, procedures were developed to facilitate the integration of various performance factors and simulation tools. An empirical study was performed using a case study in fluid power to demonstrate the viability of an integrated human performance model. From those studies, control was found to have a significant effect on workload and the environment on completion time. In addition, a significant difference in workload was found between non-integrated and integrated models. Future work should concentrate on further utilization of the framework with newly enhanced simulation tools that offer a range of capabilities to fully model its defined parameters.

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