Analysis of EVA gloves vibration reduction mechanism in a zero-gravity, low-pressure environment

During extravehicular activities (EVA), the use of handheld electric tools tends to diversify, the vibration generated by these tools can affect the health of astronauts and even hinder the smooth progress of work. The primary objective of this study is to develop a mechanical equivalent model of an EVA glove-hand-arm system to enhance the understanding of its vibration transmission characteristics, analyze the vibration reduction mechanism of EVA gloves, and explore the impact of EVA gloves on the biomechanics of the hand-arm system. The results show that the model can effectively predict the vibration transmission characteristics of the EVA gloves-hand system. The mass, stiffness, and damping of the contact between EVA gloves and hand affect the biodynamic responses of fingers and palm, with the dorsal side of the fingers being constrained by the EVA gloves. EVA gloves can decrease vibration exposure at most frequencies, and their vibration reduction on palms increases when the frequency exceeds the resonance frequency of palms. The contact stiffness and damping between EVA gloves and the palm and fingers affect their vibration reduction effect, and at a certain gas pressure there is a nonlinear relationship between different EVA glove pressures and vibration reduction effects. In addition, based on the research results, methods for controlling EVA glove vibration exposure are proposed.