Time composition, efficiency, workload, and noise exposure during tree felling and processing with petrol and battery-powered chainsaws in mixed high forest stands

Poje, Anton (author), Lipužič, Benjamin (author), Bilobrk, Ivan (author), Pandur, Zdravko (author)

This study presents the effects of using a battery-powered chainsaw on work efficiency and ergonomics under real conditions during timber harvesting. The study was conducted during the felling and processing of coniferous and deciduous trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of 13 cm to 78 cm using both a petrol-powered and battery-powered chainsaw. The results include comparisons of time composition, work efficiency, psychophysical workload, and noise exposure. Heart rate and noise exposure were measured over ten days as part of a time study using the Husqvarna 543 XP petrol-powered chainsaw and the Husqvarna 540i HP battery-powered chainsaw. The comparison of the time composition between the chainsaws used showed 3%–4% differences in the duration of productive time operations and 16% in service time. The difference in work efficiency during the productive time between the two chainsaws was statistically insignificant, but generally higher when working with the battery-powered chainsaw than with the petrol-powered chainsaw. During the main productive time, the work efficiency was 9.89 min/t for the petrol-powered chainsaw and 9.44 min/t for the battery-powered chainsaw. The psychophysical workload of the feller was lower when using the battery-powered chainsaw than when using the petrol-powered chainsaw as the relative working heart rates during the entire productive time was 32.5% for the battery-powered chainsaw and 35.0% for the petrol-powered chainsaw. The noise exposure of the workers was lower when using a battery-powered chainsaw, namely 6.0 dB(A) and 0.4 dB(C) compared to the use of a petrol-powered chainsaw. The results of this paper indicate that battery-powered chainsaws can compete with petrol chainsaws in harvesting conditions that are currently considered unsuitable due to the large volume of trees.

• Language: English
• Keywords: motor-manual work, battery-powered chainsaws, petrol-powered chainsaws, feller, deciduous trees, coniferous trees, time study, heart rate, exposure to noise
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 30.04.2024
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 1-15
• Numbering: Vol. 15, issue 5, [article no.] 798
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-158983
• UDC: 630*3
• ISSN on article: 1999-4907
• DOI: doi.org/10.3390/f15050798
• COBISS.SI-ID: 199785987
• Publication date in RUL: 26.06.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Forests
• Shortened title: Forests
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1999-4907
• COBISS.SI-ID: 3872166

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: baterijske motorne žage, bencinska motorne žage, sekači, listavci, iglavci, časovne študije, srčni utrip, izpostavljenost hrupu

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P4-0430-2022
• Name: Gozdno-lesna veriga in podnebne spremembe: prehod v krožno biogospodarstvo

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Funding programme: Pahernikova fundacija
• Project number: Pahernikova fundacija
• Name: Pahernikova fundacija
• Acronym: Pahernikova fundacija