The role of ergonomics in the development of performance tests for furniture

The development of realistic performance tests for furniture has been the subject of a continuing research programme. Such tests are necessary to ensure that furniture is both durable and safe to use: This paper discusses the general philosophy that tests should be based on the actual use to which furniture is likely to be subjected. The forces which act on a piece of furniture may be conveniently divided into two categories - functional and non-functional. The former occurs when the activity is one for which the furniture was designed, while non-functional use covers misuse for which the furniture was not specifically intended but which inevitably occurs and which must be considered in its design. The success of performance tests depends largely on the reproduction of service loads and ergonomics has played an important role in the recording and measuring of human behaviour in relation to different types of furniture. This has led to the development of test rigs to reproduce loads occurring in practice. A number of examples are discussed. The comparison of results obtained from these tests with the performance of furniture in everyday use has shown that the tests do adequately reproduce the type of failure which is likely to occur in practice.