An experimental study on gait characteristics and walking speed of individuals under the combined effects of heel and trim

Abstract

The individual movement characteristics in a ship’s inclination environment are of great significance for expanding, supporting, and validating existing ship evacuation models, simulation software, and enhancing evacuation capabilities. This study, based on a six-degree-of-freedom ship platform, conducted walking experiments with individuals aged 30–50 under single-angle inclination as well as combined heel and trim. Individual walking speeds and gait parameters were extracted based on movement trajectories. The experimental results showed that as the inclination angle increases, the individual walking speed decreases, especially when the inclination angle reaches 15°, where the walking speed significantly declines. When the heel and trim angles exceed 15° respectively, individuals are unable to maintain a normal walking speed. Step length, step time, and step width are key gait parameters directly affecting walking speed. Step length shows a significant positive correlation with movement speed, while step time and step width exhibit a negative correlation. The relationship between step width and walking speed is relatively weak. This study provides reliable data support for a deeper understanding of individual movement characteristics in ship inclination environments.