Effect of Frequency and Grip Force on the Perception of Steering Wheel Rotational Vibration

This paper describes an experimental study which investigated human perception of rotational steering wheel vibration. Tests were performed with a rigid steering wheel rotating under sinusoidal excitation in the frequency range from 4 to 125 Hz at 1.86 m/s and 5.58 m/s. Twenty-five human subjects participated in the study, and two grip strengths were tested. The perceived discomfort caused by steering wheel vibration was found to be highly dependent on frequency. Equal sensation curves (iso-comfort curves) were plotted and were found to be approximately linear over the frequency range considered. Statistically significant (p<.05) differences were found in the results from the two grip strengths, but the differences were less than 5 percent at most frequencies. The equal sensation curves were compared to results from the literature obtained for translating handles, and were found to be similar.