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Difference thresholds for automobile seat vibration

Difference thresholds for automobile seat vibration
Difference thresholds for automobile seat vibration
Reductions in vehicle vibration that may contribute to improvements in overall vehicle ride could individually be too small to be detected by drivers or passengers. This study investigated the ‘difference threshold’ (the difference in magnitude between two stimuli which is just sufficient for their difference to be detected) required for a change in vehicle ride to be perceived and whether this was consistent with Weber's Law. Ten male and 10 female subjects sat in a car seat and were exposed to four different reproductions of the vertical vibration recorded on the seat of a car. Three of the stimuli had the same waveform recorded while the car traversed a tarmac surface. This waveform was reproduced using three different magnitudes of vibration at the seat: 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 m s-2 r.m.s. (Wb weighted). The other stimulus was recorded with the car traversing a 'pavé' surface that gave a different waveform that was reproduced at a magnitude of 0.4 m s-2 r.m.s. (Wb weighted). There were significant differences in the absolute difference thresholds measured using the same waveform at the three different magnitudes. When the difference thresholds were expressed in relative terms (the proportion by which two stimuli must differ in magnitude to be discriminated), the relative difference thresholds were approximately 13%, and independent of both the vibration magnitude and the vibration waveform. The results are therefore consistent with Weber's Law. No consistent differences were observed between the responses of male and female subjects.
whole-body vibration, comfort, perception
0003-6870
255-261
Mansfield, Neil J.
9fbaeb10-6857-4dc5-aa59-18644d159f0a
Griffin, Michael J.
4b3fc50c-f216-443f-a329-67e450d88bda
Mansfield, Neil J.
9fbaeb10-6857-4dc5-aa59-18644d159f0a
Griffin, Michael J.
4b3fc50c-f216-443f-a329-67e450d88bda

Mansfield, Neil J. and Griffin, Michael J. (2000) Difference thresholds for automobile seat vibration. Applied Ergonomics, 31 (3), 255-261. (doi:10.1016/S0003-6870(99)00054-X).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Reductions in vehicle vibration that may contribute to improvements in overall vehicle ride could individually be too small to be detected by drivers or passengers. This study investigated the ‘difference threshold’ (the difference in magnitude between two stimuli which is just sufficient for their difference to be detected) required for a change in vehicle ride to be perceived and whether this was consistent with Weber's Law. Ten male and 10 female subjects sat in a car seat and were exposed to four different reproductions of the vertical vibration recorded on the seat of a car. Three of the stimuli had the same waveform recorded while the car traversed a tarmac surface. This waveform was reproduced using three different magnitudes of vibration at the seat: 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 m s-2 r.m.s. (Wb weighted). The other stimulus was recorded with the car traversing a 'pavé' surface that gave a different waveform that was reproduced at a magnitude of 0.4 m s-2 r.m.s. (Wb weighted). There were significant differences in the absolute difference thresholds measured using the same waveform at the three different magnitudes. When the difference thresholds were expressed in relative terms (the proportion by which two stimuli must differ in magnitude to be discriminated), the relative difference thresholds were approximately 13%, and independent of both the vibration magnitude and the vibration waveform. The results are therefore consistent with Weber's Law. No consistent differences were observed between the responses of male and female subjects.

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More information

Published date: 2000
Keywords: whole-body vibration, comfort, perception
Organisations: Human Sciences Group

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 10462
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/10462
ISSN: 0003-6870
PURE UUID: d34fc943-9631-4318-bf01-654689ab6381

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 28 Jul 2005
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 04:59

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Contributors

Author: Neil J. Mansfield
Author: Michael J. Griffin

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