title: The effect of valve handwheel type, operating plane, and grasping posture on peak torque strength of young men and women.
abstract: An experiment was designed to assess the factors affecting the operation of valve handwheels. Forty volunteers (20 men and 20 women) participated in this study. A nested-factorial experimental design was employed. Handwheel type (smooth, curved, or knurled rim), operating plane (sagittal, frontal, or transverse plane), grasping posture (power or precision grasp), and operating direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) were found to have significant effects on the (maximum volitional torque exertion [MVTE]). A power grasp exerted more force than did a precision grasp. A smooth-rim handwheel oriented in the frontal plane resulted in the least MVTE. Counterclockwise torque exertion was significantly greater than clockwise torque exertion, but the difference was not very large. MVTE for women (7.9 Nm) was about 66% of that for men (12.0 Nm).
authors.affiliation: National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Y C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008328:Man-Machine Systems; D012107:Research Design; D012737:Sex Factors; D019415:Torque