Abstract
This paper reports on the measured isometric strength capability of 125 male and 125 female college students performing a one-handed wheel turning task. Three measures of isometric strength were used: (1) a three-second average of steady state levels taken from a six-second exertion, (2) the largest value (peak) from the same six-second exertion, and (3) a maximum exertion level taken from a separate “ramp-to-peak” exertion. Standardized whole-body strength measurements for the legs, arms, and torso as well as grip strength were also taken for each subject. The results presented in this paper demonstrate average isometric wheel turning strengths (torques) ranging from 109 to 152 N-m for males and 66 to 91 N-m for females, depending upon the strength measure used. The three strength measures were highly correlated, but produced significantly different estimates of strength. The three-second average produced the lowest estimate while the ramp-peak value produced the highest. Wheel turning strengths were also highly correlated with the standardized whole-body strength measures and with grip strength. Multiple regression models developed to predict wheel turning strength using these values accounted for 69 to 71 percent of the variation in the measures. The model results also suggest that grip strength plays an important role in determining wheel turning strength capability.
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