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Effect of steering wheel heating system on hand thermal sensation

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Abstract

A numerical study is conducted to verify the effect of the steering wheel heating system for enhancing the thermal sensation of the hand. First, a numerical study was conducted to quantify the sensory index called thermal sensation. A five-layer skin model was developed, and the reliability of the model was confirmed by comparing it to previous research results. The temperature and its rate of changes for skin layers were predicted by the numerical study, while the relationship between the numerical results and the hand thermal sensation data from ISO/TS 13732-2:2001 were quantitatively analyzed. A one-dimensional unsteady heat transfer model dealing with a steering wheel was designed and developed and it was determined whether the wheel heating system is effective as an auxiliary personal heating system for electric vehicles in the cold winter. Consequentially, even a small amount of electrical energy could provide a meaningful effect to hand thermal sensation.

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Abbreviations

c b :

Specific heat of blood [J·kg−1 K−1]

c p :

Specific heat [J·kg−1 K−1]

Dcoilheater :

Diameter of heater coil [mm]

Lcoilheater :

Length of heater coil [mm]

D sw :

Diameter of torus [mm]

q :

Heat generation rate [W]

R sw :

Radius of steering wheel [mm]

t insulation :

Thickness of insulation [mm]

t leather :

Thickness of leather [mm]

T :

Temperature [°C]

t :

Time [s]

W b :

Blood perfusion rate [kg·m−3 s−1]

x :

Depth of skin [mm]

π :

Density [kg·m−3]

k :

Thermal conductivity [W·m−1 K−1]

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Acknowledgments

This paper was supported by the New Professor Research Program of KOREATECH in 2019.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea

    Gwi Taek Kim

  2. School of Industrial Design and Architectural Engineering, Korea University of Technology and Education, Chungcheongnam-do, Cheonan-si, 31253, Korea

    Joo Young Jung

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  1. Gwi Taek Kim
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Correspondence to Joo Young Jung.

Additional information

GwiTaek Kim received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea. His research interests comprise electric mobility, computational fluid dynamics, heat transfer, thermal comfort, thermal and energy management, and thermal system design and integration.

Jooyoung Jung is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial Design Engineering at Koreatech, Cheonan, Korea. She received her M.Sc. (2012) in Industrial Design Engineering at TUDelft, Delft, the Netherlands. Her research interests focused on product design and development, as well as comfort experience design aspects.

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Kim, G.T., Jung, J.Y. Effect of steering wheel heating system on hand thermal sensation. J Mech Sci Technol 36, 3717–3725 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-022-0645-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-022-0645-1

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