INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND ERGONOMICS 1997, VOL. 3, NO. 3^1, 109-118

Torque Production Using Handwheels

of Different Size During a Simulated Valve
Operation Task

Lawrence J.H. Schulze

David Goldstein
Anupam Patel
Edward Stanton
James Woods

University of Houston, USA

Opening and closing valves in industrial facilities often requires operators to use bars and
wrenches as levers (cheaters) in order to overcome initial actuation forces. In order to
determine more appropriate operational specifications, the maximum torque production
capability was measured when 12 male participants used 4 different valve handwheels at
3 different heights and 2 different angles (in relationship to the coronal plane). The results
indicate that the participants produced significantly greater torque when the largest of the
4 wheels (40.6 cm diameter) was used than when the medium (22.9 cm), small (20.3 cm), and
handled (17.8 cm) handwheels were used. Although the main effect of heights was found to be
statistically significant, post-hoc analyses between the heights found them to be, essentially,
equal. In addition, the vertical and horizontal wheel orientations were not found to be different.
The results are applicable to all industries where handwheels are used and applicable to valve
manufacturers for designing operational torque specifications below the values found in this
study.

valve operation handwheels torque production capability

1. IN T R O D U C T I O N

In industry m any workers are required to perform a variety of handwheel turning

tasks such as opening and closing valves in chemical process and waste water
treatm ent facilities (Figure 1 a and b). In m any cases, the torque required to begin
m ovem ent of the wheel ( breaking”) is greater than can be applied by an individual.
In these cases, other m ethods are employed to assist the operator in opening the
valve (e.g., “cheater bars” ). These m ethods introduce safety hazards, and can cause
physical injury, equipment damage, or both. If these valve systems are designed
properly, workers will be able to perform wheel turning tasks safely and efficiently.

Correspondence and requests for reprints should be sent to Lawrence J.H. Schulze, Department of
Industrial Engineering, University o f Houston, 4800 Calhoun Street, Houston, TX 77204-4812 USA
E-mail: < LJHS@ UH.EDU > .
110 L.J.H. SCHULZE, D. GOLDSTEIN, A. PATEL, E. STANTON, AND J. WOODS

System designers and equipm ent specifiers should consider the following in order to
optimize the design of handwheel turning subsystems: (a) torque required to turn the
handwheel in its expected operating environment (location, orientation, flow resis­
tance); (b) wheel size (diameter); (c) wheel location relative to user; and (d) other
environm ental factors (e.g., footing, interference, etc.). By evaluating trade-offs
between these items and system requirements, systems designers can integrate safe
and efficient handwheel turning tasks into the overall system.

Figure 1. (a) Typical han dw h eel configuration for valve operations, and (b) ex tre m e position.

2. BACKGROUND

A lthough Van C ott and K inkade (1972) and Rogers (1983) provide inform ation
regarding handwheel design, these authors do not provide inform ation regarding
torque production capabilities of operators in terms of operational or design
specifications.
Several studies have evaluated handwheels with respect to the isometric strength
production capabilities of participants. W oldstad, Rockwell, Johnson, M cM ulkin, and
M cM ahan (1992) evaluated the isometric strength capability of 125 male and 125
female participants in a vertical handwheel turning task. The task was a simulated
rail road handbrake turning task. These authors found that females could produce
approxim ately 60% of the torque produced by their male counterparts and found
th at grip strength was highly correlated with torque production capability.
Johnston and W oldstad (1993) looked at estimates of compressive force on the
 TORQUE PRODUCTION USING HANDWHEELS 111

lower back (L5/L4 joint) and found that gender, ladder rung, and torque level were
significant factors in a simulated handbrake turning task. These authors found th at
males produced approxim ately twice as m uch torque as did the female participants
with estimated compressive forces on the L5/L4 nearly 3 times the levels estimated
for the female participants.
M cM ulkin, W oldstad, M cM ahan, and Jones (1993), later reported by M cM ulkin
and W oldstad (1995), com pared the design of the new handwheels with a standard
railroad handbrake wheel in a simulated handbrake turning task. These authors
found that the 12 male and 12 female participants produced greater isometric torques
w ith a zig-zag handwheel than with the other handwheels (wheel with spheres,
cylindrical wheel with knurling on the surface, and the standard rail road handbrake
wheel, respectively).
A m ore related study was conducted by Sanders (1981) to examine peak and
sustained isometric forces applied to a truck steering wheel during a simulated tire
blow-out scenario. M ean peak torque was found to be 147 Nm , which decayed 12%
in the first 5 s, 10% after 10 s, and 21% after 15 s. Unfortunately, this study also
examined isometric forces.
A Russian standard (State Committee of the USSR for Standards, 1984) for the
operation of control handwheels and steering wheels provides m aximum exertion
forces in kilograms for the num ber of handwheel operations per shift. The specifica­
tions included in the standard are presented in Table 1.

TABLE 1. Control Handwheel and Steering W heel Exertion Forces

from State Committee of the USSR for Standards (1984)

Frequency of Use per Shift

Activity Description 5-16 <5
Primarily by fingers — -----

By hand with forearm 3 kg 6 kg

Entire arm (muscles of hand, forearm,
and shoulder) 4 kg 15 kg
Two arms 6 kg 20 kg

In order to study the kinematic operation of handwheels in the workplace,

a simulation of a valve control operation was conducted at the A nthropom etries and
Biomechanics Lab at the N ational Aeronautics and Space A dm inistration (NASA)
Johnson Space Center. The results of this study provide inform ation regarding m axi­
m um torque production capabilities of participants using different sized handwheels.

3. METHOD

3.1. Participants
The test population was composed of 12 right-handed males employed at the NASA
Johnson Space Center. The average age of the participants was 30, the m ean stature
112 L.J.H. SCHULZE, D. GOLDSTEIN, A. PATEL, E. STANTON, AND J. WOODS

was 179.73 cm, and m ean weight was 86.8 kg. A summary of the anthropom etric
m easurem ents o f the participants is presented in Table 2.

TABLE 2. Anthropometric Data of Participants

Functional Shoulder Forearm
Height Weight Reach Height Circumference

Participant Age (cm) (kg) (cm) (cm) (cm)

1 27 196.4 99.8 91.4 163.1 30.0

2 23 178.2 87.1 82.6 148.2 29.0
3 31 184.4 89.1 88.4 150.2 29.0
4 35 185.3 74.4 89.4 154.6 29.2
5 36 171.5 73.9 83.4 138.5 26.7
6 29 176.2 76.2 79.0 144.4 28.5
7 25 176.2 62.6 83.3 144.9 28.3
8 38 177.4 85.3 85.0 144.6 30.5
9 27 182.0 75.3 84.4 151.4 27.9
10 32 181.9 93.0 81.3 151.6 31.1
11 31 168.8 78.0 84.1 139.0 28.6
12 30 178.5 69.9 82.0 147.9 27.9

Mean 30.3 179.7 80.4 84.5 148.2 28.9

3.2. Apparatus
F o u r handwheels used to operate valves were used in the study (Figure 2). The
handwheels were assigned Large (40.6 cm), M edium (22.9 cm), Small (20.3 cm), and
Sm all-Handled (crank-type handle on wheel, 17.8 cm) designations (beginning with
the largest and m oving counterclockwise in Figure 2). The handwheels used in the
study were actual valve handwheels and were representative of the types and sizes
found in both chemical process and waste water treatm ent facilities.
A biomechanical testing machine designed by LIDO™ (Loredan Biomedical,
1992) was used to define optimum design param eters for a variety of wheel turning
tasks. The apparatus consisted of a dynamometer, an analog-to-digital converter
(A/D), and a computer.
The dynam om eter was an extremely flexible instrum ent. The height, the pitch
angle, the distance from the participant, and other variables could all be adjusted
with ease. The heights were adjusted using a crank on the back m ounting beam. The
pitch angle was changed by simply rotating the dynam om eter at the two side
attachm ent points. F o r this experiment, only the height and pitch angles were
changed. The dynam om eter used in the experiment is presented in Figure 3.
The dynam om eter was a self-contained unit that gave a voltage output. The A /D
board converted the analog voltage to a digital torque output. The digital torque was
then displayed on the com puter screen as a bar that increased as the torque
increased, and decreased as the torque decreased. The m aximum torque value was
also displayed after each cycle. This peak torque value was the m easurem ent used in
this study.
 TORQUE PRODUCTION USING HANDWHEELS 113

Figure 2. Handwheels used in this study.

Figure 3. Dynam om eter equipm ent used in this study.

The m otion of the dynamom eter was controlled by a LIDO™ software package.
The software allowed for m any types of biomechanical tests with varying conditions.
The isokinetic testing p art of the software was used for this experiment. The software
also calibrated the dynam om eter before each test by spinning the wheel through two
114 L.J.H. SCHULZE, D. GOLDSTEIN, A. PATEL, E. STANTON, AND J. WOODS

complete revolutions. In the calibration, the forces and m om ents caused by the wheel
and the dynam om eter were negated from the test data.

3.3. Procedure
Participants were screened for any pre-existing physical conditions or cumulative
traum a injuries that m ight affect them during the study. Qualified test participants
were then briefed on testing procedures and allowed time to familiarize themselves
with the handwheel and operation of the dynamometer. A nthropom etric m easure­
m ents were collected between tests to allow additional rest time.
Each participant performed five m aximum effort clockwise rotations with a given
handwheel at a specified com bination of handwheel height and orientation. A fter
each task the wheel, the height, the orientation, or both were changed and the
participants performed five m aximum effort clockwise rotations with the new
equipm ent configuration. Two m inutes of rest were allowed between test conditions.
Test participants were provided with gloves and were allowed to grasp the wheels
as they desired as they would in the industrial setting. No foot restraints were
provided, nor foot positions prescribed. Also, no clothing or shoe types were
prescribed.
The participants were free to perform the tasks in the posture that was m ost
com fortable to them. Letting the participants choose their own body posture and
position relative to the wheel allowed for a m ore worksite-representative study
because workers will tend to use their entire body to complete the task, and usually
will not have the benefit of foot restraints or be constrained to just using their arms.
T h e h a n d w h e e l c o u ld ro ta te u p to a m a x im u m ra te o f 390°/s. T o rq u e (d e p e n d e n t
v a ria b le ) w as m e a s u re d by th e d y n a m o m e te r a n d d isp lay ed o n a c o m p u te r screen.
T h e m a x im u m to rq u e p ro d u c e d b y each p a rtic ip a n t d u rin g five ro ta tio n s w as re c o rd e d
fro m th e c o m p u te r screen.

3.4. Experimental Design and Data Analysis

F o u r different valve handwheels with diameters of 17.8 cm, 20.3 cm, 22.9 cm, and
40.6 cm were interchangeably attached to the rotational dynamometer. The handwheels
were positioned at three different heights (81 cm, 102 cm, and 122 cm) and two
different angles (0° and 90°) with respect to the coronal plane. Therefore, a total of
24 different task combinations were completed by each participant. All test paradigms
were random ized using Latin Square methodology (Myers, 1972).
All data, once collected, were entered into a spread sheet for sortation and
statistical analysis. A n Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was conducted on the m ain
effects of and interaction between handwheel size, height, and angle (handwheel
orientation) o f this within subjects design. In such experimental designs, all m ain
effects and interactions are tested using the interactions between the m ain effects and
participants as the error term. (M ontgomery, 1976; Keppel, 1973; W iner, 1971).
 TORQUE PRODUCTION USING HANDWHEELS 115

4. RESULTS
The AN O Y A summary table for the analysis of the m ain effects and their inter­
actions is presented as Table 3. As can be seen, the m ain effect of Wheel and Height
were statistically significant (p < .001 and p < .0067, respectively). N o other m ain
effects nor any interactions were statistically significant (p > .05).

TABLE 3. Analysis of V ariance Sum m ary Table

Source df SS MS F Value P
Between Paricipants
Participants 11 10966.872 996.988
W ithin Paricipants
Handwheel Size 3 35670.260 11890.067 95.54 .0 0 0 1
S*P 33 4107.031 124.456
Height 2 1059.257 529.628 6.34 .0067
H*P 22 1838.243 83.557
Angle 1 12.971 12.971 0 .1 0 .7576
A*P 11 1424.992 129.545
S*H 6 479.271 79.878 1.95 .0851
S‘ H*P 66 2698.563 40.887
S*A 3 10.775 3.592 0.06 .9807
S*A*P 33 1992.512 60.379
H*A 2 305.821 152.910 2 .0 0 .1598
H*A*P 22 1685.641 76.620
S*H*A 6 199.518 33.253 0.60 .4273
S*H*A‘ P 66 3640.270 55.156
Total 288

Note. A— angle, H— height, P— participant, S— handwheel size.

The m ain effect of Wheel is illustrated in Figure 4. As can be seen, participants

were able to produce significantly greater torques (p < .05) when the large wheel was
used (40.6 cm, 61.8584 Nm ) than when either the medium (22.9 cm, 34.8929 Nm),
small (20.3 cm, 25.5338 Nm), or small-handled (17.8 cm, 24.4613 Nm ) were used.
Further, participants were able to generate m ore torque with the medium sized wheel
22.9 cm, 34.8929 Nm ) than with the two smallest wheels (20.3 cm, 25.5338 Nm and
17.8 cm, 24.4613 Nm , respectively). In addition, participants were able to generate,
essentially, equivalent torques (25.5338 Nm and 24.4613 Nm, respectively) with the
two smallest wheels (20.3 cm and 17.8 cm, respectively). The horizontal bar indicates
no statistical difference (p > .05) between levels. The means and standard deviations
associated with the different handwheel sizes are presented in Table 4.
The m ain effect of Height is illustrated as Figure 4. A lthough the m ain effect of
H eight was statistically significant (p < .001), post-hoc analysis revealed th at there
was no statistical difference (p > .05) between or among the three wheel heights. The
m eans and standard deviations associated with the different handwheel heights are
presented in Table 5.
116 L.J.H. SCHULZE, D. GOLDSTEIN, A. PATEL, E. STANTON, AND J. WOODS

70
65 ■■
60 -
55 -
50 ••
45 ••
TORQUE (Nm)

40 -
35 -
30 ■■
25 ■■
20
15
10
5
0
40.6 22.9 20.3 17.8
HANDWHEEL SIZE (diameter, cm)

Figure 4. Main effect of handwheel Size (S).

TABLE 4. Mean and Standard Deviation Torque

Values for the Four Handwheel Sizes.

Handwheel
Size (cm) M (Nm) SD (Nm)

40.6 61.8584 22.0995

22.9 34.8929 11.3182
20.3 25.5338 8.9239
17.8 24.4613 9.5882

50

45

40

35
TORQUE (Nm)

30

25

20

15
10
5
0
81 102 122
HANDWHEEL HEIGHT (cm)

Figure 5. Main effect of handwheel Height (H).

 TORQUE PRODUCTION USING HANDWHEELS 117

TABLE 5. Mean and Standard Deviation Torque

Values for the Three Handwheel Heights

Handwheel
Size (cm) M (Nm) SD (Nm)

81 39.6856 22.2677
102 37.0310 20.4821
122 33.3446 18.5297

5. D IS C U S S IO N

This study provided the opportunity to compare different types of handwheels

with participants’ maximum torque generation ability. The largest handwheel diameter
was associated with the greatest torque generation, followed by the smaller diam eter
handles. The two smallest diam eter handles, one with and one without a crank-type
handle, were associated with similar torque production capabilities (small wheel with
handle was associated with slightly lower torque production). This probably occurred
because the participants could not effectively use both hands on the wheel with the
handle. The handwheel with the handle was only large enough for one hand, unless
a hand-over-hand grip was used. The test participants generally used both hands to
turn the wheels except the wheel with the handle.
Although three different handwheel heights were evaluated, no statistical difference
was found between or among the three different levels. This m ay be due to allowing
participants to assume individually determined body postures so as to complete the
required task, as would be the case in the operational environment.
Participants described feeling fatigued at the end of the test session. Generally,
participants had a 2-min rest between each task. The participants complained that
they were tired towards the end and felt that they were going to be sore because of
the exertions. This m ay well represent field situations in which multiple handwheels
m ust be operated, one after the other, during start-up, shut-down or process
adjustm ent operations within process facilities.

6. C O N C L U S IO N S

Based on the conditions simulated in this study, larger rather than smaller valve
handwheel are the best choice for an application where maximum torque is the
prim ary consideration, such as “ breaking” valves in the process industry. Therefore,
operators would be able to use their whole body weight to rotate the larger
handwheel. In addition, following the laws of physics, torque produced by a force is
increased with a greater m om ent arm. Therefore, when designing any valve that will
require a significant am ount of torque to operate, data from this study indicates that
larger wheels should be used.
A lthough participants were able to exert twice the am ount of torque using the
largest wheel as compared to the two smallest wheels and 77% m ore than the
118 L.J.H. SCHULZE, D. GOLDSTEIN, A. PATEL, E. STANTON, AND J. WOODS

midsized wheel, the participants were still required to bend over while operating the
handwheels at the lowest height, possibly stressing the L5/S1 portion of the lower
back. As a result, a compromise between body position and torque exerted should be
established in the operational environment.
In cases where a large wheel is impractical, the results o f this study can be used
to predict the m aximum torque that an unaided operator m ay be expected to exert to
operate a valve, given a com bination of wheel size, height, and angle.

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