Factors affecting static seat cushion comfort

To improve the understanding of factors affecting automobile seat cushion comfort in static conditions (i.e. without vibration), relationships between the static physical characteristics of a seat cushion and seat comfort have been investigated. The static seat comfort of four automobile cushions, with the same foam hardness but different foam compositions, was investigated using Scheffe's method of paired comparisons. The comfort judgements were correlated with sample stiffness, given by the gradient of a force-deflection curve at 490 N (= 50 kgf). Samples with lower stiffness were judged to be more comfortable than samples with greater stiffness. A similar comfort evaluation was conducted using five rectangular foam samples of the same composition but different foam hardness (and a wider range than in the first experiment). There was no linear relationship between the sample stiffness and seat comfort for these samples. Static seat cushion comfort seemed to be affected by two factors, a 'bottoming feeling' and a 'foam hardness feeling'. The bottoming feeling was reflected in the sample stiffness when loaded to 490 N, while the foam hardness feeling was reflected in foam characteristics at relatively low forces. The pressures underneath the buttocks of subjects were compared with the comfort judgements. The total pressure over a 4 cm x 4 cm area beneath the ischial bones was correlated with static seat comfort, even when the differences among samples were great; samples with less total pressure in this area were judged to be more comfortable than samples with greater total pressure. It is concluded that the pressure beneath the ischial bones may reflect both comfort factors: the bottoming feeling and the foam hardness feeling.