Correlation of Vertical Acceleration and Human Comfort in a Passenger Car

This paper takes a step towards eliminating the automobile industry's dependence on “seat of the pants” ride analysis by investigating the correlation between vertical acceleration and passenger comfort. To do this, it first develops a relationship between accelerometer data and ride comfort on a controlled test surface, and then extends this relationship to actual road conditions. To illustrate the usefulness of this approach, a simple, typical problem in more detailed ride analysis is briefly considered.