Title:
Dataset for "Investigating shock and vibration exposure of a manual wheelchair during multi-drum testing"
Dataset for "Investigating shock and vibration exposure of a manual wheelchair during multi-drum testing"
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Author(s)
Misch, Jacob
Sprigle, Stephen
Sprigle, Stephen
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Abstract
Wheelchair users are highly susceptible to injury and immobility in the event of a wheelchair breakdown. Durability, or fatigue life, of manual wheelchair frames is currently evaluated using a standardized multi-drum test, which provides frequent impacts to the casters and rear wheels of the wheelchair. Not much is known about the underlying mechanics of the test, making it difficult to properly assess how appropriate this test is as a predictor of wheelchair frame longevity during real-world usage. This study aimed to investigate the applicability of the multi-drum test as an accelerated durability test by comparing breakdown statistics, vibrations, and shocks between the test and real-world usage. Triaxial accelerometers were used to measure the shocks and vibrations transmitted through an ultralightweight manual wheelchair frame during a portion of the multi-drum test. Occupant mass was varied (80 kg, 125 kg) to reflect standard user weight and maximum weight capacity of the chair. Root-mean-square acceleration and vibration dose values were greatest along the vertical axis, and overall similar for both occupant masses. Comparisons with existing literature suggest that the shocks and vibrations experienced within the multi-drum test far exceed values seen in real-world wheelchair usage. Similarly, frame-based fatigue failures are more common during the multi-drum test. These results suggest that the current test protocol is not well-suited to be an accelerated durability test for manual wheelchairs.
Sponsor
National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) through grant # 90IFRE0036-01-02 and internal funding from the REAR Lab
Date Issued
2023-09-21
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Dataset