Comparison of fatigue life for 3 types of manual wheelchairs.

Abstract

To examine 3 types of manual wheelchairs-ultralight wheelchairs (UWs), lightweight wheelchairs (LWs), and depot wheelchairs (DWs)-and to compare the fatigue life between the wheelchair types. A database of different manual wheelchairs tested according to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Fatigue life was determined by using standards that define methods accepted internationally using double-drum and curb-drop testing equipment. A rehabilitation engineering center. Sixty-one manual wheelchairs: 25 DWs, 22 UWs, and 14 LWs. Wheelchairs were examined for differences in fatigue life based on equivalent cycles. Unique survival curves were fit and compared for each wheelchair type. The UWs lasted the longest, with a mean of 309,362 equivalent cycles. The DWs faired the worst, with a mean of 117,210 equivalent cycles. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves were significantly different (p < .001), with the UWs having the longest fatigue life. Fatigue life for UWs is significantly greater (p < .05) than LWs and DWs, indicating wheelchairs differ in durability.