TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2001//
TI  - Evaluation of wheelchair seating system crashworthiness: "drop hook"-type seat attachment hardware
JO  - Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation
A1  - Bertocci, Gina
A1  - Ha, DongRan
A1  - Deemer, Ernest
A1  - Karg, P.
SP  - 534
EP  - 540
VL  - 82
IS  - 4
N2  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the crashworthiness of commercially available hardware that attaches seat surfaces to the wheelchair frame. DESIGN: A low cost static crashworthiness test procedure that simulates a frontal impact motor vehicle crash. SETTING: Safety testing laboratory. SPECIMENS: Eleven unique sets of drop-hook hardware made of carbon steel (4), stainless steel (4), and aluminum (3). INTERVENTIONS: Replicated seat-loading conditions associated with a 20g/48 kph frontal impact. Test criterion for seat loading was 16,680 N (3750 lb). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Failure load and deflection of seat surface. RESULTS: None of the hardware sets tested met the crashworthiness test criterion. All failed at less than 50% of the load that seating hardware could be exposed to in a 20g/48 kph frontal impact. The primary failure mode was excessive deformation, leading to an unstable seat support surface. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that commercially available seating drop hooks may be unable to withstand loading associated with a frontal crash and may not be the best option for use with transport wheelchairs.
LA  - 
SN  - 0003-9993
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -