Effects of the Handle Width, Height and Horizontal Angle on the Pushing, Lifting and Twisting Forces Required for the Handling of Barrows

This study evaluated the effects of the handle width(shoulder width, 1.25${\times}$shoulder width, 1.5${\times}$shoulder width), height(3 levels : knee, medium, knuckle) and horizontal angle($0^{\circ}$, $10^{\circ}$) on the pushing, lifting, and twisting strengths which were required for carrying single or two wheel barrows. Twelve healthy college students(male) participated in the experiment. In each experimental condition($3{\times}3{\times}2$=18), the subjects exerted three forces(pushing, lifting, and twisting clockwise). The experimental conditions and three forces were tested in random order, and a minimum 2 minutes of rest was provided between exertions. Results showed that the mean and maximum pushing forces showed greater values when the horizontal angle was $0^{\circ}$ than $10^{\circ}$(p=0.016). However, the three independent variables had no statistically significant effects on the lifting forces(p>0.1). The mean and maximum twisting forces increased as the handle width became larger(p<0.05). Also, there was a marginal effect of the horizontal angle(p=0.065) on the twisting force. From the results of this study, the horizontal angle of $0^{\circ}$ and the wider handle width were suggested for the design of single-wheel barrows.

손잡이 너비, 높이, 수평 각도가 손수레 운전에 필요한 밀기, 들기, 회전 힘에 미치는 영향