Effects of selected wheel and caster fixture design on the push force: the case of four-wheeled industrial carts

The objective of this study was to determine the significance of the effects of wheel type and caster design on the applied force in pushing an industrial cart. A randomized complete mixed factor experiment was designed and performed, involving two levels of wheel design (split wheels and single wheel), two levels of caster fixture design (swivel-also known as the dual orbital off-set pivot caster and the non-swivel standard caster), two levels of weight (250 lbs. and 750 lbs.) and two wheel positions (all wheels aligned to the direction of travel and rear wheels perpendicular to the direction of travel). The results showed that though caster design did not significantly reduce the push force, the swivel offset-pivot design consistently reduced the push force applied when the rear wheels were perpendicular to the direction of travel. This effect was further impactful when the single wheel type was used. In addition, though the wheel type significantly affected the applied force with the single wheel design outperforming the dual wheel, the mean applied force difference between the two wheel types was not significant enough to warrant an investment into changing the wheel types in four-wheeled industrial carts.