These data are the minimal resistive forces and the correctives forces for different types of wheel in rectilinear motion on various floors. 44 different wheels were tested, varying diameter (80mm, 100mm, 160mm and 200mm), tread (solid rubber, elastic-tyre, thermoplastic rubber, synthetic rubber, injected polyurethane, casted polyurethane and polyamide) and bearing (sleeve bearing, cone ball bearing and precision ball bearing). 5 differents floors were tested: a flat, smooth and horizontal steel plate and 4 resilient floor coverings (3 PVC multilayer floor coverings and 1 monolayer rubber floor covering).

The resistive forces were obtained at steady state (where acceleration is zero for a constant velocity was 2,5km/h, i.e. at uniform rectilinear motion) using an original motorised test bench. Forces were measured with a six-axis force sensor. The tests were carried out, for each wheel and flooring for 5different loads: (13kg, 24kg, 37kg, 49kg and 62 kg). Average forces were then calculated from 3 round-trips. Combining these results with a mechanical model of a cart, permits to modelize the minimal pushing force to move it.

The corrective forces, defined like being the difference between the resistive forces (obtained for a given couple wheel/floor on a floor covering) and the resistive forces (obtained for the same couple on the flat, smooth and horizontal steel plate), were deducted from the resistive forces results.

Corrective forces abacus are the average corrective forces, for a specific tread and wheel bearing, in function of base foam hardness A/15 of floor covering, and for various loads carried by the wheel. The combination of the datas of the corrective forces abacus and of a pushing force’s model permits to evaluate the corresponding effort on floor coverings, knowing the pushing force of a four wheels manual handling equipment obtained when it moves on a steel plate. All the abaci are given (.csv files and image in .jpeg).

An example of a trial for measuring resisitve forces with the test bench is shown by a short movie.