Effect of Center of Mass and Handle Location of Two-Wheeled Refuse Containers on Mechanical Loading

The aim of the current study was to find out how the center of mass (COM) and handle location of a two-wheeled container affects handle forces and joint loading. Forces at the handles and joint loading were quantified in four subjects during steady, two-handed pushing and pulling of two-wheeled containers with nine different COM locations and eleven different handle locations. The COM location turned out to have a major influence on handle forces and joint loading, whereas the influence of the handle location was moderate. Subjects considerably adapted the tilt angle of the container in response to variations in handle location but hardly in response to variations in COM location. For two-handed pushing and pulling the current design of a two-wheeled container can be improved by moving the centre of mass of the loaded container in the direction of the axis of the wheels and by slightly increasing the height of the handles.