Mechanical Design and Analysis of New Staircase Climbing Hand Truck

Abstract

The transportation of goods on a staircase could give challenges to the users, especially those stay in a high-rise building particularly when the elevators are not in service. There is a variation of existing staircase climbing hand truck designs has been developed; however, some problems were identified. The existing designs have a limitation in terms of wheel system configuration to be used on different staircase sizes. Besides, the designs also possess limited supporting structure areas to accommodate the goods and are less ergonomic for handling and downsizing. The objective of the study was to design a new staircase climbing hand truck that was completed with new functional and ergonomic features to improve the climbing process. Primary and secondary data were collected via observation, interview, and journal articles, followed by design concept development, three-dimensional modelling and analysis, and usability testing. Our findings showed that the proposed design of the hand truck is satisfactory in terms of developed features such as an adjustable wheel frame, foldable nose plate, safety compartments and cables, and adjustable handle. Further improvements might be necessary to enhance the design functionality of the hand truck for the transportation of goods on a staircase.