The Wheelchair Frame
The wheelchair frame performs one major function.
It holds the other components-the seat, the main wheels, and front wheel (s) in their proper relative positions.
Perhaps the most important design consideration in building a wheelchair frame is to make it as light and as stiff as possible.
It needs to be as light as possible so that the athlete has to propel as little weight as possible during athletic performances, and it needs to be rigid so that the energy that the athlete applies to the wheelchair is used to drive the chair forward rather than to bend and deform the frame.
Frame flexing absorbs energy directly, but because the wheel alignment of the wheelchair changes as the frame flexes, additional energy is lost when the mainwheels do not point straight ahead in the direction of travel.
In addition, the frame must be matched to the body size and shape of the athlete.