Abstract
The deflection behavior of a 660mm square, 13.6mm height sandwich panel was investigated by the finite element method for application to a slope of a welfare vehicle. When loads were applied simultaneously to multiple positions on the panel assuming that a wheelchair with a care recipient in it and a caregiver were moving on the panel, the deflection at each loading position was greatest at the center of the front and rear support edges of the panel. The maximum deflection occurred at the position of the caregiver’s feet, regardless of the weight of the wheelchair. This maximum deflection decreased as the inclination angle of the panel (φ) increased, and had a linear relationship with cos2φ. From the deflection when only the caregiver’s feet are loaded, it was possible to estimate the maximum deflection when multiple loads are applied.
