BMEN 3008 BIOMECHANICS

Tutorial 1

1. Exercising muscles near and at the knee. The forces on the static lower leg loaded with an ankle
weight, as during exercise are shown in the figure below. The forces shown are due to this added
weight, the weight of the lower leg, the quadriceps muscle force transmitted by the patellar tendon M
(of magnitude M), and the joint reaction force R (of magnitude R), while the angle between the
horizontal and the leg is β.

For a = 12cm, b = 22cm, c = 50cm, W1 = 150 N, W0 = 100 N, θ = 15° and β = 45°

(a) determine the muscle force M and the joint force R.
(b) determine the angle between the leg and the reaction force at the knee for the given conditions.
 2. Consider the equilibrium of the foot during crouching for a 200-kg person, with the force through
the Achilles tendon, the reaction force of the tibia, and the normal force from the floor in
balance, neglecting the weight of the foot for simplicity. Take the angle α = 38°.

(a) Why is the normal force from the floor 100 kg?
(b) Find the magnitude of the Achilles tendon tension T and the magnitude and direction of
the reaction force F.

3. How much force must the biceps muscle exert when a 5.0-kg ball is held in the hand (a) with
the arm horizontal as in Fig. 3a, and (b) when the arm is at a 45° angle as in Fig. 3b?
The biceps muscle is connected to the forearm by a tendon attached 5.0 cm from
the elbow joint. Assume that the mass of forearm and hand together is 2.0 kg
and their CG is as shown.

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4. Calculate the magnitude and direction of the force ⃗⃗⃗
𝐹𝑣 acting on the fifth lumbar vertebra
as represented in Fig. 4b.