BIOMECHANICS AND

ERGONOMICS I

RESOURCE PERSON: Dr Sanaullah

REFERENCE TEXT: NORDIN & SUSAN J HALL
SEMESTE: III
 REVIEW
• Introduction to biomechanics
• Branches of mechanics and biomechanics
• Motion – forms of motion
• Reference terminology
• Planes
• Axis
• Joints movements terminology
 OUTLINE

• Basic BIOMECHANICS

• Kinetic concepts for human motion

• Mechanical Loads on the Human Body

• The Effects Of Loading

 INTRODUCTION TO BIOMECHANICS

• SCALARS

• VECTORS

• TENSORS
 • TENSORS
• Generalization of scalars and vectors

• Multidimensional array of numerical values

• SCALARS
• Quantity has magnitude only
• Zero order tensors

• VECTORS
• Both magnitude and direction

• First order tensors

 Biomechanics

Scalar Quantities Vector Quantities

Length Area Displacement Direction
Volume Speed Velocity Acceleration
Mass Density Momentum Force
Pressure Temperature Lift Drag
Work Power Thrust Weight
Energy
Kinetic Concepts for Analyzing
Human Motion
Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

• Inertia

• Mass

• Force

– Free body diagram

• Center of Gravity

• Weight
Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

• Pressure

• Volume

• Density

• Specific weight

• Impulse
 Inertia

• Tendency for a body to resist a change in its

state of motion

• Directly proportional to mass of the

body/object
 1st Law

Inertia is the
tendency of an object
to resist changes in
its velocity: whether
in uniform motion or
motionless.
These pumpkins will not move
unless acted on by an unbalanced
force.
Newtons’s 1st Law and You

Don’t let this be you. Wear seat belts.

Because of inertia, objects (including you) resist
changes in their motion. When the car going 80
km/hour is stopped by the brick wall, your body keeps
moving at 80 m/hour until your body is acted upon by
some force.
 Mass

• Quantity of matter contained in an object

• Metric unit = kg

• English unit = slug

 Force

• Push or pull

• product of mass and acceleration

• When a net force is present the body moves

in the direction of net force, and with an
acceleration that is proportional to the
magnitude of net force.
 Force
• Metric unit = newton

• English unit = pound (lb)

I lb = 4.45 N

• Force has three aspects:

oMagnitude

oDirection

oPoint of application
 Biomechanics
• A force requires an agent, s
omething that acts or exert
s power
• If you throw a ball, your ha
nd is the agent or cause of t
he force exerted on the ball
.
• A force is a vector.
• Force results in change i
n the state of object
 Biomechanics
• Contact forces - act on an object
by touching it at a point of conta
ct.
• The bat must touch the ball to
hit it.
Long-range - act on an object
without physical contact.
• A javelin released from your h
and is pulled to the earth by the l
ong- range force of gravity.
Force (a vector describe magnitude
and direction
– Linear force- 2 forces act on the same
line in the same direction or opposite
direction.
 Basic Biomechanics
• Parallel Forces-
– In the same plane
 Basic Biomechanics
• Concurrent Forces- two or more forces act
from the same common point but pull in
different directions
 Basic Biomechanics
• Force Couple- two forces act in an equal but o
pposite direction resulting in a turning effect
 EFFECT OF FORCE
• Forces can produce three types of motion:
• Translation: change in position
• Rotation: circular movement of an object arou
nd a center of rotation.
 EFFECT OF FORCE
• Deformation: change in shape/size of an obje
ct due to an applied force or a temperature ch
ange.
 Free body diagram

• Any object, body or body part that is being

focused upon for analysis

• a sketch that shows a defined system in

isolation with all of the force vectors acting on

the system
• Force rarely acts in isolation

• Important to recognize overall effect of all

the forces acting on a body

– Equal forces = body static

– Unequal forces = body moves in

direction of resultant force

 Center of Gravity

• The point around which a body’s weight is

equally balanced, no matter how the body is

positioned

• Determines the way a body responds to

external forces
 Weight
• Attractive force that the earth exerts on a

body

• Wt = mag

• Units same as that of force

• Acts on centre of gravity

 Weight
• Weight is directly proportional to mass

• ag (constant of proportionality) = -9.81 m/s2

• Weight would be different on another

planet…why????

Because value of “g” will change

 Pressure
• Force per unit of area over which the force acts
– P= F/A
• Unit in metric system
• N/cm2 and pascal (N/m2)
• English system
– Pounds per square inch
• Less surface area more pressure
• Example of sole and heel
 Volume
• Space occupied by a body

• Three dimensional (width ,height ,depth)

• Metric system
– m3 (cubic metres) , cm3 and litres

• English system
– Cubic inches and cubic feet

• Examples of balls
 Density

• Mass per units of volume

– ρ = m/V

• Metric system kg/m3

• Example of golf ball and ping pong ball

Specific Weight (Weight Density)

• Weight per unit of volume (Weight/Volume)

• Proportional to density

• N/m3 and lb/ft3

• Percentage body fat is inversely related to

body density
 Would a lean person with the same body volume as an
obese person have a higher body density or lower than the
obese?
 Impulse

• Product of force and the time over which the

force acts

• Impulse = Ft
• When a force is applied on a body the
resultant motion depends both on magnitude
of force and the duration of application
 Torque
• Rotatory effect of force is known as torque or
moment of force.
• Product of force and perpendicular distance
from the forces line of action to the axis of
rotation
T= Fd ┴

• Units Nm or ft-lb
 • A) Concentric and B) eccentric forces
• Greater the torque greater is the tendency
to rotate
Mechanical Loads on the Human
Body
• The external forces that act on the body impose
loads that affect the internal structures of the body.

• Muscle forces, gravitational force, and bone-

breaking force all affect the human body differently

• The effect of a given force depends on its:

• direction
• duration
• magnitude
Mechanical loads on the human body:
1. Compression
2. Tension
3. Shear
4. Mechanical stress
5. Torsion, bending and combined loads
 1) Compression

• Pressing or squeezing
force directed axially
through a body

• Acts along longitudinal axis

Compressive Loading - Example
• Compressive forces are caused by multiple
external and internal forces that create a
transfer of force.
• External forces:
o Gravity
o Weight being lifted
• Internal forces
o Contracting muscles
o Passive forces of ligaments and tissues
2) Tension
• Pulling or stretching
force directed
axially through
a body.
• Along longitudinal
axis
 Tension-Example
• E.g. When a person hangs freely from a bar

• Muscle create pulling force on the bones

when they contract.
3) Shear

•Applied force
causes one portion
of object to slide,
displace or shear
with respect to the
other portion of the
object.
 Shear-example

• During performance of squat

or knee bend exercises, shear
force acting on the knee is
maximal when flexion at knee
is maximal, produced by axial
force in femur.
• Parallel to tibial plateau
 4) Mechanical stress

• Pressure represents the distribution of force

external to the solid body
• Stress represents the resulting force
distribution inside a solid body
• Stress is quantified as pressure:
force per unit of area over which the force
acts
stress=F/A
Increased surface area for load
bearing in lumbar spine reduces
the compressive stress
Torsion ,bending and combined loads
• Bending – asymmetric loading produces
tension on one side of the longitudinal axis
and compression on the other side

• Axial loads - directed along the

longitudinal axis of a body.
Bending-example
• Torsion
• load producing twisting of a body around its longitudinal axis.

• Combined loading
• Simultaneous action of more than one of the pure forms of
loading.
• Most common type of loading
 The Effects Of Loading
• Two potential effects of loading:
oAcceleration
oDeformation/change in shape
• The amount of deformation depends on
stiffness of the object.
Factors responsible for causing injury:

• Magnitude and direction of force

• Area over which the force is distributed

• Material properties of loaded tissues

– Example of stiff and elastic structure
Stress-strain curve/load-deformation
curve
 Repetitive versus acute loads
• Repetitive loading-repeated application of a sub-
acute load that is usually of relatively low
magnitude
oChronic injury
oStress injury
omicrotrauma

• Acute loading-application of a single force of

sufficient magnitude to cause injury to a
biological tissue
o macrotrauma
Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics
Repetitive vs. acute loading
Examples of repetitive trauma
• Stress fracture
• Tennis elbow and
golfers elbow
• Supraspinatous
tendinitous
 TOOLS FOR MEASURING KINETIC
QUANTITIES

• Electromyography – technique of recording el

ectrical activity produced by muscle

• Dynamography – instrument for recording de

gree of muscle power (gait analysis)

 VECTOR ALGEBRA
• A quantity that has both magnitude and direct
ion

• When vectors are added together, the operati

on is called vector composition

• “Tip to tail” method of vector composition

 Vector Algebra
The composition of vectors with the same
direction requires adding their magnitudes.
The composition of vectors with the opposite
directions requires subtracting their
magnitudes
The tip-to-tail method of vector
composition
What is vector resolution?

(operation that replaces a

single vector with two
perpendicular vectors such
that the vector composition
of the two
perpendicular vectors
yields the original
vector)
Vectors may be resolved into perpendicular
components. The vector composition of
each pair of components yields the original
vector.
 TRIGONOMETRIC PRINCIPLES
• Greek trigōnon, "triangle" and metron, "meas

ure“

• Branch of mathematics that studies relationsh

ips involving lengths and angles of triangles.

 SUMMARY

• Kinetic concepts for human motion

• Mechanical Loads on the Human Body

• The Effects Of Loading

 QUIZ

• Define following terms

• Inertia

• Weight

• Mass

• Volume

• Density
 QUIZ

• Explain what type of mechanical loads are pre

sent on human body?
 QUIZ
• Explain the terms:

• Electromyography

• Dynamography