Mechanics of motion applied to Biological Principles.
We perform the analysis that is essential to injury investigations. The effects of impact on the human are a function of anatomy and the direction of forces as they act on the occupants.
We perform the analysis that is essential to injury investigations. The effects of impact on the human are a function of anatomy and the direction of forces as they act on the occupants.
- Vehicle collision mechanics create motions
- Occupant kinematics respond to vehicle motions
- Injuries resulting from vehicle and occupant motions
- Vehicle restraints can alter occupant motions
- What difference do occupant restraints make to the outcome
Biomechanics is the study of the structure and function of biological systems such as humans, animals, plants, organs, and cells by means of the methods of mechanics.
The word "biomechanics" (1899) and the related "biomechanical" (1856) were coined by Nikolai Bernstein from the Ancient Greek words βίος bios "life" and μηχανική, mēchanikē "mechanics", to refer to the study of the mechanical principles of living organisms, particularly their movement and structure.
The word "biomechanics" (1899) and the related "biomechanical" (1856) were coined by Nikolai Bernstein from the Ancient Greek words βίος bios "life" and μηχανική, mēchanikē "mechanics", to refer to the study of the mechanical principles of living organisms, particularly their movement and structure.
Antiquity
Aristotle wrote the first book on the motion of animals, De Motu Animalium, or On the Movement of Animals. He not only saw animals' bodies as mechanical systems, but pursued questions such as the physiological difference between imagining performing an action and actually doing it. In another work, On the Parts of Animals, he provided an accurate description of how the ureter uses peristalsis to carry blood from the kidneys to the bladder.
Aristotle wrote the first book on the motion of animals, De Motu Animalium, or On the Movement of Animals. He not only saw animals' bodies as mechanical systems, but pursued questions such as the physiological difference between imagining performing an action and actually doing it. In another work, On the Parts of Animals, he provided an accurate description of how the ureter uses peristalsis to carry blood from the kidneys to the bladder.
Renaissance
Many would like to recognize Leonardo da Vinci as the first true biomechanist, because he was the first to study anatomy in the context of mechanics. He analyzed muscle forces as acting along lines connecting origins and insertions and studied joint function. He also intended to mimic some animal features in his machines. For example, he studied the flight of birds to find means by which humans could fly. Because horses were the principal source of mechanical power in that time, he studied their muscular systems to design machines that would better benefit from the forces applied by this animal.
Galileo Galilei was interested in the strength of bones and suggested that bones are hollow for this affords maximum strength with minimum weight. He noted that animals' masses increase disproportionately to their size, and their bones must consequently also disproportionately increase in girth, adapting to load bearing rather than mere size the bending strength of a tubular structure such as a bone is increased relative to its weight. This surely was one of the first grasps of principles of biological optimization.
In the 17th century, Descartes suggested a philosophic system whereby all living systems, including the human body (but not the soul), are simply machines ruled by the same mechanical laws, an idea that did much to promote and sustain biomechanical study. Giovanni Alfonso Borelli embraced this idea and studied walking, running, jumping, the flight of birds, the swimming of fish, and even the piston action of the heart within a mechanical framework. He could determine the position of the human center of gravity, calculate and measure inspired and expired air volumes, and showed that inspiration is muscle-driven and expiration is due to tissue elasticity. Borelli was the first to understand that the levers of the musculoskeletal system magnify motion rather than force, so that muscles must produce much larger forces than those resisting the motion. Influenced by the work of Galileo, whom he personally knew, he had an intuitive understanding of static equilibrium in various joints of the human body well before Newton published the laws of motion.
Many would like to recognize Leonardo da Vinci as the first true biomechanist, because he was the first to study anatomy in the context of mechanics. He analyzed muscle forces as acting along lines connecting origins and insertions and studied joint function. He also intended to mimic some animal features in his machines. For example, he studied the flight of birds to find means by which humans could fly. Because horses were the principal source of mechanical power in that time, he studied their muscular systems to design machines that would better benefit from the forces applied by this animal.
Galileo Galilei was interested in the strength of bones and suggested that bones are hollow for this affords maximum strength with minimum weight. He noted that animals' masses increase disproportionately to their size, and their bones must consequently also disproportionately increase in girth, adapting to load bearing rather than mere size the bending strength of a tubular structure such as a bone is increased relative to its weight. This surely was one of the first grasps of principles of biological optimization.
In the 17th century, Descartes suggested a philosophic system whereby all living systems, including the human body (but not the soul), are simply machines ruled by the same mechanical laws, an idea that did much to promote and sustain biomechanical study. Giovanni Alfonso Borelli embraced this idea and studied walking, running, jumping, the flight of birds, the swimming of fish, and even the piston action of the heart within a mechanical framework. He could determine the position of the human center of gravity, calculate and measure inspired and expired air volumes, and showed that inspiration is muscle-driven and expiration is due to tissue elasticity. Borelli was the first to understand that the levers of the musculoskeletal system magnify motion rather than force, so that muscles must produce much larger forces than those resisting the motion. Influenced by the work of Galileo, whom he personally knew, he had an intuitive understanding of static equilibrium in various joints of the human body well before Newton published the laws of motion.
Industrial era
In the 19th century Étienne-Jules Marey used cinematography to scientifically investigate locomotion. He opened the field of modern 'motion analysis' by being the first to correlate ground reaction forces with movement. In Germany, the brothers Ernst Heinrich Weber and Wilhelm Eduard Weber hypothesized a great deal about human gait, but it was Christian Wilhelm Braune who significantly advanced the science using recent advances in engineering mechanics. During the same period, the engineering mechanics of materials began to flourish in France and Germany under the demands of the industrial revolution. This led to the rebirth of bone biomechanics when the railroad engineer Karl Culmann and the anatomist Hermann von Meyer compared the stress patterns in a human femur with those in a similarly shaped crane. Inspired by this finding Julius Wolff proposed the famous Wolff's law of bone remodeling
In the 19th century Étienne-Jules Marey used cinematography to scientifically investigate locomotion. He opened the field of modern 'motion analysis' by being the first to correlate ground reaction forces with movement. In Germany, the brothers Ernst Heinrich Weber and Wilhelm Eduard Weber hypothesized a great deal about human gait, but it was Christian Wilhelm Braune who significantly advanced the science using recent advances in engineering mechanics. During the same period, the engineering mechanics of materials began to flourish in France and Germany under the demands of the industrial revolution. This led to the rebirth of bone biomechanics when the railroad engineer Karl Culmann and the anatomist Hermann von Meyer compared the stress patterns in a human femur with those in a similarly shaped crane. Inspired by this finding Julius Wolff proposed the famous Wolff's law of bone remodeling
Applications
The study of biomechanics ranges from the inner workings of a cell to the movement and development of limbs, to the mechanical properties of soft tissue, and bones. Some simple examples of biomechanics research include the investigation of the forces that act on limbs, the aerodynamics of bird and insect flight, the hydrodynamics of swimming in fish, and locomotion in general across all forms of life, from individual cells to whole organisms. The biomechanics of human beings is a core part of kinesiology. As we develop a greater understanding of the physiological behavior of living tissues, researchers are able to advance the field of tissue engineering, as well as develop improved treatments for a wide array of pathologies.
Biomechanics is also applied to studying human musculoskeletal systems. Such research utilizes force platforms to study human ground reaction forces and infrared videography to capture the trajectories of markers attached to the human body to study human 3D motion. Research also applies electromyography (EMG) system to study the muscle activation. By this, it is feasible to investigate the muscle responses to the external forces as well as perturbations.
Biomechanics is widely used in orthopedic industry to design orthopedic implants for human joints, dental parts, external fixations and other medical purposes. Biotribology is a very important part of it. It is a study of the performance and function of biomaterials used for orthopedic implants. It plays a vital role to improve the design and produce successful biomaterials for medical and clinical purposes. One such example is in tissue engineered cartilage.
In the collision event, the reconstructionist determines the direction and magnitude of the forces acting on the vehicles involved. This is the Initial Collision. There is a Secondary Collision between the occupants and the interior of the vehicles or, in some cases, external objects. There is a third, or Tertiary Collision, when the elements in the human body collide with the interior of the body. The biomechanical analysis attempts to identify and quantify the Secondary and Tertiary Collisions in their context of the collision event.
The study of biomechanics ranges from the inner workings of a cell to the movement and development of limbs, to the mechanical properties of soft tissue, and bones. Some simple examples of biomechanics research include the investigation of the forces that act on limbs, the aerodynamics of bird and insect flight, the hydrodynamics of swimming in fish, and locomotion in general across all forms of life, from individual cells to whole organisms. The biomechanics of human beings is a core part of kinesiology. As we develop a greater understanding of the physiological behavior of living tissues, researchers are able to advance the field of tissue engineering, as well as develop improved treatments for a wide array of pathologies.
Biomechanics is also applied to studying human musculoskeletal systems. Such research utilizes force platforms to study human ground reaction forces and infrared videography to capture the trajectories of markers attached to the human body to study human 3D motion. Research also applies electromyography (EMG) system to study the muscle activation. By this, it is feasible to investigate the muscle responses to the external forces as well as perturbations.
Biomechanics is widely used in orthopedic industry to design orthopedic implants for human joints, dental parts, external fixations and other medical purposes. Biotribology is a very important part of it. It is a study of the performance and function of biomaterials used for orthopedic implants. It plays a vital role to improve the design and produce successful biomaterials for medical and clinical purposes. One such example is in tissue engineered cartilage.
In the collision event, the reconstructionist determines the direction and magnitude of the forces acting on the vehicles involved. This is the Initial Collision. There is a Secondary Collision between the occupants and the interior of the vehicles or, in some cases, external objects. There is a third, or Tertiary Collision, when the elements in the human body collide with the interior of the body. The biomechanical analysis attempts to identify and quantify the Secondary and Tertiary Collisions in their context of the collision event.