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This assignment was given to me in the Fall of 2015. Although much time has passed since I took Biomechanics, the content and analytical processes I learned from it still hold true.

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In this assignment, I was tasked with determining the best rehabilitative course of action for a fictitious worker who had torn his distal biceps tendon on the job. After seeing a physician, he is advised against subjecting his arm to forces greater than 500 N. 

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At his place of work, he moves parts ranging in weight from 2 to 6 kg. In reference to his forearm and upper arm, these parts are then moved through angles between 30 and 70 degrees. With this information, I was tasked with determining if any of his movements exceeded 500 N.

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I first approached this problem by creating a force body diagram of the worker's arm and the forces acting upon it. I then set about

finding the force that represented the worker's

distal biceps tendon. After locating it, I isolated

it from the equilibrium equation and found its

value under loads of 2 to 6 kg and under angles

of 30 to 70 degrees. With these parameters, I

populated both graphs below.

 

Based on my calculations, the worker should

only handle parts under 5 kg. Furthermore, he

should keep his angle of motion above

40 degrees.

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For a full copy of my assignment, please see the link below: