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SSPH011 Class of 2021

Session 16: Biomechanics
Moments and Modulus
MA Letsoalo
0829358999
molamo.letsoalo@ul.ac.za
Maila MT 202016280 0715855552
 Moment or Torque
• the tendency of a force to rotate the body to which it is applied
• a measure of how much force acting on an object causes the object to
rotate
• a measure of the force that can cause an object to rotate about an axis
• The turning effect of a force
• the turning or twisting effectiveness of a force
 Moment or Torque
Action words associated with toque
Rotate
Turn
Spin
Twist
Bend
stumble
TORQUE is what makes something rotate

How do I apply a force to make the rod and door rotate

about the axel? Not just anywhere!

AXIS
 TORQUE (Moment)
• To make an object rotate, a force must be applied in the right place.
• the product of force and length from point of application (lever arm;
(moment arm) is called TORQUE
Torque = force times lever arm
Torque = F  L
lever arm, L

Axle
Force, F
 Torque/moments

Moment of = force x perpendicular

distance from
the point of
Don’t
forget rotation
that the
unit of
Force ie
the
Newton Moments may be described as clockwise or
(N) anticlockwise, and the moment of a force is
also called a torque.
• Torque is what creates biomechanical
movement.  It is what creates the
movement of the bones.  
• The greater the torque a muscle can
produce, the greater the movement it will
produce on the body’s bones.
• the greatest amount of torque is always when
the force is applied at a 90 degree angle to it’s
lever arm
Walking?
Talking?
Eating?
Knotting?
smiling?
Walking
Talking and eating
Which of force will result in more torque?
Factors that affect Torque
Factor 1:Moment arm d: The distance from the point of
rotation affects torque in such a manner that the further you
are from the axis of rotation, the easier it is to rotate around
that point. F 1

F2

d1

d2

Note: The distance d is also known as the lever arm.

 Lever Arm (moment arm) d=rsinθ

• The lever arm, d, is the perpendicular distance from the

axis of rotation to a line drawn along the direction of the
force
d = r sin q
Calculate moment arm d of force F
Calculate moment arm d

d=rsinθ
d=0.28sin50.00
d=0.21m
Factors that affect Torque
Factor 2: Angle: Torque also depends on the angle at
which the force makes with the lever arm. Torque is
maximum when the force makes a 90° angle with
the lever arm.
Torque = force x moment arm
 =Fd=Fr sinθ
Torque of weight = weight x moment arm
 =Fd=wr sinθ

θ
w rθ
r w θ r w
r
w
Θ=1800
Torque of tension = tension x moment arm
 =Fd=Tr sinθ

α θ
w rθ
r w θ r w
α
r
w α

Θ=1800
α=900
Determine angle θ for each force
Determine angle θ for each force

r
For F1 r=0 no angle
For F2 θ=900
For F3 θ=1800
Factors that affect Torque
• Factor 3: Force: Torque is directly proportional
to the force applied to the lever arm. As the
force increases, so does the torque.
F2

F1

d
d

F2 > F1
2 > 1
• BMW M8 5l V8 ICE τ=750 N.m BMW i8 EV τ=1090 N.m
Torque
• Torque is represented using the Greek letter tau as follows:

 = Fr sinθ=Fd (y)
-Where
F = Force (Newtons)
r = the length of the position vector
θ = angle that force makes
with the axis of the lever arm
d=rsinθ = lever arm
SI unit of torque is N.m

Note: Torque is a vector quantity.

An 80 N force acts at the end of a 12 cm wrench as shown.
Calculate torque
 d

F=80N
R=12cm
d=rsin600=12sin600= 0.1m
=(80x0.1) N.m=80 N.m
Net Torque
•The net torque is the sum of all the
torques produced by all the forces
• Remember to account for the direction of
the tendency for rotation
• Counterclockwise torques are positive
• Clockwise torques are negative
Torque and Equilibrium
• First Condition of Equilibrium: Newton’s 1st law
• The net external force must be zero

2nd Condition of equilibrium

“If an object is in equilibrium, the sum of the
clockwise moments about any point is equal to the
sum of the anticlockwise moments about that

point.”   0
The Principle of Moments Let’s look
at some
worked
examples
1m
2m

20N 10N

Anticlockwise moment Clockwise moment

= 20 x 1 = 20Nm = 10 x 2 = 20Nm
The Principle of Moments Let’s look
at some
worked
examples
1m
2m
0.5m

20N 20N 5N

Anticlockwise moment Combined clockwise moment

= 20 x 1 = 20Nm = (5 x 2) + (20 x 0.5) = 20Nm
Balancing torques
20 N
10 N

1m 0.5 m

Left torque = 10 N x 1 m = 10 n m
Right torque = 20 N x 0.5 m = 10 N m
Rotational Equilibrium
Another Example
Given: W=50 N, L=0.35 m,
x=0.03 m
Find the tension in the muscle W

x
L

F = 583 N
Equilibrium?

τα
 Elastic Properties of Matter

An elastic body is one that returns to its original

shape after a deformation.

1 2 3
4

Golf Ball Rubber Band Soccer Ball

 CHAPER 1: Elastic Properties of Matter

An inelastic body (plastic) is one that does not return

to its original shape after a deformation.

Dough or Bread
Inelastic Ball
Clay 3
2
1
 STRESS

• When a force is applied to an elastic body, the body

deforms. The way in which the body deforms depends
upon the type of force applied to it, called …

Stress refers to the cause of a deformation

Stress-Is the force per unit area upon which it acts
Force F 2
Stress     (N / m )
Area A
Types of stress
• Compressive stress, Tensile stress, shear stress
 STRAIN
Strain -Is the relative change in dimensions or shape of a
body that is subjected to stress.
Examples: Change in length per unit length
OR change in volume per unit volume.
strain refers to the effect of the
deformation L Dx

x
Strain    Dimension less quantity
L
 Modulus
Stress required to produce strain depends on the nature
of the material
Stress
Elastic Modulus   [Pa]
Strain
Elasticity and plasticity
 The Elastic Limit
The elastic limit is the maximum stress a body can
experience without becoming permanently deformed.

The Ultimate Strength

The ultimate strength is the greatest stress a body can
experience without breaking or rupturing.