Pitt HomeEngineering HomeContact Us

Undergraduate Courses BIOENG 1631

BIOENG 1631 - Biomechanics II

Instructors: Cham

Credits: 3

Term: Fall

Description: Modern biomechanics is an increasingly diverse field that encompasses the mechanics of the whole human body and all the way to the tissue, cellular, and molecular levels. The purpose of the first section of Biomechanics 1631 is to expand the students knowledge in basic biomechanics to investigate human movements. Students will be introduced to current techniques of rigid body biomechanical analyses including anthropometrics, kinematics, kinetics, and stability assessment. Biosolid mechanics (tissue biomechanics) will be covered in the second section of the semester. General approaches used in mechanics are introduced and their uses in biomechanics are illustrated via multiple similar examples. Students are expected to understand biomechanics as a means to model mathematically many biological behaviors and process and be able to apply their knowledge to solve problems in the rapidly growing field of biomedical engineering.

Prerequisites: BIOENG 1630

Required Texts:

  • Winter DA. (2005) Biomechanics and Motor Control of Human Movement 3rd Edition. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, pp. 344.
  • Humphrey, JD. (2004) An Introduction to Biomechanics Solids and Fluids, Analysis and Design. Springer-Verlag. New York.

Course Objectives:

  1. To expose the student to the methods and measurement systems used to evaluate and assess human movement.
  2. To provide knowledge of anthropometric, kinematic, and kinetic, and variables utilized to investigate movement.
  3. To introduce the general approaches used in tissue biomechanics and their applications in both basic and applied biomedical researches.
  4. To expose the students to real world research in tissue biomechanics. To explore the applications of biomechanics in functional tissue engineering, tissue repair/regeneration, and disease treatment.

Topics Covered: Topics include:

  • Functional Anatomy and anthropometry
  • Ground Reaction Forces
  • Stability Assessement
  • Kinematics and Inverse Dynamics
  • Stress, strain, and constitutive relations
  • Nonlinearity, pseudoelasticity, and viscoelasticity in tissue mechanics
  • Structural components of cell and extracellular matrix
  • Externsion, compression, torsion, bending, and inflation in biomechanics
  • Tendon/ligament, bone, cartilage, blood vessels, heart valves, bladder, muscles, etc.

Syllabus: Download

Class/Laboratory Schedule: The class meets twice a week for 75 minutes each day. Currently, the class meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:30am to 10:45am.

You are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Although this site is viewable in all browsers, it will look much better in a browser that supports Web standards.