Shock-Absorbing Mechanism of Human Leg

Abstract

The shock-absorbing mechanism to minimize the vertical acceleration when jumping down onto a hard surface was investigated. The dynamic model of a human leg was built with a link joint. The muscle model consisted of a contractile element, a elastic element and a viscous element. The equivalent linear spring constant and equivalent linear damping coefficient decreased upon lowering of the hip by varying the bending angles of the ankle and knee. The numerical results showed that shock could be absorbed passively by deep bending, and to a greater degree actively in the same bending position.