Year
2019
Units
4.5
Contact
1 x 1-hour lecture-2 weekly
1 x 2-hour lecture-1 weekly
1 x 2-hour tutorial weekly
6 x 1-hour tutorial-1s per semester
3 x 2-hour practicals per semester
1 x 2-hour lecture-1 weekly
1 x 2-hour tutorial weekly
6 x 1-hour tutorial-1s per semester
3 x 2-hour practicals per semester
Prerequisites
1 of ENGR1732, PHYS1101, PHYS1205
Enrolment not permitted
ENGR8732 has been successfully completed
Assumed knowledge
Basic understanding of material properties (e.g. stress/strain, modulus) such as that obtained in ENGR1722 Engineering Materials 1 and a basic understanding of Mechanics (e.g. application of Newton's laws of motion) such as can be found in SACE Stage 2 (Year 12) Physics. Basic understanding of mathematics (e.g. trigonometry, vectors, derivatives and integrals) such as that obtained in year 11 (or 12) SACE maths
Topic description
Static and dynamic analysis of muscle and joint loads; structure, composition and material properties of bone, ligament and tendon, muscle, cartilage, intervertebral disc and their common clinical problems; anatomy and function of the hip, knee and spinal joints; total joint replacement/implants; mechanisms of implant failure and implant design considerations; gait analysis and kinematics; viscoelasticity; anisotropy; mechanical vs material properties.
Educational aims
This topic introduces students to the anatomy, structure and biomechanical function of bones, soft tissues, cartilage and joints. Students will understand the viscoelastic behaviour of biological materials as well as common problems that occur, how they are treated in terms of joint replacements/implants, why they fail and discuss design strategies for the next generation of implants. Students will also learn about the practical/experimental methods used to assess the material properties of biological tissues, as well as the limitations of these experiments and approaches to minimise them.
Expected learning outcomes
At the completion of the topic, students are expected to be able to:
- Understand and apply the general principles of joint biomechanics, and their function
- Understand the concepts and theory of viscoelasticity as it applies to soft tissues, cartilage, and bone
- Understand how artificial joints function and why they fail, as well as their limitations
- Understand emerging new technologies in the biomechanics field and appreciate the multi-disciplinary collaborative nature of biomechanics research
Key dates and timetable
Timetable details for 2019 are no longer published.
Sturt Rd, Bedford Park
South Australia 5042
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