UBC Undergraduate Research

An Investigation into the Impact of Rotational and Two-Dimensional Linear Projectile Motion on the Structural Integrity of the Musculoskeletal System Li, Katherine; Wang, Sarah

Abstract

The effects of varying initial angular velocities on the force a spheroid projectile exerts on a hard surface was studied. The force was quantified by identifying the relationship between the torque and the perpendicular force acting upon impact. In this study, a more specific scenario was investigated: the ability of spheroid projectiles to break a human femur. This was accomplished by using a pitching machine directed at a wooden board to simulate such a scenario. After data was collected and analyzed, literature values of breaking force were used along with the data to determine how fast a ball must spin or travel to break a femur. It was determined that a ball must rotate 16115 rad/s or travel 207.365m/s to break a femur which are both unrealistic speeds.

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International