About the Biomechanics Single Action Analysis

This describes the lift-lower analysis procedure using the Biomechanics Single Action Analysis dialog box.

This ergonomic tool measures biomechanical data on a worker in a given pose. From the current manikin posture, the Biomechanics Single Action Analysis tool calculates and outputs information such as the lumbar spinal loads (abdominal force, abdominal pressure, body movements) and the forces and moments on manikin joints. All the output incorporated in the model are based on research results and algorithms published by the scientific community. The forces (loads) acting on the manikin's hands are taken into account in the biomechanical analysis; these forces represent the load of carry, push, lift/lower, or pull, depending on the scenario, and are available for the hands only. Both the Load Properties and the Biomechanics Single Action Analysis dialog boxes can be open at the same time. The last analysis is updated when the load is modified. The following topics are discussed:

Summary tab

The Summary tab gives general biomechanics information such as:


  • L4-L5 Moment
  • L4-L5 Compression
  • L4-L5 Joint Shear
  • Abdominal Force and Pressure
  • Ground Reaction



L4-L5 Spine Limit tab

The L4-L5 Spine Limit tab displays the evaluation of the posture and whether it exceeds the compression and joint shear limits recommended by NIOSH and the University of Waterloo.

The information on this tab can be viewed as a list of values or as a chart.



Joint Moment Strength Data tab

The Joint Moment Strength Data tab displays the evaluation of the percentage of a worker population that doesn't have the strength to perform a task.

This is based on strength studies such as those by Askew, An, Morrey and Chao (1987) for the elbow, Koski and McGill (1994) for the shoulder, and Troup and Chapman (1969) for the lumbar.

This information can be displayed as a chart or as a list.

For a more complete analysis of the human biomechanics results this analysis covers both wrists in Flexion-Extension and Radial-Ulnar deviation





Reaction Forces and Moments tab

The Reaction Forces and Moments displays, in detail, the reaction forces (N) and orthopedic moments (Nm) Proximal and Distal segments.



This tab specifically presents a lot of data for each analyzed segment which leads to a wide and long list. Moreover, having to read through many lines and columns of data can introduce misread errors. A better way to display the results in 3D, each segment results are highlighted in the list when the related segment in the 3D model is selected.





If the segment is not part of the Biomechanics Analysis, no highlighted data is displayed.

Segment Positions tab

The Segment Positions tab displays information (position, angle, center of gravity, length) about the segments.



Export the Results

This describes how to use the Export command.

Use the Export button to save the biomechanical data in a text file. See Export the Results