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Department: BME

Course No. : 261W

Credits : 4

Title : Biomechanics

Contact: Marty Wood

WQ: W

Catalog Copy: BME 261W Biomechanics. Second semester. Four credits. Prerequisite: BME 210 or BME 211; ENGL 105 or 110 or 111 or 250. A lecture and laboratory course that covers mechanics of bone and soft tissue. Biosolids and biofluids. Simple and combined stress and strain, torsion and flexure. Tissue strength and constitutive equations. Fatigue and fracture resistance of bone. Synovial joint mechanics. Friction and wear, gears, pins, clutches, joints, rivets, screws and other joining elements and their structural interactions. Material selections for the biomedical design.

W Criteria: 1. The six laboratory experiments demonstrate principles covered in the lectures and reading assignments. Although students conduct the lab experiments in small groups, each student is required to submit an individual lab report consisting of five typed finished pages totaling at least 4000 words in length. Each lab report is worth 5% of the overall grade for a total of 30% of the final course grade. Failure to complete the written portion of the course satisfactorily will result in failure of the course.

2. The primary modes of written instruction to students are:
– Formal classroom instruction supplemented by a handout prescribing a format and examples.
– Written commentary from the teacher of record or faculty project advisor
– Individual/group conferences with students addressing written comments if requested
– Oral presentation instruction is by example

3. The reports will be graded based on both technical content and the quality of writing and returned to the student before or during the subsequent laboratory period. So that feedback on the previous report can be reviewed and incorporated into the next laboratory report.

Role of Grad Students: The TA's, usually two per section, are responsible for attending and grading pre-lab oral conferences with students and for overseeing laboratory safety and equipment operation during all experiments. They do not grade the written reports. Faculty instructors supervise them.

Supplementary Information : This course has two modes of delivery. A standard Classroom mode and a laboratory mode. The laboratory mode is the component where students generate all the written documentation to be evaluated. The maximum number of students in the laboratory is twelve (12) students. Therefore, the target student to faculty ratio of 19/1 or less is achieved.