scholarly journals Changes in Energy Cost and Total External Work of Muscles in Elite Race Walkers Walking at Different Speeds

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wiesław Chwała ◽  
Andrzej Klimek ◽  
Wacław Mirek
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Total Energy ◽  
Energy Cost ◽  
Direct Method ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Mass Movement ◽  
Average Energy ◽  
Centre Of Mass ◽  
External Work ◽  
Race Walking

Abstract The aim of the study was to assess energy cost and total external work (total energy) depending on the speed of race walking. Another objective was to determine the contribution of external work to total energy cost of walking at technical, threshold and racing speed in elite competitive race walkers. The study involved 12 competitive race walkers aged years with 6 to 20 years of experience, who achieved a national or international sports level. Their aerobic endurance was determined by means of a direct method involving an incremental exercise test on the treadmill. The participants performed three tests walking each time with one of the three speeds according to the same protocol: an 8-minute walk with at steady speed was followed by a recovery phase until the oxygen debt was repaid. To measure exercise energy cost, an indirect method based on the volume of oxygen uptake was employed. The gait of the participants was recorded using the 3D Vicon opto-electronic motion capture system. Values of changes in potential energy and total kinetic energy in a gate cycle were determined based on vertical displacements of the centre of mass. Changes in mechanical energy amounted to the value of total external work of muscles needed to accelerate and lift the centre of mass during a normalised gait cycle. The values of average energy cost and of total external work standardised to body mass and distance covered calculated for technical speed, threshold and racing speeds turned out to be statistically significant. The total energy cost ranged from 51.2 kJ.m-1 during walking at technical speed to 78.3 kJ.m-1 during walking at a racing speed. Regardless of the type of speed, the total external work of muscles accounted for around 25% of total energy cost in race walking. Total external work mainly increased because of changes in the resultant kinetic energy of the centre of mass movement.

scholarly journals Hydrodynamic constraints on the energy efficiency of droplet electricity generators

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine Riaud ◽  
Cui Wang ◽  
Jia Zhou ◽  
Wanghuai Xu ◽  
Zuankai Wang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Total Energy ◽  
Viscous Dissipation ◽  
Shear Force ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
The Past ◽  
Viscous Shear ◽  
Impingement Velocity

AbstractElectric energy generation from falling droplets has seen a hundred-fold rise in efficiency over the past few years. However, even these newest devices can only extract a small portion of the droplet energy. In this paper, we theoretically investigate the contributions of hydrodynamic and electric losses in limiting the efficiency of droplet electricity generators (DEG). We restrict our analysis to cases where the droplet contacts the electrode at maximum spread, which was observed to maximize the DEG efficiency. Herein, the electro-mechanical energy conversion occurs during the recoil that immediately follows droplet impact. We then identify three limits on existing droplet electric generators: (i) the impingement velocity is limited in order to maintain the droplet integrity; (ii) much of droplet mechanical energy is squandered in overcoming viscous shear force with the substrate; (iii) insufficient electrical charge of the substrate. Of all these effects, we found that up to 83% of the total energy available was lost by viscous dissipation during spreading. Minimizing this loss by using cascaded DEG devices to reduce the droplet kinetic energy may increase future devices efficiency beyond 10%.

An investigation of the relationships between dispersion, power, and mechanical energy using the end-over-end shaking and ultrasonic methods of aggregate stability assessment

Soil Research ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. R. Raine ◽  
H. B. So
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Total Energy ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Initial Period ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Simple Calculation ◽  
Stability Assessment ◽  
Ultrasonic Probe ◽  
Ultrasonic Methods ◽  
Aggregate Breakdown

The dispersion and energies applied by the end-over-end shaking and ultrasonic methods of assessing aggregate stability were compared. The simple calculation of the kinetic energy of the falling water within the shaking cylinder (0·72 W) was found to underestimate the total energy associated with dispersion, which was estimated as the equivalent energy during the initial period of shaking, as 1·92±0·18 W. A range of mechanical energies up to 24·95 W was applied to suspensions of 2 Vertisols with contrasting stability using the ultrasonic and the end-over-end shaking techniques. Both power and total energy applied was found to affect significantly (P < 0·05) the dispersion of material sized <20 and <2 µm. The results confirmed the presence of aggregate hierarchy, with the end-over-end shaking treatment being unable to disperse completely the <2 µm material for either soil. An increase in the power applied by the ultrasonic probe increased the rate of aggregate breakdown for the stable soil but produced no effect on rate of breakdown in the unstable soil.

scholarly journals Energy-saving walking mechanisms in obese adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 126 (5) ◽  
pp. 1250-1258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aitor Fernández Menéndez ◽  
Mathieu Saubade ◽  
Grégoire P. Millet ◽  
Davide Malatesta
Keyword(s):  
Energy Saving ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Elastic Energy ◽  
Energy Cost ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Energy Usage ◽  
Obese Adults ◽  
External Work ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Energy Cost Of Walking

Energy-saving mechanisms are used in human walking. In obese adults the energy cost of walking (Cw) is higher compared with normal-body mass adults. However, the biomechanical factors involved in this extra cost should result in a higher Cw. The aim of this study was to compare energy-saving walking mechanisms [i.e., mechanical energy saved via pendulum (Recovery) and maximum possible elastic energy usage (MPEEu)] and their influence on Cw in obese vs. lean individuals. The net Cw (NetCw), external work (Wext), Recovery, MPEEu, and gait weight transfer duration (gWT) were computed for 13 lean [L; body mass index (BMI) 21.9 ± 1.5 kg/m2] and 13 obese (O; BMI 33.8 ± 2.5 kg/m2) individuals during treadmill walking at five speeds (0.56, 0.83, 1.11, 1.39, 1.67 m/s). No significant difference was found between groups in relative (per kg of body mass) NetCw ( P = 0.13). Relative positive Wext was significantly lower at the three fastest speeds ( P ≤ 0.003) whereas Recovery was higher at the two fastest speeds ( P ≤ 0.01) in O than in L individuals. MPEEu tended to be lower in O than in L ( P = 0.06), with significantly lower values in O compared with L at 1.39 and 1.67 m/s ( P ≤ 0.017). gWT was significantly shorter in O than in L individuals at 1.67 m/s ( P = 0.001). The present results reveal that obese adults rely more on the pendular mechanism than on the storage and release of elastic energy for decreasing the amount of positive Wext and thus limiting the increase in the relative NetCw. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We observed that obese individuals had a lower maximum possible elastic energy usage per kilogram of body mass than their lean counterparts and they may rely more on the pendular mechanism of walking than on the storage and release of elastic energy for decreasing the external mechanical work and thus limiting the increase in the relative net energy cost of walking.

scholarly journals The Energy of Muscle Contraction. III. Kinetic Energy During Cyclic Contractions

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Ross ◽  
Sebastián Domínguez ◽  
Nilima Nigam ◽  
James M. Wakeling
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Muscle Contraction ◽  
Muscle Mass ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Specific Work ◽  
External Work ◽  
Fixed End ◽  
Whole Muscle ◽  
Work Loop

During muscle contraction, chemical energy is converted to mechanical energy when ATP is hydrolysed during cross-bridge cycling. This mechanical energy is then distributed and stored in the tissue as the muscle deforms or is used to perform external work. We previously showed how energy is distributed through contracting muscle during fixed-end contractions; however, it is not clear how the distribution of tissue energy is altered by the kinetic energy of muscle mass during dynamic contractions. In this study we conducted simulations of a 3D continuum muscle model that accounts for tissue mass, as well as force-velocity effects, in which the muscle underwent sinusoidal work-loop contractions coupled with bursts of excitation. We found that increasing muscle size, and therefore mass, increased the kinetic energy per unit volume of the muscle. In addition to greater relative kinetic energy per cycle, relatively more energy was also stored in the aponeurosis, and less was stored in the base material, which represented the intra and extracellular tissue components apart from the myofibrils. These energy changes in larger muscles due to greater mass were associated lower mass-specific mechanical work output per cycle, and this reduction in mass-specific work was greatest for smaller initial pennation angles. When we compared the effects of mass on the model tissue behaviour to that of in situ muscle with added mass during comparable work-loop trials, we found that greater mass led to lower maximum and higher minimum acceleration in the longitudinal (x) direction near the middle of the muscle compared to at the non-fixed end, which indicates that greater mass contributes to tissue non-uniformity in whole muscle. These comparable results for the simulated and in situ muscle also show that this modelling framework behaves in ways that are consistent with experimental muscle. Overall, the results of this study highlight that muscle mass is an important determinant of whole muscle behaviour.

Energetics and mechanics of terrestrial locomotion. IV. Total mechanical energy changes as a function of speed and body size in birds and mammals

1982 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. C. Heglund ◽  
M. A. Fedak ◽  
C. R. Taylor ◽  
G. A. Cavagna
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Elastic Energy ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Motor Units ◽  
Metabolic Energy ◽  
Small Animals ◽  
Centre Of Mass ◽  
Terrestrial Locomotion ◽  
Total Mechanical Energy

This is the final paper in or series examining the link between the energetics and mechanics of terrestrial locomotion. In this paper the kinetic energy of the limbs and body relative to the centre of mass (EKE, tot of paper two) is combined with the potential plus kinetic energy of the centre of mass (ECM, tot of paper three) to obtain the total mechanical energy (excluding elastic energy) of an animal during constant average-speed locomotion. The minimum mass-specific power required of the muscles and tendons to maintain the observed oscillations in total energy, Etot/Mb, can be described by one equation: Etot/Mb = 0.478. vg 1.53 + 0.685. vg + 0.072 where Etot/Mb is in W kg-1 and vg is in m s-1. This equation is independent of body size, applying equally as well to a chipmunk or a quail as to a horse or an ostrich. In marked contrast, the metabolic energy consumed by each gram of an animal as it moves along the ground at a constant speed increases linearly with speed and is proportional to Mb-0.3. Thus, we have found that each gram of tissue of a 30 g quail or chipmunk running at 3 m s-1 consumes metabolic energy at a rate about 15 times that of a 100 kg ostrich, horse or human running at the same speed while their muscles are performing work at the same rate. Our measurements demonstrate the importance of storage and recovery of elastic energy in larger animals, but they cannot confirm or exclude the possibility of elastic storage of energy in small animals. It seems clear that the rate at which animals consume energy during locomotion cannot be explained by assuming a constant efficiency between the energy consumed and the mechanical work performed by the muscles. It is suggested that the intrinsic velocity of shortening of the active muscle motor units (which is related to the rate of cycling of the cross bridges between actin and myosin) and the rate at which the muscles are turned on and off are the most important factors in determining the metabolic cost of constant-speed locomotion. Faster motor units are recruited as animals increase speed, and equivalent muscles of small animals have faster fibres than those of larger animals. Also, the muscles are turned on and off more quickly as an animal increases speed, and at the same speed a small animal will be turning muscles on and off at a much higher rate. These suggestions are testable, and future studies should determine if they are correct.

Kinematic Coordination in Human Gait: Relation to Mechanical Energy Cost

1998 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 2155-2170 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Bianchi ◽  
D. Angelini ◽  
G. P. Orani ◽  
F. Lacquaniti
Keyword(s):  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Energy Cost ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Sagittal Plane ◽  
Dimensional Space ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Direction Cosine ◽  
Lower Limbs ◽  
Human Gait ◽  
Plane Orientation

Bianchi, L., D. Angelini, G. P. Orani, and F. Lacquaniti. Kinematic coordination in human gait: relation to mechanical energy cost. J. Neurophysiol. 79: 2155–2170, 1998. Twenty-four subjects walked at different, freely chosen speeds ( V) ranging from 0.4 to 2.6 m s−1, while the motion and the ground reaction forces were recorded in three-dimensional space. We considered the time course of the changes of the angles of elevation of the trunk, pelvis, thigh, shank, and foot in the sagittal plane. These angles specify the orientation of each segment with respect to the vertical and to the direction of forward progression. The changes of the trunk and pelvis angles are of limited amplitude and reflect the dynamics of both right and left lower limbs. The changes of the thigh, shank, and foot elevation are ample, and they are coupled tightly among each other. When these angles are plotted one versus the others, they describe regular loops constrained on a plane. The plane of angular covariation rotates, slightly but systematically, along the long axis of the gait loop with increasing V. The rotation, quantified by the change of the direction cosine of the normal to the plane with the thigh axis ( u 3 t ), is related to a progressive phase shift between the foot elevation and the shank elevation with increasing V. As a next step in the analysis, we computed the mass-specific mean absolute power ( P u ) to obtain a global estimate of the rate at which mechanical work is performed during the gait cycle. When plotted on logarithmic coordinates, P u increases linearly with V. The slope of this relationship varies considerably across subjects, spanning a threefold range. We found that, at any given V > 1 m s−1, the value of the plane orientation ( u 3 t ) is correlated with the corresponding value of the net mechanical power ( P u ). On the average, the progressive rotation of the plane with increasing V is associated with a reduction of the increment of P u that would occur if u 3 t remained constant at the value characteristic of low V. The specific orientation of the plane at any given speed is not the same in all subjects, but there is an orderly shift of the plane orientation that correlates with the net power expended by each subject. In general, smaller values of u 3 t tend to be associated with smaller values of P u and vice versa. We conclude that the parametric tuning of the plane of angular covariation is a reliable predictor of the mechanical energy expenditure of each subject and could be used by the nervous system for limiting the overall energy expenditure.

Estimation of anaerobic energy production and efficiency in rats during exercise

1984 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 520-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. Brooks ◽  
C. M. Donovan ◽  
T. P. White
Keyword(s):  
Total Energy ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Metabolic Response ◽  
Lactate Production ◽  
Energy Transduction ◽  
Energy Turnover ◽  
External Work ◽  
Gross Efficiency ◽  
Lactate Turnover ◽  
Anaerobic Energy

o assess the effects of gradient and running speed on efficiency of exercise, and to evaluate contributions of oxidative and anaerobic energy production (Ean) during locomotion, two sets of experiments were performed. The caloric expenditures of rats were determined from O2 consumption (VO2) while they ran at three speeds (13.4, 26.8, and 43.1 m/min) on five grades (1, 5, 10, 15, and 20%). In addition, lactate turnover (LaT) and oxidation (Laox) were determined on rats at rest or during running at 13.4 and 26.8 m/min on 1% grade, respectively. Lactate production not represented in the VO2 (i.e., Ean) was calculated from the LaT not accounted for by oxidation [(LaT an) = LaT-Laox)]. The Ean was calculated as: Ean = [LaT an(mumol/min)] [1.38 ATP/La] [11 mcal/mumol ATP]. Gross efficiency of exercise (the caloric equivalent of external work/caloric equivalent of VO2 X 100) ranged from 1.7 to 4.5%. Apparent efficiency (the inverse of the regression of caloric equivalent of VO2 on the caloric equivalent of work X 100) ranged from 20.5 to 26.4% and reflected the metabolic response of rats to applied external work. The contribution of Ean to total energy turnover ranged from 1.6% at rest to 0.8% during running at 13.4 m/min on a 1% grade. Despite active LaT during steady-state exercise, Ean contributes insignificantly to total energy transduction, because over 70% of the lactate produced is removed through oxidation. VO2 adequately represents metabolism under these conditions.

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