ARUP; ISBN: 978-0-9562121-5-3 - CMBBE 2012 - Cardiff University

EXPERIMENTAL DETERMINATION OF DIVERSE WALKING
FACTORS TO BE APPLIED IN A NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
A. Márquez-Sánchez 1 , G. Urriolagoitia-Sosa 1 , S. González-Díaz 1 ,
B. Romero-Ángeles 1 , F. Carrasco-Hernández 1 , and G. Urriolagoitia-Calderón 1 .
1. ABSTRACT
The walking is defined as the period of time that separates the repetitive actions of
locomotion, depends on simple and double supports which are successive in order that
the body does not lose contact with the soil managing to preserve the biped position.
Human marche analyses are useful for a wide range of diagnosis application and an
important choice for patient treatment with orthopedic, neurological, skeletal or
muscular pathologies. For this work, it was necessary to realize marche tests to a 24year-old
patient without pathologies, with past traumatic injuries after total recovery.
The study was divided into two cases; the first one was performed on a flat surface
(seven samples); the second case was carried out on an electric walking machine (due to
the facility for obtaining images). Both tests were analyzed by image comparison, in
which it was concluded that walking presents a senoidal trend in agreement to the
movement of the foot during the march, presenting high and low peaks at different
points during the locomotion examination. The results have shown, that in a biped
position, at 90 o there is the resting condition, with a 4.35 o maximum flexion in regard to
the position of rest by the tibia-fibula. The next analysis considers the dorsal flexion in
the step of 2.28° and 88.63° with respect to the floor at the point of fingers deployment.
Results and diverse variants will be used and applied in a foot numerical analysis
regarding steps and positions, to obtain the stress distribution while walking.
Keywords; Walking cycle, Foot, Locomotion, Stress distribution.
2. INTRODUCTION
The foot is defined as a human body part from the ankle to the height transtibial up to
the top of the fingers. The foot allows the body to move, as well as, to offer support [1].
Nevertheless, the foot is part of the muscle-skeletal-system, which distributes the weight
of the body in diverse situations or positions [2]. The foot is a complex structure
conformed by 26 bones, which form 30 joints that allow having the movements due to
the subordination of ligaments, muscles and articulate capsules. The foot is capable of a
conjunction movement in three space planes and that is why, the foot is able to adapt to
different surface topologies, ground irregularities and maintain the balance of the body
on two feet [3]. Locomotion is considered as the displacement between two points and
which is responsible the low member of the body. By following the walking cycle it is
possible to study and analyze the locomotion [2]. The walking cycle initiates with the
first contact of the foot onto the surface and ends when it returns to this same position.
Walking is composed by simple and double supports, which are successive and
alternated with the purpose that the body does not lose contact with the ground [4].
During walking there are two phases (support and balancing) and the linear distance
between the each foot contact is defined as a step.
1 Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería Mecánica y Eléctrica, Sección de
Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos “Zacatenco”, Edif. 5,
2do. Piso, Col. Lindavista, Del. Gustavo A. Madero, México D. F., México