A Force-Indentation Relationship for Gymnastic Mats

Abstract

The mechanical properties of a series of gymnastic surfaces are investigated. A Force–Indentation relationship is obtained for each surface. This law can be used to simulate the ground reaction force during under-foot impact with a gymnastic surface. The law is independent of many of the properties of the striking body and when incorporated into a system of differential equations describing the motion of the impacting body, can be used to compute system responses and to investigate the importance of different properties of the various surfaces. Several examples, using both a single, rigid mass and a four link, articulated system are presented, and demonstrate that the relationship can be satisfactorily incorporated into a solution algorithm for a large–displacement dynamical analysis.