Measurement of the Modeling Parameters for a Maxiflex “B” Springboard
in Journal of Applied BiomechanicsClick name to view affiliation
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The characteristic modeling parameters (spring stiffness and effective mass ratio) were determined experimentally for a Maxiflex “B” board. The results indicated that the Maxiflex “B” board was substantially less stiff than a Duraflex board. Most of this decrease in stiffness is a result of the added second taper in the Maxiflex “B” board. Calculations, based on theory, revealed that the perforations in the Maxiflex “B” board reduced the local stiffness over the end region of the board by an additional 10%. As a result of its greater compliancy, the Maxiflex board also had an effective mass ratio that was greater than that of the Duraflex. It was clear from these experiments that the acknowledged superiority of the Maxiflex “B” board over the Duraflex could be attributed directly to the increased compliancy found in the Maxiflex “B” board.
E.J. Sprigings and P.D. Dorotich are with the College of Physical Education, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Sask. S7N 0W0, Canada. D.S. Stilling and L.G. Watson are with the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan.
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