Science of optimal human bone breaking mechanism

Ribs need impact. Everything else can be broken on the principle that ligaments (which hold bones together) are in the main, stronger than bones. Think of the range of movement they least want to go into. So you can hyperextend an elbow, or twist a wrist. Knees will tend to give out in the ligaments first, and ankles are tougher, they can tear ligaments or avulse (pull off a bit) bone or break bones, if stamped on, eg football players.

>>8463620
I need more specifics. In case of breaking a leg for example, would the way to do be to step on it below the knee and then jerk it up and to the knee holding it above the foot?

>>8463671
Difficult, tibias are strong. You'd need to support both ends and stamp on it.

I hope you're an author researching for a book and not some random crazy with someone locked in their basement.

>>8463722
> You'd need to support both ends and stamp on it.
So can't really do impromptu? Does that mean my best shot is to hit the leg with a hammer? Middle of the lower leg or right on the knee, what's easier and what's more traumatic?

>>8463736
Traumatic as in immediate effect or long term damage? Immediately, both are going to hurt a fuck of a lot. Right on the knee has more potential for long term damage as you will shatter the patella and tear ligaments.

>>8463746
Is there gonna be a lot of sound from the hit? Will winter trousers make a difference on difficulty of bone breaking?

Not OP, but if breaking legs is so hard why does everybody claim to have broken legs and shit? Like it's the first thing people mention. I recently watched that neuroscientist psychopath interview and he said that he'd break people's legs. HTF does he do it then?

Bump for interest

karate

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You sound like a good egg and this is an interesting idea so I'll share some thoughts.

The clavicle is one of the most commonly broken bones. The ends of the bone are held in position by the body while the weak center is exposed. It is a common injury among boxers.

Small bones like the nose, fingers and those in the feet require less force, though being small I'm not sure how you can apply these without tools. Technically teeth are not bones.

Bones are vulnerable to shear forces, but sufficient compressive and tensile forces can be applied to a fulcrum via lever action. If the bone is supported at one end (A) and a point between either end (B), then ideally point B should be as close to point A as reasonably possible. For example if someone's arm is trapped in a hole in a brick wall you would need to pull their arm out slightly such that only 3 or 4 inches of the radius and ulna are in the hole to minimize the force you need to apply at the opposite end to break it. Twisting the arm so the thumb is facing down will expose the weaker radius if the force is applied downwards. If the bone is short or lever action fails you might want to apply shear near the center instead.

If it is only supported at point B, for example the corner of a wall or the curb, forces should be applied equally as far as possible either end.

Throwing body weight around is a good way to apply force. As the body decelerates in combination with gravity a great deal of force can be applied, this is often how athletes break bones on landing. Someone landing on their arm or hand on the curb has a good chance of resulting in a break if it is properly positioned and supported.

To avoid breaking your own bones you should aim to apply axial compressive forces, resist shock with fat and muscle and avoid using weak bones if possible like those in the hands.

note: this is all rather hypothetical, experimentation will likely reveal other factors that need to be considered

Gonna go to sleep now, bump for tomorrow

>>8463770
Breaking them is hard
Shame that human body weights a whole bunch isn't it?

>>8463466
DO YOU DO POISON?

>>8463466
Define break. What do you accept as a break? Chipping off small sections of a bone is technically a break-off already, hence the bone was broken. You can achieve this with peak stress on a short area of effect, so a tool with a sharp point or edge, of course.

For 'thorough' breaks you ought to break the bone on its smallest diameter. Again, a sharp edge with a sufficiently high impact force should achieve the best result. The bone should be locked in its movement against an unmoving object if possible.

>>8464553
> What do you accept as a break?
At what point would you call a stick broken? There you go.

So what about ribs? Is there any risk of lethal outcome from ribs piercing the lungs or something like that?

>>8464455
Eh. I think it's only good for murder which is too risky to begin with.
Biologists and chemists with different opinions are welcome though.

>>8464781
A bad rib break can pierce a lung and cause haemothorax, bleeding into the pleural space, or pneumothorax, air in. Both can be dangerous or not so much.