A systematic muscle model covering regions from the fast ramp stretches in the muscle fibres to the relatively slow stretches in the human triceps surae

We have proposed a muscle model which consists of two Maxwell elements and a Voigt element in parallel. The muscle model was applied on the experiment of the force responses by the fast ramp stretch in muscle fibres to determine the mechanical parameters. In the simulation, the Maxwell element with a flexible spring and a long relaxation time seemed to correspond with the force-generating state of the cross-bridges. Next, we tried the muscle model to simulate the relatively slow movement. Experimentally, we have measured torque changes by the stretch responses in the human triceps surae. In the experiments, the derivation of torque by rotation angle showed two peaks P1 and P2. The first peak P1 originated from the elastic properties of engaged cross-bridges, while the second peak P2 was due to stretch reflex signals. The model of a single-joint system simulated well with the experimental results to show a good adaptability of the muscle model.