Search Results (7)

The automotive industry is entering a digital revolution, driven by the need to develop new products in less time that are high-quality and environmentally friendly. A proper manufacturing process influences the performance of the door grommet during its lifetime. In this work, uniaxial tensile tests based on molecular dynamics simulations have been performed on an ethylene–propylene–diene monomer (EPDM) material to investigate the effect of the crosslink density and its variation with temperature. The Mooney–Rivlin (MR) model is used to fit the results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in this paper and an exponential-type model is proposed to calculate the parameters $C_1\left(T\right)$ and $C_2\left(T\right)$. The experimental results, confirmed by hardness tests of the cured part according to ASTM 1415-88, show that the free volume fraction and the crosslink density have a significant effect on the stiffness of the EPDM material in a deformed state. The results of molecular dynamics superposition on the MR model agree reasonably well with the macroscopically observed mechanical behavior and tensile stress of the EPDM at the molecular level. This work allows the accurate characterization of the stress–strain behavior of rubber-like materials subjected to deformation and can provide valuable information for their widespread application in the injection molding industry. Full article

This work presents a study on the modeling, analysis, and control of asymmetric source structures, which focuses on a multi-directional active mounting system that aims to consider the location and orientation of an actual automotive powertrain mount. An active mount was created by connecting a PZT (piezo-stack) actuator with a rubber grommet. Additional force necessary for every mount was determined by using forces caused by harmonic stimulation and the control input has the capability to reduce vibrations by engaging in detrimental opposition against the input. In addition, the vibration in the horizontal direction can be reduced with the adjustment of variables that can be modified via the dynamic interconnection of the source frame. This study especially evaluated the effectiveness of vibration reduction without a horizontal active component and determined the feasibility of control. Through sequences of simulated outcomes, it was demonstrated that the implementation of this asymmetric, bi-directional (both horizontally and vertically) active mount may effectively reduce stimulation oscillations. Additionally, a numerical validation was performed to reduce the vibrations generated by the modulation. It was accomplished by observing the system’s response utilizing a digital filter with a normalized least mean square method. The simulations of adaptive digital filters demonstrated that the efficacy of control diminishes when faced with intricate noise and signals, while the attenuation trend stays unaltered. Full article

A family is described as having two recessively inherited metabolic diseases and three differently affected children. During the explantation of a drain tube grommet under general anesthesia, a prolonged resuscitation and wake-up period occurred in the key case when he was 8 years old. This led to a family screening for butyrylcholinesterase deficiency, which was confirmed not only in the key case but also in his 5-year-old sister; it was not confirmed in his 10-year-old brother. However, the key case not only had reduced serum levels of BCHE, but also elevated liver enzyme levels, which are atypical for BCHE deficiency. After the exclusion of viral and autoimmune hepatitis, Wilson’s disease (WD) was eventually diagnosed and also confirmed in his elder brother, but not in his sister. This family is presented to highlight an extremely rare WD-patient in whom a low serum level of BCHE did not occur because of WD but because of BCHE deficiency. Full article

A grommet is a representative component that fixes the position of a cable. It is made from hyper-elastic materials (rubber), such as ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM). The grommet and cable are conventionally fixed through bonding; however, this method has numerous disadvantages that can be improved through relevant research. To apply a fixing method using the elastic force of EPDM rubber, this paper presents an empirical equation for approximating the bonding force of EPDM grommet parts with a hollow shaft geometry. First, tensile tests and the inverse method were used to approximate the basic mechanical properties. The physical properties were derived through basic tests; furthermore, bonding force tests and the inverse method were used on a grommet with a hollow shaft structure. In addition, the Box–Behnken design of experiments was used to predict the amount of change in the bonding force according to the geometry variables. Finally, this study was validated by comparing the approximation results derived through the design of experiments with the analysis and bonding force test results. Full article

A grommet, made of ethylene propylene diene methylene (EPDM) rubber, is an integral part used for fixing and protecting the wire inserted from the outside to the inside of vehicles. Rubber compounds exhibit various mechanical properties and vulcanization characteristics depending on the accelerator mixing ratio. These mechanical properties affect the insertion and detachment forces when the grommet is manufactured and fixed to the vehicle body. In this study, we experimentally analyzed the changes in the properties of EPDM rubber depending on the vulcanization accelerator to improve the mounting performance of the grommet, and subsequently derived the optimum accelerator mixing ratio. We implemented a mixture design strategy to derive the optimum mixing ratio for obtaining the desired mechanical properties and vulcanization characteristics. The insertion and separation forces of the existing grommet were compared with those of the grommet fabricated using the derived mixing ratio and we found that the mounting performance was improved compared to the existing grommet. Full article

Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) has superior mechanical properties, water resistance, heat resistance, and ozone resistance. It can be applied to various products owing to its low hardness and high slip resistance properties. A grommet is one of the various products made using EPDM rubber. It is a main component of automobiles, in which it protects wires throughout the inside and outside of a vehicle body. The grommet, made of EPDM, has different mounting performance depending on the process parameters and the shape of the grommet. This study conducted optimization to improve the mounting performance of a grommet using EPDM materials. The physical properties of the main molding materials were investigated according to process parameters. A grommet was fabricated according to the process parameters of fabrication. Insertion force and separation force were examined through experiments. Nonlinear material constants were determined through uniaxial and biaxial tensile tests. The nonlinear analysis of the grommet was conducted, and a compound design that incorporated the shape parameters for the minimum load of each part was derived. Then, additional nonlinear analysis was performed. This was followed by a comparative analysis of the actual model through experimental evaluation. Full article

In the pharmaceutical industry, co-crystals are becoming increasingly valuable as crystalline solids that can offer altered/improved physical properties of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) without changing its chemical identity or biological activity. In order to identify new solid forms of diclofenac—an analgesic with extremely poor aqueous solubility for which few co-crystal structures have been determined—a range of pyrazoles, pyridines, and pyrimidines were screened for co-crystal formation using solvent assisted grinding and infrared spectroscopy with an overall success rate of 50%. The crystal structures of three new diclofenac co-crystals are reported herein: (diclofenac)∙(2-aminopyrimidine), (diclofenac)∙(2-amino-4,6-dimethylpyrimidine), and (diclofenac)∙(2-amino-4-chloro-6-methylpyrimidine). Full article