Wheel Spokes Research Articles

Foreign Body Trapped in the Oropharynx Requiring Emergency Tonsillectomy in a Case at Nianankoro Fomba Hospital in Ségou

Introduction: Pharyngeal foreign bodies, particularly in oropharyngeal locations, should raise concerns about the presence of an associated wound. They constitute a common pathology. Their diagnosis is most often easy, but difficult in the case of an unknown foreign body. We report a foreign body embedded in the lateral wall of the oropharynx which required emergency tonsillectomy. Observation: This is a 6-year-old child received urgently at the Nianankoro Fomba Hospital in Ségou 6 hours after the introduction of the foreign body (wheel spoke) into the tonsillar compartment. On admission to the ENT and head and neck surgery department, the child's general condition was poor, consciousness remained and the conjunctivas were normal-colored. On oropharyngeal examination, we note a sharp metallic foreign body measuring 30 cm and 2 mm in diameter located at the level of the posterior fold of the right amygdala. Furthermore, there is hypersialorrhea with blood streaking. Faced with the failure of an extraction attempt; we decided to take him to the operating room after a minimum assessment. The immediate postoperative course was unremarkable. The evolution was very favorable on the 10th day of the intervention. Conclusion: Pharyngeal foreign bodies constitute a vital emergency due to their appearance or location. Their management requires rapid intervention with suitable equipment. Prevention remains the best solution.

Motorcycle Wheel Spoke Injury to the Ankle and Foot in Children: A Cross-sectional Observational Study.

In developing countries, motorcycles are a widespread transportation method, leading to a notable increase in road traffic injuries, particularly those involving the ankle and foot caused by motorcycle wheel spokes. Our study sought to understand the epidemiological features and characteristics of motorcycle-induced wheel spoke injuries to the ankle and foot in children. The objectives were to comprehend injury patterns, evaluate their severity and pinpoint clinical indicators predicting injury nature and extent, aiming to guide prevention strategies. We conducted a cross-sectional observational study with a retrospective data collection focused on children under the age of 16 years who sustained injuries from motorcycle rear wheel spokes while riding as pillion passengers and were admitted to our department over 11 years, from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2020, with a minimum follow-up of 2 years. Soft tissue wounds were classified using the Oestern-Tscherne classification. Thirty patients were enrolled in this study. Before 2015, cases ranged from none to one annually, increasing to 2-7 cases per year after 2015. The average age was 6.7 ± 2.1 years. Significantly, more patients were older than 6 years (P < 0.001), injured on the right side (P < 0.001) and suffered the injuries in the afternoon (P < 0.001). All patients were pillion and were injured by the motorcycle's rear wheel. Twenty-five patients (83%) had a Grade 3 injury. There was a tendon rupture in 22 (73%) and a bone fracture in 15 (50%) patients. Loss of soft tissue (P = 0.036) and reduced ankle mobility (P = 0.046) were linked to tendon ruptures. Lengths of wound exceeding 6 cm (P = 0.025) and loss of soft tissue (P = 0.025) were associated with a bone fracture. Children's motorcycle wheel spoke injuries have increased in recent years. Loss of soft tissue and ankle mobility deficit proved to be reliable clinical signs of a tendon rupture. A wound length exceeding 6 cm and a loss of soft tissue were indicative of a related bone fracture.

Improving heat transfer and compressed air consumption in low pressure die casting of aluminum wheels

Automotive wheels made from aluminum alloys are generally manufactured using the Low-Pressure Die Casting (LPDC) method. The molten aluminum is pressurized and filled into the cavities between the molds, and it is cooled using cooling channels in the LPDC. While the cooling fluid can be either air or water in industrial applications, only air cooling is utilized within the scope of this study. The primary expenditures of the process are attributed to the cycle time and the consumption of compressed air. In industrial settings, the primary coolant supply, emanating from either one or two inlet sources, is systematically channeled through a series of nozzles. These nozzles are strategically designed to impinge air onto specific areas of the mold pockets, ensuring efficient cooling.This research focuses on enhancing the cooling channels and mold pocket regions in LPDC through a combination of experiments and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) integrated with Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) analyses. The study involves designing cooling channels to achieve a uniform mass flow distribution at the nozzle outlets, and optimizing the mold pocket regions. This optimization resulted in a 46% reduction in compressed air flow while maintaining comparable levels of heat transfer in the optimized mold pocket design. Moreover, flow rate non-uniformity at nozzle outlets was reduced from 11.5% to 2.0% to achieve uniform cooling and temperature distribution across the wheel spokes. An experimental setup with a cooling pipe network allowed simultaneous flow rate measurements from 20 outlets using flow rate sensors.The improved cooling channel and mold pocket design were adapted to the LPDC, and 20 aluminum alloy wheels were successfully cast with a 46% lower mass flow rate. All these wheels were tested in accordance with the relevant test specifications and the results obtained were assessed as compliant according to certain limits.

Active Vibration Control on a Tire-Wheel Assembly using Piezoelectric Spatial Modal Filter

Abstract Vibrations due to tire-road contact in wheeled vehicles induce acoustic discomfort especially beyond 35 km·h−1. This paper proposes an active control method to reduce the vibration transmission from the tire-road contact to the vehicle through piezoelectric transducers located directly on the wheel spokes. Our approach relies on a double spatial modal filter to physically focus the control energy on the wheel pumping mode while avoiding any spillover phenomena. In addition, a band pass controller ensures maximum damping on the targeted mode. The proposed control strategy is applied first to the clamped wheel in order to validate the static performance of the spatial controller. Then the wheel is excited through the tire and the efficiency of the controller is evaluated through the measured force passing by the wheel hub. Finally, the tire-wheel assembly (TWA) is placed on an experimental set-up recreating the vehicle operating conditions with wheel rotation at different velocities and road excitation. The experimental results confirm the efficiency of the proposed control method and its robustness to the dynamics evolution of the structure in function of the TWA angular velocity.

Effects of In-Wheel Suspension on Whole-Body Vibration and Comfort in Manual Wheelchair Users

Frequent and prolonged exposure to high levels of vibration and shock can cause neck and back pain and discomfort for many wheelchair users. Current methods to attenuate the vibration have shown to be ineffective and, in some cases, detrimental to health. Novel in-wheel suspension systems claim to offer a solution by replacing traditional spokes of the rear wheels with dampening elements or springs. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of in-wheel suspension on reducing vibration and shock and improving comfort in manual wheelchair users. Twenty-four manual wheelchair users were propelled over nine different surfaces using a standard spoked wheel, a Spinergy CLX, and Loopwheels while accelerometry data was collected at the footrest, seat, and backrest. Loopwheels lowered vibrations by 10% at the backrest compared to the standard and CLX wheels (p-value &lt; 0.001) and by 7% at the footrest compared to the CLX (p-value &lt; 0.05). They also reduced shocks by 7% at the backrest compared to the standard wheel and CLX (p-value &lt; 0.001). No significant differences were found in comfort between the wheels. Results indicate that Loopwheels is effective at reducing vibration and shock, but more long-term testing is required to determine effects on health.

Topology optimization of wheel spoke under fatigue tests considering the rotation characteristics of automobile wheels

The topology structure of wheel spoke has a great impact on the safety and lightweight of automobile wheels. However, the rotation process of the wheels is difficult to be reflected in the design and optimization. In this paper, the topology optimization of wheel spoke under fatigue tests considering the rotation characteristics is studied. The bending fatigue test and radial fatigue test are first introduced and the corresponding computation models are presented to calculate the mechanical performances of the wheel hub. The relationship between the internal stress and the number of the wheel spokes is established, and the mechanical performances with different number of wheel spokes are analyzed to guide the selection to the number. Then, the rotation characteristics of the wheel hub are simplified as static loads at different directions or positions according to the configuration of the wheel spokes. A comprehensive evaluation function which includes the test and load levels is defined by the compromise programming method to simulate the stress during the rotation process. Two levels of topology optimization methods are determined. Next, a mathematical model of multi-objective topology optimization for the wheel spoke is established based on the Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization, and a new wheel hub is obtained. Finally, the mechanical performances are compared with the original wheel hub. The obtained results show that the stiffness and strength of the wheel hub are improved under two test conditions, while the weight is reduced by 2.75%.

Rising Cases of Motorcycle Wheel Spokes Injuries in A Tertiary Facility in Northern Ghana; A Policy Call.

Motorcycle wheel spoke injuries refer to the entrapment of the foot and ankle of a rider or pillion rider into the spokes of a vehicle resulting in varied complex ankle-foot injuries. We report ten cases of motorcycle wheel spoke injuries between January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2023, majority of whom were children with the youngest being 4 years and the oldest 43 years. A few of the cases sustained both soft tissue injuries and fractures around the ankle while the rest sustained only soft tissue injuries. We believe a lot more of these cases do not get to the tertiary facility for varied reasons.The mean length of hospital stay was 19±13 days potential indirect negative economic impact on the state, patients, and their family/caregivers.These injuries can be prevented by developing policies aimed at public education, baring children from riding pillion, and designing protective wheel covering. Cases of motorcycle wheel spoke injuries are on the rise in the Northern part of Ghana. We recommend public education and awareness creation as well as stringent implementation of road traffic regulations.

Parametric Optimization of Wheel Spoke Structure for Drag Reduction of an Ahmed Body

Parametric Optimization of Wheel Spoke Structure for Drag Reduction of an Ahmed Body

Sunrays epiretinal membrane

Aim: To report a unique aspect of an opalescent, symmetrical, sun rays like epiretinal membrane (ERM), assessed with swept source optical coherence tomography (SS‐OCT).Methods: Patient was assessed with multimodal imaging: colour photography and SS‐OCT with B‐scan and en face imaging.Results: A 65‐year‐old male with hypertension and diabetes history, followed in our consultation for pre‐proliferative diabetic retinopathy (DR), lost of sight for two years, presented with progressive visual decrease in his left eye (LE). Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of the right eye was 8/10 without any sign of DR activity on fundus examination. BCVA of the LE was limited to hand motion. Anterior segment examination was unremarkable. Fundus examination highlighted the presence of opaque dense ERM lining the posterior pole mimicking a symmetrical wheel spoke or sunrays, centred by a foveal pigmented lesion. En face SS‐OCT showed patterned retinal folds and B‐Scan SS‐OCT showed a thick hyperreflective layer above the internal limiting membrane (ILM) associated to underlying retinal surface wrinkling. We also noted thickened disorganized retinal layers, ectopic inner foveal layers (EIFL) and loss of the foveal depression. The central bouquet assessed the presence of subretinal hyperreflective vitelliform‐like deposit associated to intraretinal hyperreflective foci corresponding to pigment migration.Conclusion: This case corresponds to the final stage ERM of Govetto classification. It reveals a migration process of retinal pigment cells towards inner retinal layers. The advent of high‐resolution SS‐OCT offered a better detection of ERM stages and alterations of the central bouquet, in order to improve our pathophysiological understanding. In fact, many hypotheses on ERM development processes were suggested. Glial cells and retinal pigment epithelial cells would undergo trans‐differentiation to a myofibroblastic pre‐retinal cells through the retina, via microdefects above ILM. Accumulated myofibroblastic cells, along with extracellular matrix deposition are the main precursors of ERM.

THE PATTERN OF WHEEL SPOKE INJURY TREATED AT COMBINED MILITARY HOSPITAL RAWALPINDI

This research investigated the characteristics and patterns of wheel spoke injuries treated at Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi. The study was conducted at Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi, a prominent healthcare facility in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, providing medical services to military personnel and civilians. The research analyzed data gathered over a year regarding wheel spoke injuries. A random sample of eighty-two patients was selected, and data was collected on demographic information, injury specifics, clinical presentations, treatments, and outcome measures to provide a quantitative analysis. The study's results showed that the average time elapsed from injury to presentation was 6 hours. Most injuries occurred on the right foot (37 patients) and were associated with the rear wheel (34 patients). Injuries to the lateral aspect of the ankle were common (73%), with the posterior ankle being the most frequent site (n=30). Soft-tissue injuries were classified into grades 0, 1, 2, and 3, with changes in grading noted in some cases. Patients with grade 0 or 1 injuries healed faster (mean 28 days) than those with grade 2 or 3 (mean 40 days). Eight patients had associated fractures, all healed without complications with a mean healing time of 18 days. The study concluded that wheel spoke injuries are common and are often found near the Achilles tendon. Injury classification is critical for treatment decisions and predicting prognosis. Monitoring for infection and necrosis within 48 hours is vital due to poor vascularity. Customized treatment approaches, including below-knee back splints, ankle foot orthoses, and debridement, are recommended based on injury characteristics.

Fatigue life optimization and lightweight design of wheel based on entropy weight grey relation analysis and modified NSGA-II

In order to study the fatigue performance of wheel and enhance its lightweight design level, this article proposes the structure, design and optimization method of magnesium-aluminum alloy assembled wheel. Taking a [Formula: see text] type wheel as the research object, the optimal topology of wheel spoke is solved by constructing a topology optimization model for wheel bending and radial fatigue test conditions. A finite element model for bending and radial fatigue testing of assembled wheels was established, which simulates and analyzes the fatigue performance and its influencing factors of the wheel under two working conditions. Combined with contribution analysis method, the modified NSGA-II and entropy weight grey relation analysis (EGRA), the multi-objective optimization of assembled wheel was performed. The result demonstrated that the weight reduction of the assembled wheel after optimized design is 4.49%, while the bending fatigue life and radial fatigue safety factor are decreased by 9.95% and 25%, respectively. In order to better balance the performance of assembled wheel and achieve lightweight design, this article combines the joint topology optimization of assembled wheels with multi-objective optimization method for multiple working conditions and screens the optimal compromise solution by EGRA, which provides an approach for wheel lightweight design and multi-objective optimization.

Investigation of alloy materials on a sports bike wheel rim designs using finite element analysis

Investigators are dedicating more work to the creation of lightweight vehicles as a result of the rising emphasis placed by the automotive industry on energy efficiency and environmental responsibility. While developing a wheel, it is important to keep both technology and safety considerations in mind simultaneously. Alloy materials are commonly used in the design of sports bike wheel rims due to their lightweight, strength, and durability. The ultimate goal of this study is to lay the groundwork for coming up with new designs for wheels and spokes that can be used on sports bike. In this work, it would be possible to compare how alloys of magnesium and titanium respond to stress and strain compared to structural steel materials. Using an equivalent stress and deformation investigation, two modern designs of wheel spokes for the sports bikes and three materials were compared. This study makes some insightful projections about the reliability of the structural design and provides useful references for the manufacture of alloy wheels. According to the stress analysis, the Ti alloy produces a stress concentration that is about 0.5% lower than on Model A and around 1% lower value for stainless steel on the Model B wheel rim design. Mg alloy has a deflection of about 77% and 53% more than stainless steel and titanium alloy, respectively, in the construction of the model A and B wheel rim.

The water flea Moina macrocopa () (Cladocera: Daphniidae) withstands 100,000 × g in a centrifuge for 10 minutes

Abstract The water flea Moina macrocopa (Straus, 1820) survived and did not become pelleted when centrifuged at 21,500 × g for 10 minutes. Five out of six individuals tested swam in the microtube after being centrifuged at 100,000 × g for 10 minutes. It was confirmed that M. macrocopa occurred near the bottom of a 15 ml centrifuge tube on the spoke of a bicycle wheel due to the centrifugal force of 5 × g. This results suggests that M. macrocopa would have withstood conditions of 100,000 × g at the bottom of the tube. This is the first report that a crustacean can withstand extremely high gravitational forces, which prompts the potential use of M. macrocopa as a new model for extreme hypergravity.

Pattern and Presentation of Pediatric Spoke Wheel Entrapment Injuries: Our Hospital Experience

Objective: Finding out how often and how severely kids get their feet caught in the spokes of motorcycle wheels, and what it means for treatment options. Study design: A cross-sectional study Place and Duration: This study was conducted in Ibn-e-Sina University, Muhammad Medical College and Hospital Mirpurkhas from February 2022 to February 2023. Methodology: The study included children who had sustained motorbike spoke wheel injuries after getting their feet entrapped in it. The children were assessed for the severity of the injury as well as the location of the injury. The classification of the injuries was done according to the Tscherne and Oestern classification and graded as 0, I, II, and III. Complete history of the patients was taken followed by a physical examination. After that, relevant investigations were ordered such as radiographs and laboratory investigations. Results: The total number of participants in the present study was 115. The mean age of the participants was 8.62±7.23 years. There were 85 (73.91%) male and 30 (26.09%) female. A total of 78 (67.83%) patients had their right feet injured and 37 (32.17%) patients had their left feet injured. Injury of grade 0 was documented in 17 (14.78%), grade I in 33 (28.69%), grade II in 42 (36.52%) patients, and grade III in 23 (20%) patients. The most common area to get injured in the accident was the heel pad and it was affected in 63 (54.78%) patients. Rupture of the tendon was seen in 11 (9.56%) patients. Fracture of bone was seen in 9 (7.82%) children and only 1 (0.86%) children suffered from neurovascular injury. Conclusion: Injury because of the Motorbike spoke wheel results in different patterns causing multiple levels of damage to tissues and even fractures. Nonetheless, most injuries are related to soft-tissues loss. The most commonly injured area is the heel pad. Phalanges and calcaneus were commonest injured bones. Keywords: Spoke wheel, Motorbike, Fracture, Heel pad, Tscherne and Oestern

Structural analysis of motorcycle spokes design using finite element analysis with alloy materials

The use of alloy wheels on a motorcycle is very necessary in order to ensure that the motorcycle's weight is distributed evenly. The spokes of an alloy wheel must be shaped and positioned in a specific way to counteract the forces imparted to the bearing surface of the rim and hub. Alloy wheel spokes are subject to a wide range of forces, such as radial, impact, bending, torsion, and maximum deflection. Thus, the wheel's response to such loads must be evaluated. Two separate designs of motorcycle alloy wheel spokes were modelled and designed to meet the requirements and preferences of sports motorcycles. For the purpose of testing the alloy wheel under typical loading conditions and boundary conditions, the aluminium and magnesium alloys were selected as the testing materials. In this study, two separate models of alloy wheel spokes were examined for structural stress and maximum deflection. The alloy wheels were also examined for the factor of safety, which provides evidence that the vehicle can be driven safely.According to the stress analysis, the magnesium alloy produces more deflection and a stress concentration on both design, whereas design I produces less deflection and a stress concentration over the design II.

Structural design and integral assembly procedure of rigid-flexible tensegrity airship structure

A rigid-flexible tensegrity airship structure is proposed through the systematic research and design of the wheel spoke–shaped stiffening ring, carbon fiber–reinforced polymer slender cable, central longitudinal compression truss, and spherical multi-part integration assemblage. This structure aimed to fully utilize the structural performance advantages of a semi-rigid airship and the self-equilibrating characteristics of a tensegrity structure. The design of the spherical multi-part integration assemblage facilitates the rotation of a wheel spoke–shaped stiffening ring and enhances the installation efficiency of longitudinal cables. The tensegrity system is applied to the rigid-flexible integrated airship structure to make the main compression-bearing shaft bear the compressive stress and the longitudinal cables bear the tensile stress, thereby creating a rigid-flexible tensegrity airship structure with the self-equilibrating system. The feasibility of the structural design, component preparation, and integrated assembly technology of the rigid-flexible tensegrity airship has been effectively verified and evaluated by the integral assembly procedure, which ensures the assembly safety and reliability of the airship structure. The rigid-flexible tensegrity airship structure exhibits a clear load transfer path, high stiffness, bearing capacity, and strong shape retention capacity under low pressure conditions, which provides an ideal structural form for the stratospheric airship.

Experiment and numerical research on regression rate of hybrid rocket motor with single-port wagon wheel fuel grain

This paper focuses on the research on regression rate of hybrid rocket motor with single-port wagon wheel fuel grain. Both experiment and numerical investigations are carried out to study the three-dimension regression rate of hybrid rocket motor on several characteristic points. A laboratory 500 N-class firing test of hybrid rocket motor with single-port wagon wheel fuel grain has been conducted on the standard ground experimental system. The 98% hydrogen peroxide oxidizer and hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene based fuel are adopted as propellants. The digital image processing of three-dimension regression rate is carried out, and a post-processing software has been developed to calculate the time-averaged three-dimension distribution of regression rate after the firing test. Three-dimensional numerical simulations with gaseous combustion considered are carried out to study the axial distribution of regression rate. The results of digital image processing manifest that the average regression rates of the middle position of wagon wheel spokes is higher than those in the slot of wagon wheel. A good agreement exists between the calculated regression rate from numerical simulation and the experimental results conducted by computed tomography scanning. The comparison results show that the digital image processing is potentially an effective tool for investigating and predicting the three-dimension regression rate of hybrid rocket motor with single-port wagon wheel fuel grain.

Design of Helmholtz resonator group in a lightweight aluminum alloy wheel for reducing tire acoustic cavity resonance noise

Tire acoustic cavity resonance (TACR) noise is one of the significant sources causing vehicle interior noise at low-frequency band. Since the rotating and loading conditions can split TACR frequencies, TACR noise exhibits a relatively narrow frequency band, which becomes a challenge to attenuate this type of noise. To deal with this problem, the reduction method of the Helmholtz resonator (HR) group installed inside a lightweight aluminum alloy wheel is adopted in this paper. By the combination welding of spoke and rim in aluminum alloy wheel of a passenger vehicle, the internal annular hollow area is generated as the installation space for this HR group. Great advantages of this manufacturing process are the lightweight and easy installation performances for the wheel. According to the theoretical analyses based on the superposition of traveling waves and its experimental validations, the frequency bands of TACR noise for a rotating tire are determined. To reduce the noise, HR group consisting of 5 different sizes is designed by the Finite Element Method (FEM). Meanwhile, the sound-reducing tire-wheel assembly incorporated with the designed HR group is manufactured and tested by the bench and vehicle experiments. A remarkable reduction can be observed at the peak and specified frequency range of TACR noise. Moreover, the performance also proves to be stable and robust under various road and speed conditions. This paper provides a comprehensive and feasible process strategy for the development of noise-reducing wheel.

Strengthening effect of prefabrication (10–12) tensile twinning on AZ80+0.4%Ce magnesium alloy and inhibition mechanism of discontinuous precipitation

This paper provided an effective method to further improve the mechanical properties of the AZ80+0.4%Ce magnesium alloy wheel spoke. The effect of high strength and ductility was obtained with a yield strength of 295.36 MPa, an elongation of 10%, by the combination of pre-deformation (7% deformation) and two-stage aging treatment (120 °C/9 h + 175 °C/24 h). The evolution of the microstructure and properties of the alloy was explored under the coupling conditions of different pre-deformation degrees and multi-stage aging. The results show that, pre-deformation introduced a large number of (101¯2) tensile twinning and dislocations, which greatly promoted the probability of continuous precipitates (CPs) appearing. On the contrary, the discontinuous precipitates (DPs) were limited by the vertical and horizontal twin structure. As a result, the pre-nucleation method of two-stage aging increased the proportion of CPs by 34%-38%. Owing to the DPs was effectively suppressed, the alloy's yield strength has been greatly improved. Besides, under multi-stage aging, the twin boundaries induce protruding nucleation to form static recrystallization by hindering the migration of dislocations, and the matrix swallows the twins, then the texture gradually tilts from the two poles to the basal plane. As an important supplement, the grain refinement and oblique texture promoted the improvement of the yield strength of the component.

Effect of truncated cone billet on single-step back extrusion forming process of magnesium alloy wheel

Magnesium (Mg) alloy wheels formed by single-step back extrusion currently faced with the phenomenon of coarse grains at the spokes, insufficient recrystallization, and easy cracking at the upper rim, which seriously affects the service performance and yield of the wheel. Based on the actual production process conditions of Mg alloy wheels, this paper simplifies the numerical model of the wheel back extrusion and proposes a truncated cone billet for wheel back extrusion by analyzing the streamline in the current wheel forming process. Research indicates that during the forming process of the cylindrical billet, the upper edge material of the billet fills the rim, the lower edge material fills the lower rim, and the lower core material forms the wheel spokes. Compared with cylindrical billets, truncated cone billets can increase the effective strain, dynamic recrystallize volume fraction and refine grains at the spokes and the lower rim. Simultaneously, the truncated cone billets can improve the fluidity at the rim, making the rim filling easier and reducing the cracking tendency at the upper rim. The truncated cone billet is of great significance to the back extrusion forming of Mg alloy wheels.