Cervical spine ligaments have an important role in providing spinal cord stability and restricting excessive movements. Therefore, it is of great importance to study the mechanical properties and model the response of these ligaments. The aim of this study is to characterize the aging effects on the failure properties and model the damage of three cervical spine ligaments: the anterior and the posterior longitudinal ligament and the ligamentum flavum. A total of 46 samples of human cadaveric ligaments removed within 24-48 h after death have been tested. Uniaxial tension tests along the fiber direction were performed in physiological conditions. The results showed that aging decreased the failure properties of all three ligaments (failure load, failure elongation). Furthermore, the reported nonlinear response of cervical ligaments has been modeled with a combination of the previously reported hyperelastic and damage model. The model predicted a nonlinear response and damage region. The model fittings are in agreement with the experimental data and the quality of agreement is represented with the values of the coefficient of determination close to 1.
In-wheel motors offer a promising solution for novel drivetrain architectures of future electric vehicles that could penetrate into the automotive industry by transferring the drive directly inside the wheels. The available literature mainly deals with the optimization of electromagnetically active parts; however, the mechanical design of electromagnetically passive parts that indirectly influence motor performance also require detailed analysis and extensive validation. To meet the optimal performance of an in-wheel motor, the mechanical design requires optimization of housing elements, thermal management, mechanical tolerancing and hub bearing selection. All of the mentioned factors have an indirect influence on the electromagnetic performance of the IWM and sustainability; therefore, the following paper identifies the hub bearing as a critical component for the in-wheel motor application. Acting loads are reviewed and their effect on component deformation is studied via analytically and numerically determined stiffness as well as later validated by measurements on the component and assembly level to ensure deformation envelope and functionality within a wide range of operations.
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