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In this paper, a propensity score-integrated power prior approach is developed to augment the control arm of a two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) with subjects from multiple external data sources such as real-world data (RWD) and historical clinical studies containing subject-level outcomes and covariates. The propensity scores for the subjects in the external data sources versus the subjects in the RCT are first estimated, and then subjects are placed in different strata based on their estimated propensity scores. Within each propensity score stratum, a power prior is formulated with the information contributed by the external data sources, and Bayesian inference on the treatment effect is obtained. The proposed approach is implemented under the two-stage study design framework utilizing the outcome-free principle to ensure the integrity of a study. An illustrative example is provided to demonstrate the implementation of the proposed approach.

In this work, the development of a hybrid lightweight automotive chassis control arm is demonstrated. It includes the development of a new simulation method for designing metal — LFT (long fiber-reinforced thermoplastics) rehybrid parts and the new hybrid forming method for its manufacture. Beginning with the original geometry of a series steel chassis control arm, the design was optimized for the hybrid forming process where a steel sheet part is reinforced by an LFT rib structure, and both parts are joined by an LFT layer. For this purpose, a new FE optimization process chain was established. The thickness of the sheet metal and LFT layers, the geometry and thickness of the ribs of the hybrid control arm could be determined to meet both mechanical and light weight requirements. Afterwards, a suitable tooling concept and process for the hybrid forming were developed and tested. The forming behavior of two different steel grades along with an LFT was demonstrated and analyzed with the help of 3D measurement techniques and relevant section cuts. Finally, a weight reduction of nearly 20 % compared to the original component was realized with the hybrid forming process.

Many forming failures such as tearing and wrinkling are encountered during sheet metal forming operations, and it is important for manufacturers to find a quick solution for these failures that hinder the production of a desired part. The theory of inventive problem-solving (TRIZ) is a problem-solving method that considers the patents issued in the past that have been useful in solving problems across a variety of industries. In this paper, TRIZ methodology was utilized to solve the tearing problem occurring during the forming of the lower control arm (automotive suspension part) without altering the desired shape and material of the part. For this purpose, a contradiction matrix was developed and the four different TRIZ principles of segmentation, taking out, the other way around, and parameter change were implemented in four different experiments. Of the conducted experiments, the experiment in which the TRIZ principles of segmentation, taking out, and parameter change were implemented together resolved the problem in a way that was acceptable and feasible for mass production of the lower control arm. WOS:000665698700001 2-s2.0-85116006399

In this study, we explored the feasibility of using real-world data (RWD) from a large clinical research network to simulate real-world clinical trials of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The target trial (i.e., NCT00478205) is a Phase III double-blind, parallel-group trial that compared the 23 mg donepezil sustained release with the 10 mg donepezil immediate release formulation in patients with moderate to severe AD. We followed the target trial’s study protocol to identify the study population, treatment regimen assignments, and outcome assessments, and to set up a number of different simulation scenarios and parameters. We considered two main scenarios: (1) a one-arm simulation: simulating a standard-of-care arm that can serve as an external control arm; and (2) a two-arm simulation: simulating both intervention and control arms with proper patient matching algorithms for comparative effectiveness analysis. In the two-arm simulation scenario, we used propensity score matching controlling for baseline characteristics to simulate the randomization process. In the two-arm simulation, higher SAE rates were observed in the simulated trials than the rates reported in original trial, and a higher SAE rate was observed in the 23mg arm than the 10 mg standard-of-care arm. In the one-arm simulation scenario, similar estimates of SAE rates were observed when proportional sampling was used to control demographic variables. In conclusion, trial simulation using RWD is feasible in this example of AD trial in terms of safety evaluation. Trial simulation using RWD could be a valuable tool for post-market comparative effectiveness studies and for informing future trials’ design. Nevertheless, such approach may be limited, for example, by the availability of RWD that matches the target trials of interest, and further investigations are warranted.

This paper introduces a method which conditions on the number of events that occur in the control group to determine rejection regions and power for comparative Poisson trials with multiple experimental treatment arms that are each compared to one control arm. This leads to the negative multinomial as the statistical distribution used for testing. For one experimental treatment and one control with curtailed sampling, this is equivalent to Gail’s (1974) approach. We provide formulas to calculate exact one-sided overall Type I error and pointwise power for tests of treatment superiority and inferiority (vs the control). Tables of trial design parameters for combinations of one-sided overall Type I error = 0.05, 0.01 and pointwise power = 0.90, 0.80 are provided. Curtailment approaches are presented to stop follow-up of experimental treatment arms or to stop the study entirely once the final outcomes for each arm are known.

Thermoplastic composites are preferred in automotive and aerospace applications due to their lightweight, high specific strength, shorter cycle times, high toughness and recyclability. In particular, short glass fiber reinforced polypropylene composites have been extensively used in automotive components as a lightweight substitute for metals. Major limitation of short glass fiber reinforced thermoplastics is low strength and stiffness. This limitation can be overcome by placing continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic inserts along the critical locations of the structural parts. In the present study, mechanical properties of continuous glass fiber/polypropylene composite inserts under longitudinal, transverse and shear load conditions were studied experimentally. These experimental results are used in the numerical simulation of a control arm. Control arm is one of the load-bearing components in the suspension system, which is normally made of steel. Numerical simulation of upper control arm made of short fiber polypropylene composite with continuous fiber inserts has been carried out using ANSYS APDL 12.0. Effectiveness of continuous fiber inserts on load-bearing capacity of control arm has been studied. Short fiber thermoplastic composites with continuous fiber inserts demonstrated superior performance compared with steel and short fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites.

In automotive suspension, a control arm is a hinged suspension link between the chassis and the suspension or hub that carries the wheel. The chassis end of a control arm usually rubber busing, is attached by a single pivot. It controls the position of the tyre end in only a single degree of freedom, maintaining the radial distance from the chassis mount. The single bushing does not control the arm from moving back and forth; this motion is constrained by a separate link or radius rod. Wishbones are triangular and have two widely spaced chassis bearings, which constrain the tyre end of the wishbone from moving back and forth, controlling two degrees of freedom, and without requiring additional links. Most control arms form the lower link of a suspension with few designs using them as the upper link, usually with a lower wishbone. The lower arm should be sturdy, in many cases reported by the users of a particular vehicle, fluttering noise heard over the humps. This paper calculates the forces acting on the lower arm of a four-wheeler with critical loading conditions as the Finite Element Analysis carried for the McPherson type suspension system. The static analysis performed to determine the location of maximum deflection and stress distribution while the vehicle is stationary and moving over the hump at different speeds. The free-free and constrained modal analysis performed on the suspension arm to find the natural frequency. The fatigue analysis performed to find the life of the arm. Further, by performing topological optimization leads to reduction in the weight.

This project was aimed at modelling the stress and deformation profile of a 6061-T6 aluminium suspension upright of a formula society of automotive engineers style vehicle with a double wishbone suspension under the loading conditions of a 1.5G corner. With these results, it would need to be determined whether the design is fit for use. Using remote displacement boundary conditions for the upper and lower wishbone connections and the control arm connection with a remote force at the centre of the wheel patch acting on the bearing surfaces the maximum stress, overall stress profile and maximum deformation of the upright was calculated. These results after, undertaking a verification and validation study, were a maximum equivalent von-Mises stress of 87.358MPa and a maximum bearing surface deflection of 0.21 mm. The maximum von-Mises stress calculated was less than the fatigue limit of 90MPa signalling infinite life and also less than the yield stress of 240MPa signalling a safe design. Verification and validation techniques were used to ensure the final result was accurate and reflected the real – life system. Structural error was used to verify the results where it was found that maximum structural error in the upright was 0.052mJ and at the location of maximum stress was between 0.0058-1.0782e-8 mJ. Validation of the model was achieved by comparing the reaction forces calculated in ANSYS to theoretical values and was found that the magnitudes were within 2.5% of the theoretical values, thus the model was considered valid.

The abnormal noises, such as clunking and popping, are usually generated when the car turns or drives over bumps. It could happen frequently when the free gap (clearance) values in the axial direction of the lower control arm ball joint are higher than normal values. The spherical surface of the ball stud is commonly assumed to have been corroded by foreign substances such as water, and the rough surface of the corroded ball stud accelerates the abrasion of the bearing contact portion to increase the free gap. Thus, the dust cap material and shape have been improved over time. However, there are still recurrences. The objective of this study was to evaluate two ball studs with different plating thicknesses and one uncoated sample from the reproducibility test simulating vehicle behavior conditions under environment test conditions. The findings of this study were as follows: First, the ball stud plating is advantageous in corrosion resistance, however, the thickness of the plating is uneven and the surface becomes rough with time, thereby accelerating the abrasion of the bearing contact portion. Second, as the surface of the ball stud wears, oscillating torque decreases and the axial free gap increases, which is more disadvantageous as the thickness of the ball stud sphere becomes thicker. Therefore, uncoated ball joint was defined as the best option.

In this paper, a propensity score-integrated composite likelihood (PSCL) approach is developed for cases in which the control arm of a two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) (treated vs control) is augmented with patients from real-world data (RWD) containing both clinical outcomes and covariates at the patient-level. RWD patients who were treated with the same therapy as the control arm of the RCT are considered for the augmentation. The PSCL approach first estimates the propensity score for every patient as the probability of the patient being in the RCT rather than the RWD, and then stratifies all patients into strata based on the estimated propensity scores. Within each propensity score stratum, a composite likelihood function is specified and utilized to down-weight the information contributed by the RWD source. Estimates of the stratum-specific parameters are obtained by maximizing the composite likelihood function. These stratum-specific estimates are then combined to obtain an overall population-level estimate of the parameter of interest. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated via a simulation study. A hypothetical two-arm RCT and a hypothetical RWD source are used to illustrate the implementation of the proposed approach.

The shape optimization of mechanical and automotive component plays a crucial role in the development of automotive technology. Presently, the use of derivative-free metaheuristics in combination with finite element analysis for mechanical component design is one of the most focused on topics due to its simplicity and effectiveness. In this research paper, the mine blast algorithm (MBA) is used to solve the problem of shape optimization for a vehicle door hinge to prove how the MBA can be used for solving shape optimization problems in designing electrical vehicles. The results show the advantage of the MBA for designing optimal components in the automotive industry.

Adding abiraterone acetate (AA) plus prednisolone (P) to standard of care (SOC) improves survival in newly diagnosed advanced prostate cancer (PC) patients starting hormone therapy. Our objective was to determine the value for money to the English National Health Service (NHS) of adding AAP to SOC. We used a decision analytic model to evaluate cost-effectiveness of providing AAP in the English NHS. Between 2011–2014, the STAMPEDE trial recruited 1917 men with high-risk localised, locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic PC starting first-line androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), and they were randomised to receive SOC plus AAP, or SOC alone. Lifetime costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were estimated using STAMPEDE trial data supplemented with literature data where necessary, adjusting for baseline patient and disease characteristics. British National Formulary (BNF) prices (£98/day) were applied for AAP. Costs and outcomes were discounted at 3.5%/year. AAP was not cost-effective. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was £149,748/QALY gained in the non-metastatic (M0) subgroup, with 2.4% probability of being cost-effective at NICE’s £30,000/QALY threshold; and the metastatic (M1) subgroup had an ICER of £47,503/QALY gained, with 12.0% probability of being cost-effective. Scenario analysis suggested AAP could be cost-effective in M1 patients if priced below £62/day, or below £28/day in the M0 subgroup. AAP could dominate SOC in the M0 subgroup with price below £11/day. AAP is effective for non-metastatic and metastatic disease but is not cost-effective when using the BNF price. AAP currently only has UK approval for use in a subset of M1 patients. The actual price currently paid by the English NHS for abiraterone acetate is unknown. Broadening AAP’s indication and having a daily cost below the thresholds described above is recommended, given AAP improves survival in both subgroups and its cost-saving potential in M0 subgroup.

The superior parietal lobule (SPL) integrates somatosensory, motor, and visual signals to dynamically control arm movements. During reaching, visual and gaze signals are used to guide the hand to the desired target location, while proprioceptive signals allow to correct arm trajectory, and keep the limb in the final position at the end of the movement. Three SPL areas are particularly involved in this process: V6A, PEc, PE. Here, we evaluated the influence of eye and arm position upon single neuron activity of these areas during the holding period at the end of arm reaching movements, when the arm is motionless and gaze and hand positions are aligned. Two male macaques (Macaca fascicularis) performed a foveal reaching task while single unit activity was recorded from areas V6A, PEc, and PE. We found that at the end of reaching movements the neurons of all these areas were modulated by both eye position and static position of the arm. V6A and PEc showed a prevalent combination of gaze and proprioceptive input, while PE seemed to encode these signals more independently. Our results demonstrate that all these SPL areas combine gaze and proprioceptive input to provide an accurate monitoring of arm movements.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThis study shows that the SPL areas V6A, PEc and PE combine eye and static arm positions signals to build an estimate of the limb posture at the end of a reaching movement. The degree of integration of gaze and proprioceptive information changes from a joint processing of these signals in the caudal-most areas V6A and PEc (Brodmann area 7), to a more independent encoding in PE (Brodmann area 5). Our results support the existence of a functional trend in the SPL, with the anterior part dealing mainly with limb representation based on proprioception and the posterior one linking gaze and arm position signals for encoding reaching.

The ball hinge is a key component of the vehicle chassis that connects the steering knuckle and the control arm. The study analyzed the multiple failure behaviors of the chassis ball hinge. Firstly, according to the macroscopic failure characteristics of the ball hinge, the fault tree analysis method was adopted to identify the possible cause of the failure. Then, the axial load and radial load on the ball joint were obtained by simulating the force of the vehicle under the typical extreme conditions. The stress distribution of the ball pin was obtained by finite element analysis of the ball joint. The calculation results are consistent with the fatigue crack position of the ball hinge. Finally, the macro morphology and microstructure of the ball joint seat, ball bowl, dust cover and other parts matched with the ball hinge were analyzed to further verify the failure mode of the ball hinge. The results showed that the dust cover of the ball hinge was firstly aged and cracked, and the external dust and particles enter into the friction contact area of the ball hinge, which caused the ball pin and ball bowl to be stuck. During the operating of the vehicle, the ball pin undergoes unidirectional bending fatigue fracture in the stress concentration area at the root of the conical surface.

The paper deals with buckling and strength analysis of suspension system rods made of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminate. The whole suspension system of urban solar vehicle, Eagle Two, designed by Lodz University of Technology students was considered. The calculations and analysis focused on suspension rods, where the traditional metal material was replaced with CFRP laminate. The influence of layer arrangement on rod strength, static, and dynamic buckling were analysed. The research was conducted using numerical simulations employing finite element method software. The static and dynamic load was considered. The obtained results show that the plies’ order in the laminate influences both the strength and stiffness of the considered rod. The best results considering both failure force and longitudinal elasticity modulus were obtained for the stacking sequences with axially oriented (0°) plies on the outside of the rod.

This paper presents the structural vibration and acoustic radiation of a multibody vehicle system in interior and exterior under cleat impact excitations. The entire structure model, which consists of a hyper-elastic tire, a 17-inch lightweight wheel, a rotatable hub, a high-strength knuckle, a control arm and a spring-damper suspension, is a quarter vehicle to simulate transient response when passing through a cleat. The normal acceleration of a vibrating structure surface is applied as an acoustic noise source. A structural-acoustic coupling is employed to consider the interactive effects of the coupled system. The influence of the structure-borne noise can be confirmed by the frequency-correlation analysis between vibration acceleration and acoustic pressure. A sound pressure level (SPL) for near-field radiation is calculated by the finite element method (FEM). In addition, acoustic characteristics such as sound intensity in the passenger cabin are calculated through the boundary element method (BEM). The cleat impact experiment in a hemi-anechoic chamber is presented and validated in detail.

In this paper, the author has attempted to investigate the effects of different loading conditions including axial and multiaxial variable amplitude loading (VAL) on the fatigue life assessment of automotive components under various maneuvers. To this end, a case study was conducted on the cast iron steering knuckle of a passenger car. In fact, the various VAL histories are entered on the three joints of knuckle, namely steering linkage, lower control arm, and MacPherson strut. However, previous studies have shown that this high super-critical component fails through the steering linkage. Moreover, the rotation of the steering linkage is the most destructive load. Hence, in this research, different loading cases such as axial (destructive load as means 1 channel), multiaxial (only relates to loading on the joint of knuckle and steering linkage means 3 channels), and full multiaxial (including all loading time histories means 9 channels) were considered. Afterward, finite element analysis was performed for each case, and fatigue life of the component was predicted under different conditions. Next, fatigue life of the component was evaluated using the time histories of stress tensor in the root of steering linkage which is extracted by transient dynamic analysis and applying probabilistic approach based on the Liu–Zenner equivalent stress criterion. Eventually, the responses from both techniques were compared in different cases. The results reveal that life predicted using two methods are slightly different. But, the results of probabilistic approach are more accurate than the results of FEM in comparison with experimental data for the axial state. Also, one of the major achievements of this study is that for the components with complex geometry and under multi-input loading like the steering knuckle, it is essential to perform fatigue analysis by considering all real conditions and cannot be only focused to the destructive loading.

Torsional bar is used in driver seat for off road vehicle is important for driver comfort. Generally, Torsional bar is designed to absorb both shock and impact load. The proposed work is a special kind of torsion bar for absorbing vibration on the driver seat. A stepped bar with control arm used a mechanism and that bar could be made by two different stiffness to absorb loads transmitted to driver seat. We have analyses the shearing stress distribution, deflection, stiffness and dimensions for proposed stepped bar by using ANSYS and compared the results with numerical result.

Purpose: We discuss designs and interpretable metrics of bias and statistical efficiency of “externally controlled” trials (ECT) and compare ECT performance to randomized and single-arm designs. Experimental Design: We specify an ECT design that leverages information from real-world data (RWD) and prior clinical trials to reduce bias associated with interstudy variations of the enrolled populations. We then used a collection of clinical studies in glioblastoma (GBM) and RWD from patients treated with the current standard of care to evaluate ECTs. Validation is based on a “leave one out” scheme, with iterative selection of a single-arm from one of the studies, for which we estimate treatment effects using the remaining studies as external control. This produces interpretable and robust estimates on ECT bias and type I errors. Results: We developed a model-free approach to evaluate ECTs based on collections of clinical trials and RWD. For GBM, we verified that inflated false positive error rates of standard single-arm trials can be considerably reduced (up to 30%) by using external control data. Conclusions: The use of ECT designs in GBM, with adjustments for the clinical profiles of the enrolled patients, should be preferred to single-arm studies with fixed efficacy thresholds extracted from published results on the current standard of care.

When a researcher desires to test several treatment arms against a control arm, a two-stage adaptive design can be more efficient than a single-stage design where patients are equally allocated to all treatment arms and the control. We see this type of approach in clinical trials as a seamless Phase II – Phase III design. These designs require more statistical support and are less straightforward to plan and analyze than a standard single-stage design. To diminish the barriers associated with a Bayesian two-stage drop-the-losers design, we built a user-friendly point-and-click graphical user interface with R Shiny to aid researchers in planning such designs by allowing them to easily obtain trial operating characteristics, estimate statistical power and sample size, and optimize patient allocation in each stage to maximize power. We assume that endpoints are distributed normally with unknown but common variance between treatments. We recommend this software as an easy way to engage statisticians and researchers in two-stage designs as well as to actively investigate the power of two-stage designs relative to more traditional approaches. The software is freely available at https://github.com/stefangraw/Allocation-Power-Optimizer.

During the forming process, the flow characteristics of materials are crucial for obtaining qualified precise products. In the forging process of long-axis forgings with rib-web sections, the material in the section would be split and extruded to both sides. It could be easy to cause incomplete forming or excessive flash scrap by using the traditional center-coincidence rule to design billet. In present work, the material flow law and its influencing factors during forging the rib-web section were analyzed aiming to develop a better billet design method for obtaining high material utilization ratio and avoiding multiple trials and errors of finite element numerical simulation. Based on the stress analysis of material flow by slab method, a calculation model of splitting-flow was established to determine the location of the splitting line in each forming step. Furthermore, the material volume distribution model in the whole forming process was established through the step-by-step accumulation of the splitting-flow material volume. By iteratively changing the billet position and calculating the volume distribution, the center positions of the billet sections can be optimized to ensure that both sides of the section are simultaneously filled, which results in high material utilization ratio up to 98%. The effectiveness of the new billet design method was verified by forming a knuckle control arm. Keywords: Precision forming, Material flow, Billet design, Slab method, Modeling

Solar cars have been the up-and-rising trend. This technology represents the ideal solution for different challenges which have been a concern for different industries, leads to the contrast between contemporary mobility substitutes and the constant seek of sustainability. Given the multilayered nature grasped by this innovation, the fulfillment of an effective structure requests the improvement of each part of the vehicle, including its mechanics, which is the essence of this project. With their exceptional ability to play a critical role in the vehicle’s stability, the suspension system of the solar car, in particular the control arms, is comprehensively scrutinized throughout this project. The objective of this study is o design upper and lower control arms for a solar car using Quality Function Deployment and SolidWorks. Control arms are considered an essential part of a suspension system since it is the link between the chassis and the wheel hub. It also keeps the wheel in contact with the surface at all times and provides the vehicle with the mobility to adapt to uneven surfaces. Therefore, using engineering problem-solving methods, control arms were designed, analyzed, and optimized. However, throughout this report, the process undertaken to achieve those results will be the main point of focus and will be explained thoroughly. The factor of safety (FOS) for the optimum design was 3.4, showing the feasibility of the selected tools such as Quality Function Deployment (QFD) for the chosen engineering problem to determine the optimum solution.

Suspension linkages are one of the fundamental structural elements in each vehicle since they connect the wheel carriers i.e. axles to the body of the vehicle. Moreover, the characteristics of suspension linkages within a suspension system can directly affect driving safety, comfort and economics. Beyond these, all these design criteria are bounded to the package space of the vehicle. In last decades, suspension linkages have been focused on in terms of design development and cost reduction. In this study, a control arm of a diesel public bus was taken into account in order to get the most cost-effective design while improving the strength within specified boundary conditions. Due to the change of the supplier, the control arm of a rigid axle was redesigned to find an economical and more durable solution. The new design was analyzed first by the finite element analysis software Ansys and the finite element model of the control arm was validated by physical tensile tests. The outputs of the study demonstrate that the new design geometry reduces the maximum Von Mises stress 15% while being within the elastic region of the material in use and having found an economical solution in terms of supplier’s criteria.

The following paper describes research on vehicle suspension elements: the ball joints. The worn surface roughness of selected ball pins and their bearings was compared in terms of vehicle mileage, utilization period, and car model. Ball pin roughness was measured using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), whereas for the bearing surface, a profilometer was used. The aim of this study was to determine the resistive torque in an unloaded ball joint. Using the finite element method, models of the unloaded ball joint were analyzed in two scenarios: with and without interference between the worn ball and its bearing. Calculated values of resistive torques in the ball joint were compared, and recommendations were given relative to the mileage and the time after which it was necessary to perform verification or replacement of the ball joints.

Lightweight design is one of the important ways to reduce automobile fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. At the same time, the fatigue life of automobile parts also greatly affects vehicle safety. This paper proposes a multi-objective reliability optimization method by integrating Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) with the NSGA-II algorithm coupled with entropy weighted grey relational analysis (GRA) for lightweight design of the lower control arm of automobile Macpherson suspension. The dynamic load histories of the control arm were extracted through dynamic simulations of a rigid-flexible coupling vehicle model on virtual proving ground. Then, the nominal stress method was used to predict its fatigue life. Six design variables were defined to describe the geometric dimension of the control arm, while mass and fatigue life were taken as optimization objectives. The multi-objective optimization design of the control arm was carried out based on the Kriging surrogate model and NSGA-II algorithm. Aiming at the uncertainty of design variables, the reliability constraint was added to the multi-objective optimization to improve the reliability of the fatigue life of the control arm. The optimal design of the control arm was determined from Pareto solutions by entropy weighted grey relational analysis (GRA). The optimization results show that the mass of the control arm was reduced by 4.1% and the fatigue life was increased by 215.8% while its reliability increased by 7.8%. The proposed multi-objective reliability optimization method proved to be feasible and effective for lightweight design of a suspension control arm.