| 1. |
- Stjernbrandt, Albin, et al.
(författare)
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Occupational cold exposure and symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome : a population-based study
- 2022
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Ingår i: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2474. ; 23:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Cold exposure is an underrecognized occupational hazard that may increase the risk of peripheral nerve entrapment. The aim of this study was to determine if self-reported occupational exposure to contact and ambient cooling was associated with symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).METHODS: In this mainly cross-sectional study, surveys were conducted on a population-based sample of men and women between 18 and 70 years of age, living in northern Sweden. Cold exposure and presence of symptoms suggestive of CTS were subjectively reported. Associations between exposure and outcome were evaluated using logistic regression.RESULTS: The study included 2,703 women and 2,314 men, with a median age of 60 years (interquartile range 19). Symptoms of CTS were reported by 453 (9.2%). Being highly occupationally exposed (almost always) to contact cooling of the hands was associated with reporting CTS (OR 3.20; 95% CI 1.62-6.33), as was ambient cooling (OR 2.00; 95% CI 1.03-3.88) and severe ambient cooling (OR 4.02 95% CI 2.09-7.71), after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, current daily smoking, diabetes mellitus, joint disease, and hand-arm vibration exposure. The point estimates increased with longer daily exposure duration. For workers exposed to severe ambient cooling for more than half of their working hours, in addition to performing heavy manual handling every day, the OR for reporting CTS was 7.25 (95% CI 3.88-13.53), with a positive additive interaction effect (expressed as relative excess risk due to interaction) of 4.67.CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported occupational exposure to contact and ambient cooling was associated with symptoms suggestive of CTS. There were statistically significant positive exposure-response patterns for time spent exposed to contact and ambient cooling at work in relation to reporting symptoms of CTS. Positive additive interaction effects between cold exposure and heavy manual handling were also found. Since there was important potential uncontrolled confounding regarding repetitive wrist movements and forceful gripping, the results need to be confirmed by other studies, preferably with longitudinal design and more detailed exposure assessment.
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| 2. |
- Stjernbrandt, Albin, et al.
(författare)
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Occupational cold exposure is associated with upper extremity pain
- 2023
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Pain Research. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2673-561X. ; 4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Occupational cold exposure is common in Sweden but potential impacts on musculoskeletal disorders have not been thoroughly investigated. The primary aim of this study was to determine the associations between occupational contact and ambient cooling in relation to pain in the upper extremity.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a digital survey was conducted on a population-based sample of women and men between 24 and 76 years of age, living in northern Sweden. Occupational cold exposure, heavy manual handling, work with vibrating tools as well as the presence of upper extremity pain at different sites were subjectively reported. Associations between exposure and outcome were evaluated using multiple binary logistic regression.Results: The final study sample included 2,089 (54.4%) women and 1,754 men, with a mean age of 56 years. Hand pain was reported by 196 (5.2%), lower arm pain by 144 (3.8%), and upper arm pain by 451 (11.9%). Severe ambient cooling for more than half of the working time was statistically significantly associated with hand pain (OR: 2.30; 95% CI: 1.23–4.29) and upper arm pain (OR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.00–2.47) but not lower arm pain (OR: 1.87; 95% CI: 0.96–3.65) after adjusting for gender, age, body mass index, current daily smoking, heavy manual handling, and work with vibrating tools.Conclusions: Occupational cold exposure was statistically significantly associated with hand pain and upper arm pain. Therefore, occupational cold exposure should be recognized as a potential risk factor for musculoskeletal disorders in the upper extremity.
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| 3. |
- Athanassiou, N., et al.
(författare)
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Simulation of thermal and mechanical performance of laser cladded disc brake rotors
- 2022
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the Institution of mechanical engineers. Part J, journal of engineering tribology. - London : SAGE Publications Ltd. - 1350-6501 .- 2041-305X. ; 236:1, s. 3-14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Disc brakes wear during braking events and release airborne particulates. These particle emissions are currently one of the highest contributors to non-exhaust particle emissions and introduce health hazards as well as environmental contamination. To reduce this problem, wear and corrosion-resistant disc coatings have been implemented on grey cast iron brake disc rotors by using various deposition techniques such as thermal spraying and overlay welding. High thermal gradients during braking introduce risks of flaking off and cracking of thermally sprayed coatings with adhesive bonding to the substrate. Overlay welding by laser cladding offers metallurgical bonding of the coating to the substrate and other benefits that motivate laser cladding as a candidate for the coating of the grey cast iron brake discs. This study aims to investigate the effect of laser cladding on the thermal and thermo-structural performance of the coated grey cast iron brake discs. Therefore, thermal and thermo-stress analysis with COMSOL Multiphysics 5.6 software is performed on braking events of grey cast iron brake discs as non-coated – reference and laser cladding coated with stainless steel welding consumables. The Results demonstrated that surface temperatures were more localised, overall higher in the laser cladded coating with over three times the stresses attained of reference grey cast iron discs. The output of the simulations has been compared by tests found in the literature. Laser cladding presented higher reliability and braking performance, nonetheless requiring the evaluation of its thermal impact on other system components.
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| 4. |
- da Silva, Marisa, et al.
(författare)
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Cohort profile : The Obesity and Disease Development Sweden (ODDS) study, a pooled cohort
- 2024
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Ingår i: BMJ Open. - 2044-6055. ; 14:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE: The Obesity and Disease Development Sweden (ODDS) study was designed to create a large cohort to study body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and changes in weight and WC, in relation to morbidity and mortality.PARTICIPANTS: ODDS includes 4 295 859 individuals, 2 165 048 men and 2 130 811 women, in Swedish cohorts and national registers with information on weight assessed once (2 555 098 individuals) or more (1 740 761 individuals), in total constituting 7 733 901 weight assessments at the age of 17-103 years in 1963-2020 (recalled weight as of 1911). Information on WC is available in 152 089 men and 212 658 women, out of whom 108 795 have repeated information on WC (in total 512 273 assessments). Information on morbidity and mortality was retrieved from national registers, with follow-up until the end of 2019-2021, varying between the registers.FINDINGS TO DATE: Among all weight assessments (of which 85% are objectively measured), the median year, age and BMI (IQR) is 1985 (1977-1994) in men and 2001 (1991-2010) in women, age 19 (18-40) years in men and 30 (26-36) years in women and BMI 22.9 (20.9-25.4) kg/m 2 in men and 23.2 (21.2-26.1) kg/m 2 in women. Normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m 2) is present in 67% of assessments in men and 64% in women and obesity (BMI≥30 kg/m 2) in 5% of assessments in men and 10% in women. The median (IQR) follow-up time from the first objectively measured or self-reported current weight assessment until emigration, death or end of follow-up is 31.4 (21.8-40.8) years in men and 19.6 (9.3-29.0) years in women. During follow-up, 283 244 men and 123 457 women died. FUTURE PLANS: The large sample size and long follow-up of the ODDS Study will provide robust results on anthropometric measures in relation to risk of common diseases and causes of deaths, and novel findings in subgroups and rarer outcomes.
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| 5. |
- Eklöf, Mats, et al.
(författare)
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Workplace intervention for improved risk perception and preventive activity among workers : using hand-held vibrating machines: a pilot study
- 2023
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This article presents a pilot study of a 1-h workplace educational intervention implemented among ten construction workers who were highly exposed to hand–arm vibration. The intervention combined risk communication and normative expert advice intended to reinforce preventive behaviour related to vibration, noise, and biomechanical loads. Data for this study comprised intervention notes and interview data from interventionists, and pre- and post-intervention interview data from participating workers.The results suggested that the intervention was sensitive to disturbances and should be directed only to motivated workers possessing sufficient self-efficacy, and only in circumstances in which exposure may be controlled on the local workplace level and by locally implemented measures. Unless these conditions are present, the studied intervention may fail to influence preventive behaviour, and may instead cause cognitive dissonance and frustration among participants and interventionists.
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| 6. |
- Fyhr, Pontus, et al.
(författare)
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An Experimental Study of Forced Vibration Influence on Disc Brake Drag Torque in Heavy Commercial Road Vehicles
- 2022
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Ingår i: Tribology in Industry. - : Faculty of Engineering, University of Kragujevac. - 0354-8996 .- 2217-7965. ; 44:1, s. 123-131
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Drag torque in a disc brake is the residual torque when the brake is not activated. This torque can adversely influence the total energy consumption, life of the brake components, and level of airborne wear particles from vehicles. Drag torque is of special interest for long haul trucking since it could have an effect of the total energy consumption. Drag torque performance of a disc brake is usually evaluated with conventional inertia dynamometers. Vibrations induced by the wheel can help to retract the pads from the disc and decrease the drag torque. It is hard to study this phenomenon with conventional inertia dynamometers since there is usually no system to induce a forced vibration on the brake. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to investigate the effect of vibrations on the drag torque for a commercial vehicle disc brake with a novel test setup. This is done by comparing test run with and without pads, forced vibrations, and pad retraction springs. The results indicate that the forced vibrations strongly affect the level of measured drag torque. In addition, the introduction of a retraction spring can reduce drag torque with more than 50% when vibrations are induced.
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| 7. |
- Hjelm, Rikard, et al.
(författare)
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A multi-perspective method for gear efficiency and contact analysis
- 2023
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Ingår i: Results in Engineering (RINENG). - : Elsevier BV. - 2590-1230. ; 20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Modern gearing applications, in particular electrification, impose new challenges in many different fields of engineering and research. In specific, new demands are imposed on gears, including higher rotational speed, lower noise acceptance, and increased efficiency, as well as increased resistance against pitting and scuffing. To meet these demands, a better understanding of gear contacts is needed. The Eurostars project Effigears proposes a novel multi-perspective methodology for assessment of gear efficiency and contact analysis. The methodology consists of using a novel surface treatment method, Triboconditioning (R), implemented in a streamfinishing process, surface measurements using a scattered light method, experimental testing using the standardized FZG test rig, and contact simulations using a novel thermal elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication tool. It is found, in preliminary tests, that enhanced gear performance may be enhanced due to Triboconditioning (R) surface treat-ment. Findings also include better understanding of how surface characteristics and lubricants affect scuffing and pitting, and the effect of load distribution on gearset behavior.
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| 8. |
- Hjelm, Rikard, et al.
(författare)
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Airborne Wear Particles from Dry Clutches
- 2022
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Ingår i: Atmosphere. - : MDPI AG. - 2073-4433. ; 13:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A significant part of non-exhaust particle emissions in cities comes from the wear of vehicle components. Several studies on airborne particles from the wear of disc brakes and tires have been completed. However, few publications can be found in the scientific literature regarding airborne emissions from dry clutches used in road vehicles. With this in mind, this preliminary study designs a clutch tribometer for the generation of airborne wear particles in a controlled environment. The number concentration and the size distribution of airborne wear particles generated from a typical dry clutch used in passenger cars are investigated. The tests are run at a constant rotational speed, and normal load. The results show that the particle number concentration from dry clutches exhibits a running-in period and a steady state, similar to the particle emissions from disc brake contact. A significant number of nanoparticles (aerodynamic diameter < 100 nm) are emitted from the dry clutch contact.
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| 9. |
- Hjelm, Rikard, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of manufacturing error tolerances on contact pressure in gears
- 2021
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science. - : SAGE Publications. - 0954-4062 .- 2041-2983. ; 235:20, s. 5173-5185
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Gear manufacturing always results in some degree of manufacturing errors, i.e. deviations from the desired gear geometry. These errors alter how the gears mesh, typically causing increased contact pressure which in turn shortens service life. It is therefore crucial to choose tolerances such that excessive contact pressure, and especially tip contact, is avoided. With increasing demands due to electrification, this becomes even more important. The aim of this paper is to study how pitch error and profile slope error affect the contact pressure in spur gears sets. The meshing is simulated using a novel simulation approach that uses a parametric description of the reference profile and gear geometry, and a hybrid model for the compliance. The method includes tooth modifications such as tip relief, and uses the true geometry to find contacts. Thus, it also handles contact outside the nominal line of action, including tip contact. The study includes cases where a gear is subjected to both pitch error and profile slope error simultaneously. Numerical examples, relevant to the automotive industry, show the outcome of the simulations. It is shown how simulation-based tolerances for relevant industrial applications can be used to improve manufacturing outcome.
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| 10. |
- Hjelm, Rikard, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of Manufacturing Error Tolerances on Thermal EHL Behavior of Gears
- 2022
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Ingår i: Lubricants. - : MDPI AG. - 2075-4442. ; 10:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Due to the electrification of vehicles, new demands are being imposed on gears, which translates to the tolerances of manufacturing errors. However, not many studies treat the impact of manufacturing error combinations on the lubricant behavior of gear sets. Therefore, a simulation method is developed, including its derivation, discretization, and implementation. The method solves the thermal elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication (TEHL) problem, taking into account the varying temperature, viscosity, density, and cavitation of the lubricant. To account for manufacturing errors, the load distribution from a loaded tooth contact analysis (LTCA), developed by the authors, is used as input to the TEHL method. Comparison is made with a standard load distribution assumption, and a numerical example is used to show some preliminary results. The results show good agreement with results from other studies. It is shown that there is a great effect of manufacturing errors on the TEHL behavior, such as temperature, due to the change in load distribution such errors impose. It can be concluded that manufacturing errors of different tolerances have a great impact and that they should therefore be taken into consideration when analyzing gear set behavior and constructing gear sets for new applications.
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