fracture toughness of structural adhesives for the automotive industry

Abstract Adhesive bonding is currently employed by automotive manufacturers to complement (or replace) welding in joining dissimilar materials. In order to reduce the impact on the existing manufacturing infrastructures, structural adhesives are deployed in the body shop but hardening is accomplished in the paint cure oven. Various adhesive formulations have been specifically developed for the implementation in the automotive manufacturing chain. However, it is very important to assess the mechanical behaviour of the joints which results from the peculiar curing strategy. In the present work, automotive grade single component epoxy and two component epoxy modified acrylic adhesives were evaluated. T-joints were fabricated using a cold rolled galvanized steel (FeP04) employed in the production of car body parts. The fracture toughness of the joints was determined using the test protocol proposed by the European Structural Integrity Society (ESIS). Optical microscopy was employed to ascertain the mechanisms of failure. The results indicated that both adhesives were able to provide a fairly good mechanical response with minimum preparation of the mating substrates. Moreover, the obtained values of fracture toughness were shown to be essentially independent of the adhesive layer thickness

Outcome evaluation after Achilles tendon ruptures : A review of the literature

The optimal treatment and the best rehabilitation protocol after an acute Achilles tendon rupture (ATR) remain a matter of controversy in orthopaedic and sports medicine. The use of validated injury-specific outcome instruments is the only way to clarify these issues, in order to ensure that patients receive the best possible treatment. This article describes the most commonly reported outcome measures used to assess patients treated for ATR. On the basis of the available evidence, the Achilles tendon total Rupture score (ATRs) is the most appropriate outcome measure for evaluating the management of acute ATR

Gli amici plautini. Riflessioni sul tema dell'amicitia nelle commedie di Plauto

Il presente lavoro si pone l’obiettivo di analizzare il tema dell’amicizia antica nel particolare contesto delle commedie plautine, sul duplice versante dell’analisi letteraria e della ricerca antropologica, per verificare come le teorizzazioni filosofiche e le categorie che nella cultura romana sottendono alla definizione di amicitia trovino in esse una declinazione concreta

Continuous Flow Generation of Highly Reactive Lithium-Fluorocarbenoids: A Straighforward Approach for Unprecedented Nucleophilic Fluoroalkylations

Fluorinated molecules find applications in medicinal chemistry, advanced materials sciences, and agrochemistry. Due to the ability of fluorination to dramatically change the physicochemical properties of organic molecules, the installation of fluoroalkyl groups is becoming a routine strategy in drug discovery programs aimed at improving both the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of a drug candidate. Consequently, the introduction of new synthetic tactics to access molecules with fluoroalkyl moieties is highly demanded. In this context, our group recently developed new fluorination strategies exploiting fluorinated lithium carbenoids. Recently, we demonstrated the usefulness of flow microreactor technology in fluoroakylations reporting an external quenching method based on flow microreactors that allow the generation and use of short-lived fluoro-substituted methyllithium species, namely fluoromethyllithium, fluoroiodomethyllithium, and fluoroiodostannylmethyllithium. In this contribution, we further establish the potential of flow microreactor technology in fluoroalkylation chemistry reporting the generation and use of secondary Li/F fluoroalkyllithiums. A careful investigation of the stability and reactivity of these fleeting intermediates will be described

Erratum to: Evidence-based indications for hindfoot endoscopy

The author would like to correct the following errors in the online publication of the article: In the \u201cHindfoot periarticular area\u201d section, under the sub-heading \u201cPosterior ankle impingement\u201d, the seventh and eighth paragraph should read as: The AOFAS score was the most frequently used clinical outcome score; where used, cumulative results showed average post-operative score of 90.6 points [1, 2, 11, 22, 24, 27, 32, 42, 50, 56, 64, 68] and pre- to post-operative increase by an average of 24.0 points [1, 2, 24, 27, 32, 42, 50, 56, 64]. Six studies reported results of isolated os trigonum excision in 99 ankles [2, 18, 22, 24, 33, 46]: the pre- to postoperative increase in AOFAS was available for 22 patients and reached 33.7 points [2, 24], while pre- to post-operative VAS decrease was available for 62 patients and was >6 points [18, 24, 33]. In the \u201cArticular joint spaces\u201d section, under the subheading \u201cSubtalar joint articular space\u201d, the first paragraph should read as follows: Osteoarthritis Level of evidence IV and V Degenerative changes of the subtalar joint are reported in the literature as indications for hindfoot endoscopy in prone position, eitherby means of talocalcaneal arthrodesis [3-5, 10, 29, 30, 38,39, 57] or arthroscopic osteophyte resection and debridement [39, 42]. Seven retrospective case series adequately documented the clinical results of 73 procedures of posterior arthroscopic subtalar arthrodesis (PASTA) [3, 4, 10, 29, 30, 38, 57]. Over these studies, post-traumatic or primary osteoarthritis were the preoperative indications for PASTA in more than 90 % of the cases. In five cases, subtalar arthropathy was related to a tarsal coalition [3, 4]. Five of the seven series evaluated post-operative clinical outcome with the AOFAS score: the cumulative results showed average post-operative score by 80.3 points and pre- to postoperative increase by an average of 40.4 points [3, 4, 29, 38, 57] The original article has been updated accordingly

Improved visualization of the 70° arthroscope in the treatment of talar osteochondral defects

Osteochondral defects (OCDs) of the talus are a common cause of residual pain after ankle injuries. When conservative treatment fails, arthroscopic debridement combined with drilling/microfracturing of the lesion (bone marrow stimulation [BMS] procedures) has been shown to provide good to excellent outcomes. Not uncommonly, talar OCDs involve the borders of the talar dome. These uncontained lesions are sometimes difficult to visualize with the 30\ub0 arthroscope, with potential negative effect on the clinical outcome of an arthroscopic BMS procedure. The use of the 70\ub0 arthroscope has been described for a multitude of common knee, shoulder, elbow, and hip procedures. The purpose of this article is to show the usefulness of the 70\ub0 arthroscope in arthroscopic BMS procedures, pointing out which kinds of talar OCDs can benefit most from its use

Advantages of 70\ub0 arthroscope in management of ECRB tendinopathy

Lateral epicondylitis requires a challenging therapeutic management even for expert surgeons. With the failure of conservative treatment, the physician should consider a surgical choice. The purpose of the surgical procedure is to excise the degenerated tissue of extensor carpi radialis brevis tendon. This article describes the arthroscopic release, performed under direct visualization with a 70\ub0 scope; the aim is to encourage the use of this type of lens, versus the traditional 30\ub0 one. The patient is positioned in a modified lateral decubitus. After joint distension, a diagnostic arthroscopy of the posterior compartment is performed as first step. Then, an anterior compartment arthroscopic evaluation, a subsequent antero-lateral capsulectomy, and extensor carpi radialis brevis tendon exposition are performed with a 30\ub0 view. At this point, the 70\ub0 lens is switched and the tendon release is performed under direct control. The 70\ub0 lens allows a safer procedure, but requires a dedicated learning curve