Abstract
Ballistic penetration of machine guards is a topic of great significance for ensuring safety and avoiding projection of objects out of the working space of machines. Although standardized tests are performed according to EU Directive 2006/42/EC, they have some limitations because they are carried out using a given penetrator that perpendicularly impacts a given surface of about 500 × 500 mm. Nevertheless, the withstanding capacity of those guards depends on a lot of different design parameters and physical quantities that have not been fully investigated. This paper is focused on the study of the influence of the machine guard size on the withstanding capacity to ballistic penetration throughout theoretical models and experimental tests based on an innovative method involving the use of 3D optical scanners for inspection. The experimental analyses described in this work, compared to theoretical results, demonstrate that a maximum plastic deformation area can be defined, independently of the plate size, given the same material, thickness, and penetrator. This result allows to set proper new ranges for standardized tests, overcoming the limitation of using specific sample sizes.
Highlights
The study and implementation of methodologies to evaluate and increase the safety of production systems is fundamental in the industrial field; risks and safety of workplaces must be analyzed in many industrial environments [1,2,3,4]
Machine guards play a fundamental role in protecting operators and other people standing nearby the working zone from ejection of harmful debris [5]
All the results were analyzed using the ballistic penetration theory based on the well-known Recht and Ipson (R&I) equation [27] which, so far, is the most reliable theoretical method for calculating the ballistic limit velocity of a panel given its thickness
Summary
The study and implementation of methodologies to evaluate and increase the safety of production systems is fundamental in the industrial field; risks and safety of workplaces must be analyzed in many industrial environments [1,2,3,4]. Machine guards play a fundamental role in protecting operators and other people standing nearby the working zone from ejection of harmful debris [5]. The methodologies and standards for the design and validation of machine guards are reported in ISO 14120-annex B [6]. According to this regulation, a machine guard is defined as a physical barrier, designed as part of the machine for the protection of operators. A machine guard is defined as a physical barrier, designed as part of the machine for the protection of operators These protections are divided into several types: fixed, movable, motorized, with total segregation, with automatic closing, etc. The use of polymeric materials is increasingly widespread due to their easy processability and transparency, which allows to observe the manufacturing area
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