Average Impact Velocity Research Articles

Biomechanical Evaluation of Motorcycle Helmets: Protection against Head and Brain Injuries

Motorcycle accident victims worldwide account for more than 340,000 fatalities annually, with the Unites States ranking 8th highest in number of motorcycle accident deaths, largely due to non-mandatory motorcycle helmet requirements for adults in a number of States. Seventy-five percent of all fatal motorcycle accidents involve head and brain injury, with rotational forces acting on the brain the primary cause of mortality. Current motorcycle helmets are reasonably effective at reducing head injuries associated with blunt impact. However, the mechanism of traumatic brain injury is biomechanically very different from that associated with focal head injury. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of current motorcycle helmets at reducing the risk of traumatic brain injuries.Ten motorcycle helmet designs, including full-face, three-quarter and half-helmets were evaluated at an average impact velocity of 8.3 ms-1 (18.5 mph) using a validated test apparatus outfitted with a crash test dummy head and neck. Sensors at the center of mass of the headform enabled high-speed data acquisition of linear and angular head kinematics associated with impact.Results indicate that none of the standard helmet models tested provides adequate protection against concussion and severe traumatic brain injuries at moderate impact speeds. Only one of the standard motorcycle helmet models tested provided adequate protection against skull fracture.A new motorcycle helmet prototype, incorporating a liner constructed from a composite matrix of rate-dependent materials was tested, with comparison to standard motorcycle helmet designs, with very promising results. Knowledge learned from this study will facilitate the development of a new generation of advanced motorcycle helmets that offer improved protection against both head and brain injuries.

Slurry Erosion and Corrosion Behavior of Some Engineering Polymers Applied by Low-Pressure Flame Spray

The erosive wear and corrosion resistance of three types of flame spray-deposited polymer coatings was analyzed. The erosive wear test was performed in slurry pot tester with rotational movement using distilled water and mix quartz particles (300 g/l). Two impact angles of the particles were used, reaching 4.15 m/s average impact velocity. Corrosion resistance of the polymer coatings and degradation behavior were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in a solution of 0.5 M sodium chloride at room temperature for a total immersion time of 1 year. The interpretation of the results was made according to the Bode plot. It is proven a better slurry erosion wear performance for PEEK and PA12 coatings when the particles impact at 90° angle. For impact angle of 30°, there is no significant difference in the erosion performance of PEEK, PEI, and PA12 coatings. No major changes occurred in the impedance module for PA12 and PEEK samples, indicating that these coatings can protect the steel substrate for extended periods of time. The lower PEI performance is believed to be related to the improper choice of spraying parameters, as the spray conditions were kept constant for the three feedstock materials.

Reducing bend erosion with a twisted tape insert

Due to the ongoing problem related to erosion caused by the impingement of solid particles in many engineering fields, parts such elbows, for instance, are particularly prone to erosion issues. In this work, the insertion of a twisted tape at different positions upstream of a bend is investigated numerically with the intent of reducing the elbow erosion. To ensure the reliability of the numerical calculations, experimental data were used to validate the CFD model for the standard elbow. Subsequently, simulations considering one, two and four-way coupling were evaluated for both the standard and the twisted tape-equipped elbows. Simulations were run to evaluate the average particle impact angle, impact frequency and impact velocity and the penetration ratio for each geometry. It was found that the swirling motion imparted to the particles by the twisted tape reduces the maximum penetration ratio in the bend. Another important finding is that the farther the insert is placed upstream of the elbow, the lower the erosion in the elbow, although the tape itself becomes more prone to erosion. In general, it was noticed that the fluid-particle and particle-particle interactions are very important and cannot be neglected. Consequently, depending on the mass loading and geometry configuration, elbow erosion can be dramatically reduced.

Ballistic impact response of laminated hybrid materials made of 5086-H32 aluminum alloy, epoxy and Kevlar® fabrics impregnated with shear thickening fluid

The ballistic impact behavior of hybrid composite laminates synthesized for armor protection was investigated. The hybrid materials, which consist of layers of aluminum 5086-H32 alloy, Kevlar® 49 fibers impregnated with shear thickening fluid (STF) and epoxy resin were produced in different configurations using hand lay-up technique. The hybrid materials were impacted by projectiles (ammunitions of 150g power-point) fired from a rifle Remington 7600 caliber 270 Winchester to strike the target at an average impact velocity and impact energy of 871m/s and 3687J, respectively. The roles of the various components of the hybrid materials in resisting projectile penetration were evaluated in order to determine their effects on the overall ballistic performance of the hybrid laminates. The effects of hybrid material configuration on energy dissipation during ballistic impacts were investigated in order to determine a configuration with high performance for application as protective armor. The energy dissipation capability of the hybrid composite targets was compared with the initial impact energy of low caliber weapons (according to NATO standards) in order to determinate the protection level achieved by the developed hybrid laminates. Deformation analysis and penetration behavior of the targets were studied in different stages; the initial (on target front faces), intermediate (cross-section), and final stages (target rear layers). The influence of target thickness on the ballistic impact response of the laminates were analyzed. Differences in ballistic behavior were observed for samples containing Kevlar® impregnated with STF and those containing no STF. Finally, mechanisms of failure were investigated using scanning electron microscopic examination of the perforations.

The dynamic response characteristics of traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) continues to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Research has been undertaken in order to better understand the characteristics of the injury event and measure the risk of injury to develop more effective environmental, technological, and clinical management strategies. This research used methods that have limited applications to predicting human responses. This limits the current understanding of the mechanisms of TBI in humans. As a result, the purpose of this research was to examine the characteristics of impact and dynamic response that leads to a high risk of sustaining a TBI in a human population. Twenty TBI events collected from hospital reports and eyewitness accounts were reconstructed in the laboratory using a combination of computational mechanics models and Hybrid III anthropometric dummy systems. All cases were falls, with an average impact velocity of approximately 4.0m/s onto hard impact surfaces. The results of the methodology were consistent with current TBI research, describing TBI to occur in the range of 335–445g linear accelerations and 23.7–51.2krad/s2 angular accelerations. More significantly, this research demonstrated that lower responses in the antero-posterior direction can cause TBI, with lateral impact responses requiring larger magnitudes for the same types of brain lesions. This suggests an increased likelihood of sustaining TBI for impacts to the front or back of the head, a result that has implications affecting current understanding of the mechanisms of TBI and associated threshold parameters.

Kinematic analysis of video-captured falls experienced by older adults in long-term care

Falls cause 95% of hip and wrist fractures and 60% of head injuries in older adults. Risk for such injuries depends in part on velocity at contact, and the time available during the fall to generate protective responses. However, we have no information on the impact velocities and durations of falls in older adults. We addressed this barrier through kinematic analysis of 25 real-life falls (experienced by 23 individuals of mean age 80 years (SD=9.8)) captured on video in two long-term facilities.All 25 falls involved impact to the pelvis, 12 involved head impact, and 21 involved hand impact. We determined time-varying positions by digitizing each video, using direct linear transformations calibrated for each fall, and impact velocities through differentiation.The vertical impact velocity averaged 2.14m/s (SD=0.63) for the pelvis, 2.91m/s (SD=0.86) for the head, and 2.87m/s (SD=1.60) for the hand. These values are 38%, 28%, and 4% lower, respectively, than predictions from an inverted pendulum model. Furthermore, the average pelvis impact velocity was 16% lower than values reported previously for young individuals in laboratory falling experiments. The average fall duration was 1271ms (SD=648) from the initiation of imbalance to pelvis impact, and 583ms (SD=255) from the start of descent to pelvis impact.These first measures of the kinematics of falls in older adults can inform the design and testing of fall injury prevention interventions (e.g., hip protectors, helmets, and flooring).

Moon, Mars, Mercury: Basin formation ages and implications for the maximum surface age and the migration of gaseous planets

Basin formation ages for Moon, Mars and Mercury are determined by cratering statistics, compared and evaluated with respect to their maximum surface ages and available isotope ages, and two possible Solar System evolution models. Both Mars and Mercury appear to have undergone significant resurfacing, so that at least the first 200–400 million years are not recorded on their surfaces. Basin frequency and crater frequencies below 150 km indicate that the Moon has the oldest surface, Mercury has an intermediate age, and Mars has the youngest preserved terrain. An offset between the basin size-frequency distribution, the smaller crater size-frequency distribution and the main belt asteroid size-frequency distribution is observed in all three cases, suggesting an age difference of about 150 Ma between basin and smaller crater distribution-based ages. I interpreted this in terms of lack of understanding of the basin formation process, and suggest that one possible explanation for the apparently under-representative basin frequency could be a different (lower) average impact velocity compatible with the ‘Nice’ flux model. The basin formation pattern derived with the standard monotonically decaying or the sawtooth-like Nice-model flux does not reveal a coherent picture according to the late heavy bombardment idea. This is here attributed to an incomplete understanding of the cratering rate ratios between the planetary bodies considered here. Because of the Moon's unique formation history, I also suggest that it is questionable whether the Moon is a suitable analogue for the formation, evolution and cratering record of the other terrestrial bodies.

Effect of Particle Morphology and Size Distribution on Cold-Sprayed Pure Titanium Coatings

The effects of commercially pure titanium particle morphology (spherical, sponge, and irregular) and size distributions (mean particle sizes of 20-49 μm) on the cold spray process and resulting coating properties were investigated. Numerous powder and coating characterizations were performed including: powder oxygen and nitrogen contents, powder flowability, powder compressibility, coating microhardness, coating porosity, LOM/SEM analyses, and XRD. Compared to spherical powders, the sponge and irregular CP-Ti powders had higher oxygen content, poorer powder flowability, higher compression ratio, lower powder packing factor, and higher average particle impact velocities. XRD results showed no new phases present when comparing the various feedstock powders to corresponding coatings. A higher particle temperature was also obtained with larger particle size for all feedstock powder morphologies processed with the same set of spray parameters. A spherical powder with 29 μm mean particle size was found to have the lowest porosity coating and best cold sprayability. The relationships of several as-cold sprayed coating characteristics to the ratio of particle impact and critical velocities were also discussed.

Erosive wear of plasma electrolytic oxidation layers on aluminium alloy 6061

Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) is a process that converts the surface of light metals and alloys into a ceramic layer. In aluminium alloys, layers produced by PEO are mainly composed of oxides and other compounds which are harder, therefore, more suitable for tribological applications than the underlying base metal. The aim of this work was to study the erosive wear of PEO layers of different thicknesses and to compare it with the bare aluminium alloy 6061 base metal. PEO was conducted to produce layers 100, 125 and 150μm thick that were characterised by SEM, XRD, microhardness and stylus profiling prior to testing. Multiple impact angle (20° to 90°) erosion tests were performed in a sandblast type machine that simulates the sand blowing process to produce sand cores for castings. The erodent material was resin-bonded silica sand, jetted by compressed air at 0.69 and 1.38bar producing average particle impact velocities of 6 and 10m/s, respectively. In most cases, PEO layers wore less than the bare aluminium alloy. For the 6m/s impact velocity, the 150μm layer experienced quantitatively lower wear rates than the 125μm and the 100μm. On the contrary, for the 10m/s impact velocity the 150μm layer showed higher wear than the 125μm and the 100μm. Optical, scanning electron and confocal white light microscopy were used to elucidate the erosive wear mechanisms taking place; which are discussed in this paper.

Development of a laser displacement probe to measure particle impact velocities in vibrationally fluidized granular flows

Abstract A new laser displacement probe was developed to measure the impact velocities of particles within vibrationally fluidized beds. Key features of the displacement signals were interpreted using an analysis of the motion of a vibrating particle contacting the vibrating sensor window. The sensor output was also used to measure bulk flow velocity along the probe window and to provide a measure of the media packing. The probe was demonstrated in a tub vibratory finisher containing either steel or porcelain spheres. Sample measurements were made at several fixed locations in the vibratory tub, in three orthogonal directions. The displacement signals from the laser sensors were analyzed to obtain the probability distribution functions of the impact velocity of the particles. The impact velocity was affected by the orientation of the laser probe relative to the bulk flow velocity, and the density and elastic properties of the granular media. The average impact velocity of the porcelain balls was greater than that of the steel balls. The impact velocities of the particles were largely independent of their bulk flow speed and packing density. The present laser sensor impact velocity measurements are compared with those obtained in a previous study using an impact force sensor.

Surface impact analysis in shot peening process

The quality of the ultrasonic shot peening treatment, which consists of projecting spherical beads onto a workpiece using a sonotrode vibrating at 20kHz, is strongly dependent on the impact features. This motion of the beads obviously depends on their quantity, the excitation source, and the materials comprising the chamber. The average depth of impact marks on a copper tube, shot peened in different configurations, was measured by confocal microscopy. The impact depths differed along the circumference of the tube and depended upon whether the chamber was lined with steel or a polymeric material. Finite element simulations of normal impact give a linear relationship between plastic depth and incident velocity. In addition, simulations of the whole shot peening process were performed using a discrete element method to access the velocity of the shot-piece impacts. Our results show that the average impact velocities obtained numerically are strongly correlated with average impact depths, thereby validating the numerical simulation for this shot peening configuration.

Grinding in an air classifier mill — Part II: Characterisation of the two-phase flow

Based on the insights about the air flow within the air classifier mill presented in the first part of the paper [1] the particle laden flow in the vicinity of the grinding pins and through the impeller wheel classifier is studied. The particle motion in the size range between 29 and 573 μm is investigated using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The mathematical model for the fluid flow is extended to a fully coupled two-phase flow numerical calculation. The particle motion in the grinding zone is not influenced by the peripheral velocity of the impeller wheel classifier. The grinding disk velocity doesn't affect the particle behaviour at the classification region. The impact velocity at the grinding pins is independent from the particle size. The average impact velocity normal to the pin wall amounts for the cylindrical pin geometry to 68% and for the prismatic pin geometry to 80% of the peripheral grinding disk velocity. The particles entering the classifier region move with the air velocity in radial direction while their transport in sucking direction slows down in comparison to the air motion. Because of the flow separation between the classifier blades the majority of the particles undergo impacts at the blades and consequently undesired stochastic particle motion of the rebounding particles occurs.

Planet formation: is it good or bad to have a stellar companion?

Planet formation in binary star systems is a complex issue due to the gravitational perturbations of the companion star. One of the crucial steps of the core-accretion model is planetesimal accretion into large protoplanets which finally coalesce into planets. In a planetesimal swarm surrounding the primary star, the average mutual impact velocity determines if larger bodies form or if the population is grinded down to dust, halting the planet formation process. This velocity is strongly influenced by the companion gravitational pull and by gas drag. The combined effect of these two forces may act in favour of or against planet formation, setting a lower or equal probability of the existence of extrasolar planets around single or binary stars. Planetesimal accretion in binaries has been studied so far with two different approaches. N -body codes based on the assumption that the disk is axisymmetric are very cost-effective since they allow the study of the mutual relative velocity with limited CPU usage. A large amount of planetesimal trajectories can be computed making it possible to outline the regions around the star where planet formation is possible. The main limitation of the N -body codes is the axisymmetric assumption. The companion perturbations affect not only the planetesimal orbits, but also the gaseous disk, by forcing spiral density waves. In addition, the overall shape of the disk changes from circular to elliptic. Hybrid codes have been recently developed which solve the equations for the disk with a hydrodynamical grid code and use the computed gas density and velocity vector to calculate an accurate value of the gas drag force on the planetesimals. These codes are more complex and may compute the trajectories of only a limited number of planetesimals.

Planet formation in highly inclined binaries

We explore planet formation in binary systems around the central star where the protoplanetary disk plane is highly inclined with respect to the companion star orbit. This might be the most frequent scenario for binary separations larger than 40 AU, according to Hale (1994). We focus on planetesimal accretion and compute average impact velocities in the habitable region and up to 6 AU from the primary.

Current bombardment of the Earth–Moon system: Emphasis on cratering asymmetries

We calculate the current spatial distribution of projectile delivery to the Earth and Moon using numerical orbital dynamics simulations of candidate impactors drawn from a debiased Near-Earth Object (NEO) model. We examine the latitude distribution of impactor sites and find that for both the Earth and Moon there is a small deficiency of time-averaged impact rates at the poles. The ratio between deliveries within 30° of the pole to that of a 30° band centered on the equator is small for Earth (<5%) ( 0.958 ± 0.001 ) and somewhat greater for the Moon (∼10%) ( 0.903 ± 0.005 ). The terrestrial arrival results are examined to determine the degree of AM/PM asymmetry to compare with the PM excess shown in meteorite fall times. We find that the average lunar impact velocity is 20 km/s, which has ramifications in converting observed crater densities to impactor size distributions. We determine that current crater production on the leading hemisphere of the Moon is 1.28 ± 0.01 that of the trailing when considering the ratio of craters within 30° of the apex to those within 30° of the antapex and that there is virtually no nearside–farside asymmetry, in agreement with observations of rayed craters. As expected, the degree of leading–trailing asymmetry increases when the Moon's orbital distance is decreased.

Impact penetration of Europa's ice crust as a mechanism for formation of chaos terrain

Abstract— Ice thickness estimates and impactor dynamics indicate that some impacts must breach Europa's ice crust; and outcomes of impact experiments using ice‐over‐water targets range from simple craters to chaos‐like destroyed zones, depending on impact energy and ice competence. First‐order impacts‐into thick ice or at low impact energy‐produce craters. Second‐order impacts punch through the ice, making holes that resemble raft‐free chaos areas. Third‐order impacts‐into thinnest ice or at highest energy‐produce large irregular raft‐filled zones similar to platy chaos. Other evidence for an impact origin for chaos areas comes from the size‐frequency distribution of chaos+craters on Europa, which matches the impact production functions of Ganymede and Callisto; and from small craters around the large chaos area Thera Macula, which decrease in average size and density per unit area as a function of distance from Thera's center. There are no tiny chaos areas and no craters &gt;50 km diameter. This suggests that small impactors never penetrate, whereas large ones (ÜberPenetrators: &gt;2.5 km diameter at average impact velocity) always do. Existence of both craters and chaos areas in the size range 2–40 km diameter points to spatial/temporal variation in crust thickness. But in this size range, craters are progressively outnumbered by chaos areas at larger diameters, suggesting that probability of penetration increases with increasing scale of impact. If chaos areas do represent impact sites, then Europa's surface is older than previously thought. The recalculated resurfacing age is 480 (‐302/+960) Ma: greater than prior estimates, but still very young by solar system standards.

Finite Element Analysis of Spinal Cord Injury in the Rat

A three-dimensional (3D) finite element model (FEM) that simulates the Impactor weight-drop experimental model of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) was developed. The model consists of the rat spinal cord, with distinct element sets for the gray and white matter, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the dura mater, a rigid rat spinal column, and a rigid impactor. Loading conditions were taken from the average impact velocities determined from previous parallel weight-drop experiments employing a 2.5-mm-diameter, 10-g rod dropped from either 12.5 or 25 mm. The mechanical properties were calibrated by comparing the predicted displacement of the spinal cord at the impact site to that measured experimentally. Parametric studies were performed to determine the sensitivity of the model to the relevant material properties, loading conditions, and essential boundary conditions, and it was determined that the shear modulus had the greatest influence on spinal cord displacement. Additional simulations were performed where gray and white matter were prescribed different material properties. These simulations generated similar drop trajectories to the homogeneous model, but the stress and strain distributions better matched patterns of acute albumin extravasation across the blood-spinal cord barrier following weight-drop SCI, as judged by a logit analysis. A final simulation was performed where the impact site was shifted laterally by 0.35 mm. The off-center impact had little effect on the rod trajectory, but caused marked shifts in the location of stress and strain contours. Different combinations of parameter values could reproduce the impactor trajectory, which suggests that another experimental measure of the tissue response is required for validation. The FEM can be a valuable tool for understanding the injury biomechanics associated with experimental SCI to identify areas for improvement in animal models and future research to identify thresholds for injury.

Oxidation and erosion-oxidation behavior of steels

The high temperature oxidation and erosion-oxidation (E-O) behavior of steels AISI 1020, 304, 310, and 410 were determined. These steels were selected to evaluate the effect of chromium content on its E-O resistance. The oxidation behavior was determined in a thermogravimetric analyzer. A test rig in which a specimen assembly was rotated through a fluidized bed of erodent particles was used to determine the E-O behavior. Alumina powder (200 µm) was used as the erodent. The E-O tests were carried out in the temperature range 25-600 °C, with average particle impact velocities of 3.5 and 15 ms-1 and impact angle of 90°. The oxidation resistance of the steels increased with chromium content. The E-O behavior of the steels was determined as wastage. The E-O wastage of the steels exposed to particle impact at low velocity was low but increased with temperature above 300 °C. The E-O wastage of the different steels exposed to particle impact at high velocity was quite similar. The wastage increased with increase in temperature above 500 °C. The increases in E-O wastage of the steels observed at temperatures above 300, 400 or 500 °C, depending on the steel, were due mainly to a transition in the dominant wastage process, from 'erosion' to 'erosion-oxidation'.

Simulation of hip fracture in sideways fall using a 3D finite element model of pelvis–femur–soft tissue complex with simplified representation of whole body

Hip fractures due to sideways falls are a worldwide health problem, especially among the elderly population. The objective of this study was to simulate a real life sideways fall leading to hip fracture. To achieve this a computed tomography (CT) scan based three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model of the pelvis–femur complex was developed using a wide range of mechanical properties in the bone of the complex. For impact absorption through large deformation, surrounding soft tissue was also included in the FE model from CT scan data. To incorporate the inertia effect, the whole body was represented by a spring-mass-dashpot system. For trochanteric soft tissue thickness of 14 mm, body weight of 77.47 kg and average hip impact velocity of 3.17 m/s, this detailed FE model could approximately simulate a sideways fall configuration and examine femoral fracture situation. At the contact surface, the peak impact load was 8331 N. In spite of the presence of 14 mm thick trochanteric soft tissue, within the trochanteric zone the most compressive peak principal strain was 3.5% which exceeds ultimate compressive strain. The modeled trochanteric fracture was consistent with clinical findings and with the findings of previous studies. Further, this detailed FE model may be used to find the effect of trochanteric soft tissue thickness variations on peak impact force, peak strain in sideways fall, and to simulate automobile side impact and backward fall situations.

Impact velocity measurement of media in a vibratory finisher

The surface-normal impact velocity distributions, impact frequencies and impact power per unit area were measured using a force sensor in a vibratory finisher for two types of spherical media. These parameters control the degree, rate and character of plastic deformation and erosion of a workpiece surface in vibratory finishing. The force sensor was also used to quantify the effect of media type, finisher amplitude, and location within the finisher on the probability distribution of the particle impact velocity normal to the workpiece. It was found that reducing the total media mass in the finisher and moving closer to the wall resulted in a more aggressive process; i.e. the contact frequency, total energy flux and the average and maximum effective impact velocities were all increased with less total media mass. It was also found that contacts occur periodically within time periods that correspond to the finisher's driving frequency.