Tire Explosion Research Articles

Accelerating the kinetics of curing reaction of SBR/BR blend by silicon carbide via modification of thermal diffusivity

In this work, the accelerating effect of nano-silicon carbide (SiC) as a high thermal conductive filler on the kinetics of curing reaction of styrene-butadiene rubber/butadiene rubber (SBR/BR) as a compound for tire tread was investigated. The oscillating disk rheometer (ODR) showed that the SiC filler reduced the scorch and optimum curing times by ∼10%. The SiC amount of 5 phr caused an unparalleled reduction of ∼50% in the time difference between the scorch and curing times. The calculated parameters of the autocatalytic kinetic model of Kamal–Sourour using ODR results indicated that SiC accelerated the curing reaction by ∼1.25 times. To find the main mechanism of action of SiC in the improvement of vulcanization kinetic of SBR/BR-SiC, thermal diffusivity of the compound was detected in the thermalization process using a special setup during the curing and also the dethermalization process after that. The results exhibited that the SiC particles led to enhanced heat transfer rate into the compound during the vulcanization by ∼30% and into the cured composite by ∼50%, particularly at 5 phr of SiC. Moreover, fitting the heat transfer equation on the dethermalization data showed that the amount of 5 phr SiC in the recipe enhanced the thermal diffusivity by ∼97%, which can prevent the tire explosion while deriving due to the increment of the air temperature within the tire. The SiC filler can save significant energy in the manufacturing process of the tire tread, which has been neglected so far.

The Hybrid Metro: The Brown Line of the Taipei Metro and Technological Hybridity

The Taipei City Government launched project of automated guideway transit system in the 1980s caused a conflict with the central government's metro project. This conflict drew the intervention of the US government, who invited American transportation consultants to integrate the two transit systems into one. The Brown Line became the only automated metro line of the Taipei Metro. Although the US government had hoped an American company would be the system provider for the Brown Line, Matra’s VAL256 won the contract. However, the VAL256 experienced fire and tire explosion accidents, leading to conflicts between Matra and the Taipei City Government. Matra withdrew all its technical supports to pressure Taipei to pay the down payment. Nonetheless, Taiwanese technical officials and engineers modified the system with flexible strategies making the Brown Line work smoothly without Matra’s technical support. Later, The Taiwanese technical officials invited Bombardier to provide its CITYFLO system and integrated it with the modified VAL256 into one system, avoiding paying a high price to Matra for the extension of the Brown Line. How the Brown Line became a hybrid metro system shows how technological hybridity can change the power relationship between technologically advanced countries such as France and “catching-up countries” such as Taiwan.

A different etiology of pneumothorax: Truck tire explosion!

A Pneumothorax (PNX) is the accumulation of air in the pleural space. PNX, which occurs due to the blast effect of an intense explosion, is a rare and important cause in etiology, as it is generally seen as spontaneous PNX. Blast injuries have become more common in the last century causing by terrorist attack events like bomb explosions and home-related or industrial accidents. While repairing or servicing a large tire, the explosion of the tire may result in high mortality and morbidity. In this case report, we present a 37-year-old male truck driver with barotraumatic PNX and rib fractures that developed due to a truck tire explosion.

Simulation-Based Methodology for Determining the Dynamic Strength of Tire Inflation Restraining Devices

The article suggests and supports a simulation-based methodology for determining whether the dynamic strength of tire inflation restraining devices for tire inflation meet quality requirements and ensure operator safety during a potential tire explosion. Dynamic strength tests using an NM-600 safety shield and NK-0728 safety cage during a 29.5 R25X tire explosion at a pressure of 10 bar were presented as an example application of this methodology. The shield was subjected to destructive tests involving the use of a 2200 kg impactor, dropping it so that the minimum kinetic energy reached 20 kJ at the time of impact. Analyzed devices were constructed of S355 steel in accordance with EN 10025. The Cowper–Symonds model of material for strain rate phenomena was used in the calculations. Simulations of a 20 kJ ring impact against the cage were performed. The equivalent stress distribution was determined, and displacement contour lines for the maximum dynamic deformation value and plastic deformation were calculated. The plastic displacement obtained in numerical tests was equal to the permanent deformation recorded in the experimental test. Further, the simulations showed that the examined cage met the assumed strength criteria. The conducted tests confirmed the usefulness of the proposed methodology for assessing the dynamic strength of safety cages and shields for tire inflation. The full-scale, physical cage testing is difficult to implement because it requires placing a ring impacting the cage wall. This is a major boundary for closed cages, as considered in this publication. Thus, simulation-based methods are becoming a principal tool for safety assessment of tire inflation restraining devices.

Upon the reconstruction of accidents triggered by tire explosion. Analytical model and case study

Accident Reconstruction is important in the general context of increasing road traffic safety. In the casuistry of traffic accidents, those caused by tire explosions are critical under the severity of consequences, because they are usually happening at high speeds. Consequently, the knowledge of the running speed of the vehicle involved at the time of the tire explosion is essential to elucidate the circumstances of the accident. The paper presents an analytical model for the kinematics of a vehicle which, after the explosion of one of its tires, begins to skid, overturns and rolls. The model consists of two concurent approaches built as applications of the momentum conservation and energy conservation principles, and allows determination of the initial speed of the vehicle involved, by running backwards the sequences of the road event. The authors also aimed to both validate the two distinct analytical approaches by calibrating the calculation algorithms on a case study

Application of temporal logic for safety supervisory control and model-based hazard monitoring

In this work, we extend a previously introduced framework for safety supervisory control with the ingredient of Temporal Logic (TL) to improve both accident prevention and dynamic risk assessment. We examine the synergies obtained from integrating model-based hazard modeling/monitoring with the verification of safety properties expressed in TL. This expanded framework leverages tools and ideas from Control Theory and Computer Science, and is meant to guide safety intervention both on-line and off-line, either during the design stages or during operation to support operator's situational awareness and decision-making in the face of emerging hazardous situations. We illustrate these capabilities and the insight that results from the integration of the proposed ingredients through a detailed case study. The study involves a runway overrun by a business jet, and it shows how hardware, software, and operators’ control actions and responses can be integrated within the proposed framework. The aircraft suffered from a faulty logic in the Full Authority Digital Engine Computer (FADEC), which prevented the pilot from activating the thrust reversers in a particular operational scenario. We examine the accident sequence against three system safety principles expressed in TL: the fail-safe principle, the defense-in-depth principle, and the observability-in-depth principle. The framework is implemented in Simulink and Stateflow, and is shown to provide important feedback for dynamic risk assessment and accident prevention. When applied on-line, it provides warning signs to support the sensemaking of emerging hazardous situations, and identifying adverse conditions that are closer to being released. When applied off-line, it provides diagnostic information regarding missing or inadequate safety features embedded in the system. For the specific case study, we propose a new TL safety constraint (based on speed measurements and the history of pressure sensors from the landing gears) to be incorporated in this and other aircraft FADEC, and that could have prevented the hazardous situation, in this case a rejected takeoff following tire explosion, from turning into a deadly accident. We conclude with some recommendations to prevent similar accident recurrences and to improve accident prevention.

TIRE PERFORMANCE AFTER EXPLOSIVE DECOMPRESSION

This article presents the results of experimental investigations of an explosive decompression of an Armoured Personnel Carrier's tire. Despite a large number of empirical studies related to tire blow-outs aimed at improving the safety of personnel doing repairs and maintenance of trucks, the experimental data concerning tire explosions during driving are very limited. The main reasons are: the lack of objective test criteria and practical problems with the execution of tests. It should be mentioned that, in the case of civilian vehicles, vehicle stability tests are performed during an explosion of the steering axle's tire. Such tests are mandatory for longdistance coaches that are certified to drive with the speed of 100 kph. Unfortunately, during the obligatory stability tests of civilian vehicles the data are not recorded and no database with results is created. As a result, such tests do not lead to a better understanding of the phenomena occurring during a tire explosion. The problem of vehicle performance during and after a tire explosion is critical for military vehicles, especially vehicles operating in high IED risk areas, like Afghanistan.

Left ventricle rupture in a truck driver caused by a tire explosion

A case of left ventricle rupture caused by tire explosion is reported because it seems to be unique in literature. A 37-year-old male truck driver was injured in the chest-upper-abdomen level of his body by an exploding tire; the event resulted in him losing consciousness at the scene. An echocardiogram performed 30 min later after arrival at the emergency room showed a small left ventricle, a dilated left atrium, mild mitral regurgitation, and a large amount of pericardial effusion. There was no evidence of heart rupture at this point. The patient became agitated and was put under the tranquilizer control. It was then arranged for him to receive computed tomography of the brain and abdominal ultrasound. During these evaluations, the patient began to have episodes of hypotension despite adequate volume resuscitation. Therefore, he was taken to the operating room, where sternotomy and cardiorrhaphy (without cardiopulmonary bypass) was performed. Direct suturing of the damage to the heart was carried out. The patient recovered uneventfully after the operation.

Wheelbarrow tire explosion causing trauma to the forearm and hand: a case report

IntroductionTire explosion injuries are rare, but they may result in a severe injury pattern. Case reports and statistics from injuries caused by exploded truck tires during servicing are established, but trauma from exploded small tires seems to be unknown.Case presentationA 47-year-old german man inflated a wheelbarrow tire. The tire exploded during inflation and caused an open, multiple forearm and hand injury.ConclusionEven small tires can cause severe injury patterns in the case of an explosion. High inflating pressures and low safety distances are the main factors responsible for this occurrence. Broad safety information and suitable filling devices are indispensable for preventing these occurrences.

Orbital complications following the use of bone substitutes in frontal sinus trauma

Objectives: To explore a serious orbital complication that may result from the use of bone substitutes in the management of frontal sinus fractures. We will also review recent trends in the management of complex frontal trauma and proposed mechanisms for failure. Methods: We describe 2 cases of delayed orbital mucocele following the use of bone substitutes for frontal sinus obliteration following trauma. Results: Patient 1 had comminuted frontal sinus fractures following a motor vehicle accident and was obliterated using hydroxyappetite. Patient 2 had a complex frontal fracture following a tire explosion and was repaired with methylmethacrylate. Both patients presented years later with marked proptosis, diplopia, and pain. Patient 1 also had reduced visual acuity. In both cases, imaging studies (CT and MRI) reveled a cystic mass within the orbital cone, while the frontal sinus contained bone substitute. Patient 1 was managed by mucocele excision via an upper lid blepharoplasty incision. Patient 2 was managed by cyst marsupialization through a combined transorbital/endoscopic ethmoidectomy approach. Although visual symptoms have improved markedly in both patients, each has suffered further recurrence of the cyst. Conclusion: The use of bone substitutes in frontal sinus fracture repair may have ophthalmologic sequellae that pose significant management dilemmas. The role of these materials in the management of complex frontal sinus fractures should be revisited, particularly as advances in endoscopic technique has inspired evolution in the indications for obliteration.

Bilateral orbital emphysema from compressed air injury

PURPOSE: To describe a patient who developed bilateral subconjunctival and orbital emphysema after an automobile tire explosion.METHOD: Case report.RESULTS: A 60-year-old man sustained bilateral ocular injury after a tire explosion. Ophthalmic examination disclosed bilateral subconjunctival air, with no visible conjunctival laceration. Computed tomography showed orbital emphysema, with no evidence of orbital fracture. Follow-up examination 2 weeks after the injury disclosed resolution of the subconjunctival air. Best-corrected visual acuity in the right eye was decreased after the explosion but improved to the baseline level of 20/40 2 weeks after the injury.CONCLUSION: Subconjunctival and orbital emphysema can occur from high-pressure air injury in the absence of an obvious entry site.