Composite Hat Structure Design for Vehicle Safety: Potential Application to B-Pillar and Door Intrusion Beam

Regarding crashworthiness, many published works have focused on designing thinwalled structures for frontal collisions compared to side-impact collisions. This paper presents an experimental investigation and finite element modelling of a carbon-reinforced thin-walled tophat section subjected to quasi-static and dynamic transverse bending loads at different impact speeds. The top-hat sections and their closure assembly plates were made of MTM44 prepreg carbon. The specimens were manufactured by vacuum bagging. Dynamic work was performed to validate the results obtained from the finite element analysis (FEA). The predicted results are in good agreement with the experimental results. The study also showed that the peak load and energy absorption owing to dynamic loading were higher than those under static loading. In the four-point bend analysis, the stacking sequence affected the energy absorption capabilities by 15-30%. In addition, the distance between the indenters in the four-point analysis also affected the energy absorption by 10% for the same impact condition, where a larger distance promoted higher energy absorption. The study also demonstrated that a top-hat shaped thin-walled structure is suitable for deep intrusion beams in vehicle doors for side-impact crashworthiness applications. 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Acknowledgments: This study was financially supported by the Council for the At Risk Academy (CARA). The authors would like to acknowledge the University of Warwick and Warwick manufacturing group (WMG) and the staff for providing full support, equipment, and facilities to complete this research. In addition, we appreciate the Sika Power Company for providing the adhesives necessary for this investigation. The authors would also like to thank the Qatar National Research Fund for supporting this open-access publication fee.Scopu

An experimental validation of numerical model for top-hat tubular structure subjected to axial crush

Vehicle crashworthiness is an important aspect to consider when designing a vehicle to ensure the safety of the occupants. Besides this, vehicles are also designed to reduce weight for better fuel economics. One possible approach to reducing weight without compromising vehicle safety is by looking at new designs and usage of composite materials, along with the usage of computational models to reduce time and cost. Hence, this paper displays the experimental results of a carbon fiber reinforced closed top-hat section subjected to both quasi-static and dynamic crushing loading. The results were used to validate the computational model developed in the study. The specimens were made of carbon composite prepregs MTM-44 sheets stacked at the alternative orientation of ±45° and 0°/90°, where 0° direction coincides with the axis of the member. The samples were prepared by using a mold and carbon prepregs under vacuum bagging followed by curing in an autoclave. Trigger initiation was applied to ensure the specimens demonstrated a stable crushing mode of failure during the test. Experimental investigations were carried out under the ambient conditions with different loading conditions, and different kinetic energy ranges (2, 3 and 6 kJ). Experimental data was used to validate the finite element analysis (FEA). The maximum errors obtained between experimental and FEA for mean load, mean energy absorption, and crushing displacement were 13%, 13% and 7%, respectively. The numerically obtained results were in strong agreement with the experimental data and showed that they were able to predict the failure of the specimens. The work also showed the novelty of using such structures for energy absorption applications.Acknowledgments: This investigation was supported by the Council for at Risk Academy (CARA). The authors would like to acknowledge the university of Warwick and Warwick manufacturing group (WMG) and staff for providing full support, equipment and all facilities to complete this research. Also, great appreciation for the Sika Power company for providing an adhesive which is necessary for this investigation. The authors would also like to acknowledge Qatar National Research Fund for providing financial assistance to publish this paper as open access.Scopu

The Impact of the Human Resources Empowerment Strategy on Achieving Strategic Objectives in Commercial Banks in Jordan

Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the impact of the strategy of empowering human resources in achieving strategic goals in commercial banks in Jordan.   Theoretical Framework: The banks in Jordan are characterized by their diversity, there are three categories of commercial banks: the public sector, the private sector, and foreign banks.it makes it in constant competition, which requires empowering their human resources to achieve the strategic goals they seek.   Design/Methodology/Approach: The study collected (356) answers from employees of nine commercial banks in Jordan and conducted an regression analysis to conclude that empowering human resources has a role in achieving strategic goals, and percentages by adopting the weighted average calculation for the level of application of each. The studied variables.   Findings: The study reached there is an effect of the strategy of empowering human resources represented by participation in decision-making, freedom of responsibility, training and education in achieving strategic goals in the Jordanian trade banks, while there was no effect of the supporting culture strategy in achieving strategic goals in Jordanian commercial banks from the point of view of its employees. And The level of application of the strategy of empowering human resources with its dimensions of training, education, supportive culture, participation in decision-making, and freedom of responsibility is medium, and the level of application of strategic goals of innovation, productivity, and social responsibility is medium.   Research, Practical & Social Implications: The study determines how the application of human resources empowerment strategies in commercial banks can contribute to achieving strategic goals, and the study also identifies the level of following the human resources empowerment strategy, and the Level of implementation of strategic objectives in commercial banks in Jordan. Originality/value: The value of the study to clarify the importance of activating the strategy of empowering human resources as an important factor is necessary in developing strategic goals, especially in the era of knowledge econom

The Role of Corporate Governance Principles on Improving Market Performance

Purpose: The study aims to clarify the role of corporate governance principles on improving market performance at Jordanian industrial sector by measuring the governance principles through board of directors members size (BSIZE), number of independent members (BCOMP), existence of an audit committee (AUDCOM), and ratio of institutional ownership (InstitOwn) while the market performance represented in dependent variable has been measured through modern indicators in evaluating market performance; such as market value added (MVA), economic value added (EVA) and return on assets (ROA), which considered one of the traditional indicators in evaluating market performance.   Theoretical Framework: Due to the great role played by corporate governance on stabilizing financial markets, increasing the competitiveness of public shareholding companies by enhancing transparency, improving the financial performance of companies, and achieving a balance of interests between the company's management, shareholders, employees, creditors, and other related parties, which means reducing capital cost and the possibility of obtaining less expensive sources to finance company's future projects.   Design/Methodology/Approach: The study sample consisted of (70) industrial companies that formulate (79%) of study population, during the study period of year 2022   Findings: The study results showed a statistically significant relationship between the market value added ratio of institutional ownership and return on assets, and nonexistence of statistically significant relationship between the institutional ownership ratio and economic value added. On the other hand, study showed no statistically significant relationship between the financial performance of industrial companies’ measures and the independent factors of board of directors’ size, number of independent members, and the presence of auditing committee.   Research, Practical & Social Implications: The study relied on multiple regression analysis models to identify most important variables that govern companies’ performance

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Composite Hat Structure Design for Vehicle Safety: Potential Application to B-Pillar and Door Intrusion Beam

Regarding crashworthiness, many published works have focused on designing thin-walled structures for frontal collisions compared to side-impact collisions. This paper presents an experimental investigation and finite element modelling of a carbon-reinforced thin-walled top-hat section subjected to quasi-static and dynamic transverse bending loads at different impact speeds. The top-hat sections and their closure assembly plates were made of MTM44 prepreg carbon. The specimens were manufactured by vacuum bagging. Dynamic work was performed to validate the results obtained from the finite element analysis (FEA). The predicted results are in good agreement with the experimental results. The study also showed that the peak load and energy absorption owing to dynamic loading were higher than those under static loading. In the four-point bend analysis, the stacking sequence affected the energy absorption capabilities by 15–30%. In addition, the distance between the indenters in the four-point analysis also affected the energy absorption by 10% for the same impact condition, where a larger distance promoted higher energy absorption. The study also demonstrated that a top-hat shaped thin-walled structure is suitable for deep intrusion beams in vehicle doors for side-impact crashworthiness applications

Design a new energy absorber longitudinal member and compare with S-shaped design to enhance the energy absorption capability

A numerical investigation study of both direct and oblique crush loading was implemented. The study used ductile metallic alloy (mild steel A36) and magnesium alloy (AZ31). The study used hexagonal tube as longitudinal members. The current design consists of two parts, the inner tube which is the longitudinal and the outer is the supporting system which is the telescope. Aluminum foam incorporated to the design to enhance the crashworthiness performance. The design is subjected to impact speed of 54 km/h with the impact mass of 1100 kg using three different collision directions: direct, 40 per cent offset and oblique direction with 30 degrees.From the SEA results it can be concluded that the current design (made of steel) enhanced the specific energy absorption by 194% from the highest design used. While the current design made up of magnesium alloy increased the SEA by 255% from the best design which was foam filled s-shaped with square section. The decelerations of the current design for the three directions were at the low permit level which will put the compartment car at the low level of deformation during collision. Keywords: Energy absorption, Steel, Magnesium alloy, Direct impact, Oblique impac

Composite Hat Structure Design for Vehicle Safety: Potential Application to B-Pillar and Door Intrusion Beam

Regarding crashworthiness, many published works have focused on designing thin-walled structures for frontal collisions compared to side-impact collisions. This paper presents an experimental investigation and finite element modelling of a carbon-reinforced thin-walled top-hat section subjected to quasi-static and dynamic transverse bending loads at different impact speeds. The top-hat sections and their closure assembly plates were made of MTM44 prepreg carbon. The specimens were manufactured by vacuum bagging. Dynamic work was performed to validate the results obtained from the finite element analysis (FEA). The predicted results are in good agreement with the experimental results. The study also showed that the peak load and energy absorption owing to dynamic loading were higher than those under static loading. In the four-point bend analysis, the stacking sequence affected the energy absorption capabilities by 15–30%. In addition, the distance between the indenters in the four-point analysis also affected the energy absorption by 10% for the same impact condition, where a larger distance promoted higher energy absorption. The study also demonstrated that a top-hat shaped thin-walled structure is suitable for deep intrusion beams in vehicle doors for side-impact crashworthiness applications