Browsing by Author "Hazael, Rachael"
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Item Open Access Are low-yield explosive ordnance disposal methods viable?(IMCSE, 2022-10-01) Alford, Roland; Hazael, Rachael; Critchley, RichardIn 2021 reports began to appear online regarding a new underwater UXO clearance tech that produced a “low-yield” result. It claimed that the technology used did not cause deflagration (burning) but resulted in the munitions breaking up and scattering, causing the explosives to dissipate. The system used was referred to by the brand name Hydra-Jet.[1] Review of available material shows that at Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm, currently being constructed 27km off the Scottish coast in the North Sea [2], three sea mines were attacked using the Hydra-Jet and all three interventions either caused a detonation or a partial detonation. It is unlikely that this technology is 100% reliability and appears to show no improvement over proven low-order techniques such as shaped charges that use low-density reactive liners.[3] It is thought likely that the disruptive effect is produced by overpressure from the charge, placed at close range to the target causing high pressures that are designed to result in physical break-up of the munition rather than any more complex mechanism. The pressure readings taken of the events show that they strongly indicate that at least some of the explosives detonated. The published pressure measurements, indicating that there had been at least partial detonations, were reported to have presented a risk of harm to wildlife (harbour porpoise within approximately 4km) despite the results not having breached the operator’s licence thresholds.[4,5] The latest data from trials conducted by the national Physical Laboratories and Loughborough University might offer guidance for more stringent but achievable thresholds for future work.[6]Item Open Access Assessing the pressure losses during hydrogen transport in the current natural gas infrastructure using numerical modelling(Elsevier, 2023-06-08) Thawani, Bonny; Hazael, Rachael; Critchley, RichardThe UK government aims to transition its modern natural gas infrastructure towards Hydrogen by 2035. Since hydrogen is a much lighter gas than methane, it is important to understand the change in parameters when transporting it. While most modern work in this topic looks at the transport of hydrogen-methane mixtures, this work focuses on pure hydrogen transport. The aim of this paper is to highlight the change in gas distribution parameters when natural gas is replaced by hydrogen in the existing infrastructure. This study uses analytical models and computational models to compare the flow of hydrogen and methane in a pipe based on pressure loss. The Darcy-Weisbach and Colebrook-White equations were used for the analytical models, and the k- ε model was used for the computational approach. The variables considered in the comparison were the pipe material (X52 Steel and MDPE) and pipe diameters (0.01m–1m). It was observed that hydrogen had to be transported 250–270% the velocity of methane to replicate flow for a fixed length of pipe. Furthermore, it was noted that MDPE pipes has 2–31% lower pressure losses compared to X52 steel for all diameters when transporting hydrogen at a high velocity. Lastly, it was noted that the analytical model and computational model were in agreement with 1–5% error in their findings.Item Open Access An assessment of a non-destructive magneto-optical imaging technique for the recovery of laser engraved marks from steel plates and firearm components(Elsevier, 2023-10-22) Henwood, Bailey; Helliker, Aimée; Hazael, Rachael; Hewins, KatherineThe International Tracing Instrument (ITI) is a document adopted by United Nations Member States in 2005, which outlines challenges faced in the tracing of illicit weapons and offers suggestions to increase the success of tracing operations. A key provision of the ITI states that serial numbers must be recoverable if obliterated. This research, therefore, investigates two methods of recovering laser engraved marks on steel, due to the increase in firearms manufacturing relying on lasers to apply critical markings. This work uses 20 steel plates (CR4 grade), 6 AK-pattern rifle top covers, and a steel pistol slide to investigate the potential for visualising laser engraved marks. All samples had marks applied using a BWM-30F Fibre laser marking machine, in addition to any original manufacture’s stamped marks on the pistol. All marks were removed using a grinding belt (plates) and a Dremel® rotary tool (slide and top covers) to average depths of 1200 µm (stamped) and 240 µm (laser engraved). Recovery of the marks was attempted using two techniques to compare the two techniques in their ability to recover laser engraved marks; Regula Forensics® Eddy Current Recovery kit, followed by traditional Fry’s reagent. Both recovery techniques recovered 100 % (n = 6) of the stamped characters on the pistol slide, and 0 % (n = 509) of the laser engraved characters on the pistol, top covers and steel plates. Recommendations are made for forensic firearms examiners to avoid attempting the recovery of laser engraved marks using Fry’s reagent to preserve the integrity of evidence. It is also suggested that manufacturers avoid laser engraving unique identifying marks on firearms, and to use more permanent methods, such as stamping, to remain compliant with politically binding documents such as the ITI.Item Open Access Bacterial survival following shock compression in the GigaPascal range(Elsevier, 2017-09-01) Hazael, Rachael; Fitzmaurice, Brianna C.; Foglia, F.; Appleby-Thomas, Gareth J.; McMillan, P. F.The possibility that life can exist within previously unconsidered habitats is causing us to expand our understanding of potential planetary biospheres. Significant populations of living organisms have been identified at depths extending up to several km below the Earth's surface; whereas laboratory experiments have shown that microbial species can survive following exposure to GigaPascal (GPa) pressures. Understanding the degree to which simple organisms such as microbes survive such extreme pressurization under static compression conditions is being actively investigated. The survival of bacteria under dynamic shock compression is also of interest. Such studies are being partly driven to test the hypothesis of potential transport of biological organisms between planetary systems. Shock compression is also of interest for the potential modification and sterilization of foodstuffs and agricultural products. Here we report the survival of Shewanella oneidensis bacteria exposed to dynamic (shock) compression. The samples examined included: (a) a "wild type" (WT) strain and (b) a "pressure adapted" (PA) population obtained by culturing survivors from static compression experiments to 750 MPa. Following exposure to peak shock pressures of 1.5 and 2.5 GPa the proportion of survivors was established as the number of colony forming units (CFU) present after recovery to ambient conditions. The data were compared with previous results in which the same bacterial samples were exposed to static pressurization to the same pressures, for 15 minutes each. The results indicate that shock compression leads to survival of a significantly greater proportion of both WT and PA organisms. The significantly shorter duration of the pressure pulse during the shock experiments (2-3 μs) likely contributes to the increased survival of the microbial species. One reason for this can involve the crossover from deformable to rigid solid-like mechanical relaxational behavior that occurs for bacterial cell walls on the order of seconds in the time dependent strain rate.Item Open Access Ballistic impact of hollow-point ammunition on porcine bone(Wiley, 2023-05-06) Watson, Kayla E.; Henwood, Bailey; Hewins, Kate; Roberts, Andrew; Hazael, RachaelIdentifying failure mechanisms in skeletal tissue allows a deeper understanding of the effects of specific projectile impacts on bone. While ballistic trauma in flat bones is largely researched, knowledge of how long bones react to gunshot impacts is limited in the literature. The impacts of deforming ammunition appear to produce higher levels of fragmentation; however, these have not been studied in depth. This study compares the damage to femora bone by HP 0.357 and 9 mm projectiles constructed with both full and semi-metal jackets. Impact experiments were undertaken on a single-stage light gas gun involving the use of a high-speed video camera and full reconstruction of the bones to ascertain fracture patterns occurring in the femora. Higher degrees of fragmentation are likened to the presence of semi-jacketed HP projectiles than jacketed HP projectiles. The observations of external facing beveled edges are believed to be associated with the increased separation of the jacket and lead core of projectiles. Additionally, experimentation has shown that the amount of kinetic energy lost postimpact is likely related to the presence or the absence of a metal jacket on an HP projectile. The observed data, therefore, suggest that the composition, rather than the configuration, of a projectile affects the type and extent of the damage.Item Open Access Blast mitigation using polymeric 3D printed auxetic lattice structures - a preliminary study(SAGE, 2021-10-18) Critchley, Richard; Hazael, Rachael; Bhatti, Kamran; Wood, David; Peare, Alan; Johnson, Stephen; Temple, Tracey J.Protection of critical infrastructure in an urban environment is a challenging task, specifically against the vehicle bourne improvised explosive device threat. To design infrastructure to withstand this evolving threat, novel solutions and advanced materials need to be developed. One such material of interest are auxetics. This study experimentally analysed the mitigation of blast response of auxetic re-entrant honeycomb structures, with geometries varying between −ve 30° and +ve 30° using additive manufacturing (3D printing) techniques and non-explosive loading via shock tube. Re-entrant auxetic structures (−ve 15°) exhibited repeatable blast mitigation of 23% and reduced the transmitted pressure and impulse of the blast wave. Further highlighting their potential application as a protective measure to enhance a structures blast survivability.Item Open Access A comparison of far-field explosive loads by a selection of current and emerging blast software(Sage, 2024-04-29) Chester, Alastair; Critchley, Richard; Hazael, RachaelIn blast resistant design, simulation data may be used to generate the explosive loads that would be witnessed by the detonation of a high explosive device. There are many software packages available to simulate explosions, and this study aims to provide a comparison of a selection of them, including some recently available, with the aim of forming an understanding of the potential accuracies and speed of these in far-field explosive prediction. Software selection criteria were formed by a literature survey to highlight the commonly commercially used programmes. Each software package was used to predict the far-field effects of overpressure and specific impulse from two explosive charges against a reflective target. The data generated by these simulations were then critically compared and reviewed, both with respect to each other and, for the 100 kg charge size, with respect to experimental data. It shows that for the simulated scenarios, after domain and cell size fidelity studies have been performed, the choice of software may lead to a variance in prediction in the peak overpressure of up to 50%, specific impulse of up to 15%, and simulation run times by a factor of 600.Item Open Access Design of multi-layered protection against guided mortar threats through numerical modeling(Elsevier, 2023-01-28) Thawani, Bonny; Lim, Seng Kiat; Brown, Laura; Critchley, Richard; Hazael, RachaelThe trade – off between protection and weight is a constant consideration when designing a portable protective solution. Greater mobility is a desirable attribute and protection must therefore adapt, prompting a demand for lightweight, simple to construct, low-cost and effective ballistic protection systems. High strength and ductility, wave spreading capability and good energy absorption are key properties for ballistic protection. Four materials, polycarbonate, Kevlar®-epoxy, polyurethane foam, and aluminium alloy, possess these properties and were selected for analysis by numerical simulation. Multi-layered configurations were proven to be an optimal solution, by exploiting the advantages of each material without having large penalties of mass and cost. Numerical modelling using ANSYS AUTODYN® is used to simulate monolithic and multi-layered target configurations, to obtain the penetration mitigation performance. The results are analysed to select configurations based on different requirements, such as lowest cost, lowest mass, best performance, and optimal configuration which balanced the three key parameters mentioned. The optimal configuration of Aluminium, Kevlar-Epoxy, Polyurethane, and Polycarbonate has layers with thickness of 7, 3, 38, 2 mm respectively with a total mass of 7.97 kg, total cost of $39.86 and penetration of 29.34% (14.67 mm). Polynomial relationships between performance and mass/cost are also determined.Item Open Access The effects of quasi-one-dimensional shock on Escherichia coli while controlling pressure and temperature(Elsevier, 2020-11-28) Fitzmaurice, Brianna C.; Appleby-Thomas, Gareth J.; Painter, Jonathan; Wood, David C.; Hazael, RachaelThe response of microorganisms to high pressures is of growing interest in the literature, regarding areas of research including the sterilisation of foodstuffs, panspermia and, more generally, the study of extremophiles. When examining organisms under shock pressure, there are a number of caveats that need to be considered, including temperature and the nature of the shock wave front. Both of these caveats have been explored in this study through the application of the plate impact technique to create quasi-one-dimensional shock waves with controlled shock fronts through bacterial targets. This was achieved using typical planar flyer plates to study the dynamic pressure response of the bacterium, Escherichia coli NCTC 10538. Additionally, in order to create an adiabatic, off-Hugoniot loading path, a novel graded areal density flyer produced by the Surfi-Sculpt® approach was used to assess the effects of lowering temperature during shock on E. coli growth rates. The maximum temperature generated by a Surfi-Sculpt® flyer impact was 5 K less than that produced by the planar flyer analogue. Higher growth rates of bacterial colonies post-impact by the Surfi-Sculpt® flyer compared to those by the planar flyer were observed, with this behaviour determined to be a possible function of the nature, although temperature was also decreased with the use of this adiabatic ramp loading technique. In an effort to purposefully increase pressure and temperature for the E. coli samples, a modified form of a previously developed bacterial encapsulation system was also employed in this study, allowing pressures of up to 10 GPa and growth rates of up to 0.09% to be reached.Item Open Access Evaluation of soft tissue simulant performance against economic and environmental impact(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2024-02-22) Read, James; McNaught, Ken; Hazael, Rachael; Critchley, RichardSoft tissue simulants are traditionally used to provide a post impact medium suitable for replicating human anatomy. Performance of materials is therefore paramount, and the analysis of such experimentation relies on responses that mimic the various tissue, bone and muscle groups contained within the human body. However, with an increasing global push to reduce carbon emissions and increase sustainability, current materials require examination to ensure research establishments remain at the forefront of environmentally friendly practices. To date, the literature contains little in relation to how environmentally friendly the use and supply of soft tissue simulants is. The aim of the research is to provide researchers with primary data to support decisions on material selection for ballistic simulation research. The need arises due to the high cost and environmental impact of existing materials. To explore this research gap, a series of 5.5 mm ball bearings were fired from a gas gun at velocity ranges between 122 and 526 m s−1 to examine the performance characteristics of six commercially available soft tissue simulants and a foodstuffs grade gelatine that represented a more cost effective environmentally friendly alternative. A structured multi-criteria decision analysis approach was employed to compare the overall effectiveness of the alternative materials. It was found that whilst PermaGel, 20 and 10% ballistic gelatine performed the most advantageously respectively during experimental testing, qualitative environmental assessment showed ballistic soap, PermaGel and foodstuffs gelatine to be most advantageous. The information provided within this study will enable researchers to make more informed decisions on both economic and environmental implications when sourcing materials for use within survivability assessment, whilst further work would increase awareness and viability of alternative materials.Item Open Access Fragmentation studies by non-explosive cylinder expansion technique(Elsevier, 2020-09-04) Rao, Prakash; Painter, Jonathan; Appleby-Thomas, Gareth J.; Critchley, Richard; Wood, David; Roberts, Andrew; Hazael, RachaelExpansion and fragmentation of metallic cylinders is an important area of study both for designing munitions and mitigation techniques against fragments as well as in the failure of pressurised pipes in industry. Most of the reported studies on fragmentation have been carried out by detonating explosively filled metallic cylinders. However, this approach has inherent limitations in terms of both safety and repeatability – not least due to packing issues with explosive fills. Fragmentation studies on hollow metallic cylinders of both mild and stainless steel of various thicknesses (2–4 mm) were carried out by firing a polycarbonate projectile from a single-stage light gas gun. Strain rates of the order of 2 × 104 s−1 were observed at cylinder expansion velocities of 400–450 m s−1, calculated from flash X-ray radiographs. The differences in fragmentation behaviour of both materials was observed, attributed to their different response to high strain-rate loadings. Microscopic analysis of mild steel fragments showed interesting alignment of ferrite and pearlite grains, similar to reported effects of explosive loading. This suggests the potential to employ this technique to simulate explosive cylinder expansion in a non-explosive laboratory environment enabling a convenient recovery of fragments. Numerical modelling with using ANSYS AUTODYN® allowed for a better understanding of the various parameters controlling expansion and fragmentation. Analysis of recovered fragments by a Fragment Weight Distribution Map (FWDM), a method generally used for characterising pipe bombs, could clearly demonstrate the effect of casing material and thickness.Item Open Access In Vivo water dynamics in Shewanella oneidensis bacteria at high pressure(Nature Publishing Group, 2019-06-18) Foglia, Fabrizia; Hazael, Rachael; Meersman, Filip; Wilding, Martin C.; Sakai, Victoria García; Rogers, Sarah; Bove, Livia E.; Koza, Michael Marek; Moulin, Martine; Haertlein, Michael; Forsyth, V. Trevor; McMillan, Paul F.Following observations of survival of microbes and other life forms in deep subsurface environments it is necessary to understand their biological functioning under high pressure conditions. Key aspects of biochemical reactions and transport processes within cells are determined by the intracellular water dynamics. We studied water diffusion and rotational relaxation in live Shewanella oneidensis bacteria at pressures up to 500 MPa using quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS). The intracellular diffusion exhibits a significantly greater slowdown (by −10–30%) and an increase in rotational relaxation times (+10–40%) compared with water dynamics in the aqueous solutions used to resuspend the bacterial samples. Those results indicate both a pressure-induced viscosity increase and slowdown in ionic/macromolecular transport properties within the cells affecting the rates of metabolic and other biological processes. Our new data support emerging models for intracellular organisation with nanoscale water channels threading between macromolecular regions within a dynamically organized structure rather than a homogenous gel-like cytoplasm.Item Open Access Internally bevelled conoidal entry wounds in sandwich bones; their genesis, impact dynamics and macroscopic and microscopic morpholog(Cranfield University, 2021-01) Rickman, John; Painter, Jonathan; Hazael, RachaelProjectile trauma to the sandwich bones of the neurocranium is of considerable forensic anthropological importance due to the high lethality associated with gunshot wounds to this anatomical region. The internally bevelled conoidal wound that typically results from perpendicular projectile impact has long been considered diagnostic of bullet involvement and is utilised in both differential diagnosis of gunshot trauma and in making trajectory determinations using the direction of bevel asymmetry as an indicator. However, despite the importance of these activities in forensic anthropological casework the fracture mechanisms underlying bevel formation have remained elusive, with multiple hypotheses presented but few empirical investigations carried out to test them. Further diagnostic complexity has been introduced by the recognition that bevelling also results from low-velocity impacts and that taphonomic agencies can both modify and create internally bevelled fractures. Despite the fact that bone is a complex hierarchical material the majority of analyses of projectile entry wounds in sandwich bones have been conducted at the macroscopic scale, leaving important questions as to whether lower scales of organisation may yield signatures of diagnostic importance. This thesis presents the findings of an experimental investigation into the fracture mechanisms that underlie internal bevelling and presents an analysis of the relationships between the dynamics of impact and quantitative wound morphology. A refined nomenclature for the components of internally bevelled fractures is presented and the layers composing the bevel formally defined. This thesis also presents a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis of the effects of projectile impact on compact bone at lower hierarchical scales of bone organisation. Examination of fracture morphology with micro-computerised tomography (µ-CT) coupled with high-speed videography of the impact events revealed a novel cone cracking mechanism that fundamentally changes our understanding of bevel morphology. This mechanism explains how internal bevelling results from both low- and high-velocity impact events and suggests caution should be applied to trajectory determinations made using bevel asymmetry alone. Quantitative analysis of the perforation event revealed, for the first time in sandwich bones, a power relationship between incident velocity and absorbed kinetic energy. SEM analysis of cortical bone around the entry captured the early genesis of conoidal wounds through ring crack formation. Analysis of the periphery of the entry revealed two types of plastic deformation that are suggestive of changes to hydroxyapatite (HA) crystal structure that may be of diagnostic utility. Collectively, the findings presented in this thesis will enhance the diagnosis and interpretation of conoidal wounds in both forensic and archaeological contexts.Item Open Access Introducing Bayesian belief updating as a method to counter improvised explosive devices: a qualitative case study on identifying human behaviours associated with explosive chemical precursor diversion(Springer, 2023-08-21) Collett, Gareth; Ladyman, Melissa; Temple, Tracey; Hazael, Rachael; McNaught, Ken R.Countering improvised explosive devices (C-IED) is a significant theme of the twenty-first century, particularly in regions with limited governance and a fragile rule of law. Many strands of activity are involved, with human interaction proving difficult to predict. However, Bayesian belief updating (used across several academic fields to provide insight into human behaviours) has never been considered. Given the breadth of C-IED, this research focusses on a state affected by conflict, and where illicit diversion of explosive chemical precursors (ECP) for IED manufacture is supported by the population. It aims to represent (both visually and probabilistically) a methodology by which human relationships could be better understood, thereby promoting belief updating as new evidence becomes available. Such belief updating would refine focus and improve resource mobilisation.Item Open Access Material strength evolution of FCC metals under high strain rates(2020-12) Gilroy-Hirst, Caitlin; Hazael, Rachael; Wood, David; Akhavan, JacquelineCopper and stainless steel 21-6-9, two face-centred cubic (FCC) materials, were shock loaded in partially recovered uniaxial strain flyer-plate impact experiments at varying impact pressures (6 GPa - 16 GPa). These samples were collected post impact via three differing recovery configurations: (1) standard or ‘free boundary’; (2) partial shock recovery, i.e. using both ‘momentum trapping’ and ‘soft recovery’ techniques but with a flyer plate thickness of 10 mm to see the effects on partial tensile release in the rear spall plates of an established recovery target design; finally (3) a traditional full recovery comparison with a 2 mm flyer impact. These samples were then analysed using a suite of analytical techniques including X ray diffraction, optical microscopy, hardness testing and compression after impact testing, to observe the material deformation characteristics in the simplified partially recovered shock and release condition compared to the more complex ‘standard’ release wave situation. A control sample of a ‘ fully recovered’ sample was also carried out for comparative purposes. The rear spall plates were modified on these partially recovered samples to see the effect that this had on the tensile release waves and how this changed the material deformation properties overall. Results for the stainless steel 21-6-9 demonstrated the ability of the partial shock recovery technique (hereafter called ‘partial-recovery’) to mitigate the reverberations compared to that of the standard samples. Upon analysis of the targets, it was observed that the dislocation density was generally lower for the partially recovered samples but varied with impact pressure for both the standard and recovered configuration. For the stainless steel recovery experiments an increasing dislocation density from 4 x 1015 m-2 at 6 GPa to 6.5 x 1015 m-2 at 12 GPa was observed which then decreased to 5.5 x 1015 m-2 at 16 GPa. The twinning density to grain ratio obtained from optical microscopy showed a linear increase (y= 1.5345x - 8.3508) with an R2 value of 0.8295 from 7 GPa at 4 twins per grain to 17 twins per grain at 16 GPa. Twinning density is indicative of a successful recovery, where a successful recovery is a reduction in reverberations in the sample and in a full recovery is a 1D shock. The dataset both verifies the use and success of the recovery technique as well as demonstrating the materials characteristics under partial-recovery, while observing reverberation effects.Item Open Access Metal β-diketoiminate precursor use in aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition of gallium- and aluminium-doped zinc oxide(Elsevier, 2017-11-02) Knapp, Caroline E.; Dyer, Caragh; Chadwick, Nicholas P.; Hazael, Rachael; Carmalt, Claire J.Aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) has been used to deposit thin films of ZnO from the single-source precursor [Zn(OC(Me)CHC(Me)N(iPr))2] (1) affording highly transparent (>80%) and conductive films (sheet resistance ∼70 KΩ/sq). Extension of this AACVD method whereby related precursors of the type, [R2M(OC(Me)CHC(Me)N(iPr))] (R = Et, M = Al (2); R = Me, M = Ga (3)), isolated as oils, were added to the precursor solution allowed for the deposition of aluminium- and gallium-doped ZnO (AZO and GZO) films, respectively. Complexes 1–3 were characterised by elemental analysis, NMR and mass spectrometry. Films were deposited in under 30 min at 400 °C, from CH2Cl2/toluene solutions with a N2 carrier gas. Herein we report the bulk resistivity, ρ, of AZO (0.252 Ω cm) and GZO (0.756 Ω cm) films deposited from this novel approach. All the films transparency exceeded 80% in the visible, X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed all films to crystallise in the wurtzite phase whilst X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the presence of the Al and Ga dopants in the films, and highlighted the low C-contamination (<5%) this route offers. Investigation of a mechanism analogous to the Kirkendall effect confirmed that heating of GZO films at 1000 °C produced the spinel structure GaZn2O4.Item Open Access Multi-impact response of CR4 mild steel: Characterising the transition from absorption to failure(IOP Publishing, 2023-03-15) Thawani, Bonny; Batchelor, T.; Painter, Jonathan; Hazael, Rachael; Critchley, RichardSingle impact perforation shots are well understood for various target materials and different shaped projectiles. Although considered a rare case, localised multi-impacts are not well understood as they involve both perforating and non-perforating impacts on the target. The lack of understanding of non-perforating impact on metallic materials makes it tough to predict the change in the material’s mechanical performance. Given the widespread use of metallic materials for protective applications, it is important to understand the material response when subject to multiple impacts. To determine the effect of a non-perforating shot on CR4 mild steel and establish a minimum energy impact that will define the transition point whereby the metal can no longer absorb energy a series of impact experiments were conducted. Results show a subsequent perforation event occurs at a lower than the experimentally determined perforation velocity. Results suggest that there could be a direct correlation between the material thickness and the critical crater depth (the depth of crater required to affect the materials ability to absorb energy, the measure of materials performance). As the crater depth increased from 3mm to 8.5mm for the first shot, the energy absorption of the steel plate reduced by 25%. This allowed the residual performance for CR4 mild steel to be quantified for a known impact crater, giving a 7% performance loss for every millimetre the critical crater depth grows beyond 3mm until the point of failure.Item Open Access Numerical modelling of hydrogen leakages in confined spaces for domestic applications(Elsevier, 2024-01-01) Thawani, Bonny; Hazael, Rachael; Critchley, RichardThe UK government tentatively plans to use hydrogen for domestic applications by 2035. While the use of hydrogen aims to reduce the dependence on hydrocarbons, certain factors need consideration. Since hydrogen is much lighter, and more reactive than methane, it is crucial to understand the change in risk for accident scenarios involving hydrogen in a domestic setting. Numerical modelling was used to simulate the leakage of hydrogen and methane in small, enclosed spaces such as kitchen cupboards. The k- ε turbulence model was used along with the species transport model to simulate the leakage of gas for different inlet locations and leak diameters (1.8 mm–7.2 mm). From the modelling study, it was observed that hydrogen and methane both tend to stratify from top of the control volume to the bottom. The key finding was that, under adverse conditions (leak from a 7.2 mm diameter hole) and due to greater volumetric flow, hydrogen tends to reach equilibrium concentration 45s faster than methane for a total leak duration of 600s. Additionally, it was noted that cases with leak inlet locations near corners had 28% lower hydrogen concentrations, and 25% lower methane concentrations as compared to leak inlet locations near the centre of the cupboard.Item Open Access Numerical modelling study of a modified sandbag system for ballistic protection(Elsevier, 2021-06-05) Thawani, Bonny; Hazael, Rachael; Critchley, RichardModern field fortification systems are very large and cause a logistical burden during setup, thus setting the requirement for their modification. A simulation study was conducted to study the correlation between the compaction of sand and the energy absorbed by it when impacted by a solid steel projectile at 850 m/s. Furthermore, the sandbag was modified by the addition of plates in the system to observe the change in projectile penetration and the energy absorption behaviour of the sand. The factors considered for this study were the plate thickness (15 mm, 25 mm), plate material (aluminium, concrete, plexiglass, polycarbonate, steel) and plate location (226 mm, 236 mm, 256 mm from the point of impact). It was observed that a layer of compressed sand is formed around the projectile, aiding the energy absorption and dissipation process during impact. Upon addition of the plate, it was observed that the modified system (plate and sand) absorbed maximum energy when the plate is placed closest to the point of maximum penetration without the plate. It was also noted that the addition of the plate enhanced energy absorption characteristics of the system compared to conventional sandbags because of increased compaction of sand. From the study, it was observed that the plexiglass and polycarbonate plates had the maximum energy absorption and maximum deformation. The steel plate had the least energy absorption and minimal deformation. Concrete and Aluminium had comparable areal density, energy absorption and lowest deformation, making them the preferred choice of plate material for a modified sandbag. The numerical studies were verified using a gas gun and a modified sandbag with Aluminium plates to show that the addition of a plate improves compaction behaviour of sand.Item Open Access On differences in the equation-of-state for a selection of seven representative mammalian tissue analogue materials(Elsevier, 2017-10-10) Appleby-Thomas, Gareth J.; Fitzmaurice, Brianna; Hameed, Amer; Painter, Jonathan; Gibson, Michael C.; Wood, David C.; Hazael, Rachael; Hazell, Paul J.Tissue analogues employed for ballistic purposes are often monolithic in nature, e.g. ballistic gelatin and soap, etc. However, such constructs are not representative of real-world biological systems. Further, ethical considerations limit the ability to test with real-world tissues. This means that availability and understanding of accurate tissue simulants is of key importance. Here, the shock response of a wide range of ballistic simulants (ranging from dermal (protective / bulk) through to skeletal simulant materials) determined via plate-impact experiments are discussed, with a particular focus on the classification of the behaviour of differing simulants into groups that exhibit a similar response under high strain-rate loading. Resultant Hugoniot equation-of-state data (Us-up; P-v) provides appropriate feedstock materials data for future hydrocode simulations of ballistic impact events.