Numerical and experimental investigation of a lightweight bonnet for pedestrian safety

A topic of great consideration in current vehicle development in Europe is pedestrian protection. The enforcement of a new regulation trying to decrease the injuries to head, pelvis, and leg of pedestrian impacted by cars, is imposing great changes in vehicles' front design. In the present work a design solution for the bonnet, which is the main body part interacting with the human head during a car to pedestrian collision, is proposed. This solution meets the stiffness and safety targets, takes into account the manufacturing and recyclability requirements and gives a relevant contribution to vehicle lightweight. Thus this proposed solution puts in evidence that safety and lightweight are not incompatible targets. The amount of potential injury to the pedestrian head is evaluated, as prescribed by the standard test procedures, by means of a headform launched on the bonnet. However, the standard approach based on the head injury criterion (HIC) value only is reported to be largely unsatisfactory: therefore, a new experimental methodology for the measurement of the translational and the rotational accelerations has been developed, and the experimental results are reported. This would be a starting point for the evolution of currently adopted injury criteria to increase the safety of the vulnerable road user

The impact of mass gatherings and holiday traveling on the course of an influenza pandemic: a computational model

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>During the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, concerns arose about the potential negative effects of mass public gatherings and travel on the course of the pandemic. Better understanding the potential effects of temporal changes in social mixing patterns could help public officials determine if and when to cancel large public gatherings or enforce regional travel restrictions, advisories, or surveillance during an epidemic.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We develop a computer simulation model using detailed data from the state of Georgia to explore how various changes in social mixing and contact patterns, representing mass gatherings and holiday traveling, may affect the course of an influenza pandemic. Various scenarios with different combinations of the length of the mass gatherings or traveling period (range: 0.5 to 5 days), the proportion of the population attending the mass gathering events or on travel (range: 1% to 50%), and the initial reproduction numbers R₀(1.3, 1.5, 1.8) are explored.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mass gatherings that occur within 10 days before the epidemic peak can result in as high as a 10% relative increase in the peak prevalence and the total attack rate, and may have even worse impacts on local communities and travelers' families. Holiday traveling can lead to a second epidemic peak under certain scenarios. Conversely, mass traveling or gatherings may have little effect when occurring much earlier or later than the epidemic peak, e.g., more than 40 days earlier or 20 days later than the peak when the initial R₀= 1.5.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results suggest that monitoring, postponing, or cancelling large public gatherings may be warranted close to the epidemic peak but not earlier or later during the epidemic. Influenza activity should also be closely monitored for a potential second peak if holiday traveling occurs when prevalence is high.</p

In quest for a sustainable motorisation: the CNG opportunity

This article describes the opportunity deriving from the substitution of conventional fuels with the compressed natural gas (CNG). The advantages of this fuel are: a relevant, as it concerns consumer’s expenses and ecological aspect b rapidly achievable c close to hand for Europe, the USA and other countries where the motorisation is at the take-off stage, like the BRIC countries and Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia and so on. These advantages makes CNG a viable solution, with relevant advantages both on the side of pollution and expenses, while waiting for the availability of new technologies. Presently, the most important bottleneck for a large-scale implementation of this solution is represented by a possible shortage in the distribution network. Those countries crossed by gas pipeline could rapidly overcome this bottleneck without relevant costs. Otherwise, the solution could be achieved either through gas carrier’s ships or through local production of biomethane by the exploitation of biomasses

Infrastructure and transportation in the twenty-first century-ever-increasing circles?

Understanding and controlling travel demand is one of the great challenges for the twenty-first century. This paper has been prepared in the wake of the first UK Transport White Paper for some 20 years which has sought to reconcile a multitude of requirements that society has from transport. The paper does not offer an alternative White Paper but aims to highlight the key themes that will shape the future of transport and to propose options and visions for the twenty-first century. In so doing, the intention is to deliver some fresh thinking into the transport debate that will serve as a catalyst for future, perhaps fruitful, discussion.<br/