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Ballistic missile-resistant impact panels have seen fair advancement over the years, especially in military applications. However, high cost, as well as a changing materials landscape, has impressed the need for a deeper understanding of impact mechanism as well as of new permutations in design strategy development. Parameters such as projectile impact angle, panel impact location as well as application of multilayer sandwich panels are not fully explored and characterised. In this work, finite element method simulation methodology is used on a 25 mm by 25 mm plate of 3.5 mm thickness to investigate the above-mentioned parameters and conditions. Solid elements using Johnson–Cook damage material models are developed. Two common impact angles of 90 and 45° at centre and plate-edge locations are investigated for single-layer titanium alloy and carbon steel panels. Subsequently, a bilayer panel comprising of titanium alloy at the impact layer with the same overall plate thickness is investigated for impact at five different impact speed (ranging from 100 ms^-1 to 500 ms^-1). The displacements and von Mises stresses are documented for all cases, and it is shown that angular impact angles bring about greater plastic deformations as well as higher fracture likelihood compared to normal angle impact. Findings also indicate that with an addition of 1 mm thick Ti-6Al-4V front bilayer, the impact resistance of the high carbon steel is significantly improved (up to twice the impact load), especially at higher impact velocities. The study documents the properties of titanium alloy–carbon steel bilayer armoured panel, which shows good promise for its implementation due to its superior performance and its cost-savings potential.

In this work, finite element method simulation methodology is used to investigate the above-mentioned parameters and conditions. Solid elements using Johnson–Cook damage material models are developed. Two common impact angles 90 and 45° at centre and plate-edge locations are investigated for single-layer titanium alloy and carbon steel panels, and, subsequently, a bilayer panel comprising of titanium alloy for the outer layer is investigated for the combination of the same aforementioned materials. Five different impact speed effects are studied.

The effects and trends of displacements and stresses are documented for all cases and shown to indicate angular impact angles bringing about greater plastic deformations as well as higher fracture likelihood compared to normal angle impact. Findings also show that with an addition of 1 mm thick Ti-6Al-4V front bilayer, the impact resistance of the high carbon steel is significantly improved, especially at higher impact velocities.

The study documents the properties of titanium alloy–carbon steel bilayer armoured panel, which shows good promise for its implementation due to its superior performance and its cost-savings potential.

This paper aims to develop a process for prioritizing project risks that integrates the decision-maker's risk attitude, uncertainty about risks both in terms of the associated probability and impact ratings, and correlations across risk assessments.

This paper adopts a Monte Carlo Simulation-based approach to capture the uncertainty associated with project risks. Risks are prioritized based on their relative expected utility values. The proposed process is operationalized through a real application in the construction industry.

The proposed process helped in identifying low-probability, high-impact risks that were overlooked in the conventional risk matrix-based prioritization scheme. While considering the expected risk exposure of individual risks, none of the risks were located in the high-risk exposure zone; however, the proposed Monte Carlo Simulation-based approach revealed risks with a high probability of occurrence in the high-risk exposure zone. Using the expected utility-based approach alone in prioritizing risks may lead to ignoring few critical risks, which can only be captured through a rigorous simulation-based approach.

Monte Carlo Simulation has been used to aggregate the risk matrix-based data and disaggregate and map the resulting risk profiles with underlying distributions. The proposed process supported risk prioritization based on the decision-maker's risk attitude and identified low-probability, high-impact risks and high-probability, high-impact risks.

The lean and global character of supply networks today opens supply chains to potential disruptions, especially in volatile environments. Most disruptions are of relatively low potential impact; however, firms also occasionally face high-impact disruptions that may even threaten survival. This study applies and extends absorptive capacity concepts to organize resilience capabilities identified in the literature and to examine whether capabilities that provide low-impact resilience are different from those that provide high-impact resilience. A second and related objective is to evaluate whether low-impact resilience supports high-impact resilience through “learning by experience.”

Survey and industry data are used to understand capabilities involved with achieving both low-impact resilience and high-impact resilience.

The results of our analysis of survey and industry data uncover significant complex interactions in the effects of capabilities and volatility on resilience; suggesting that different absorptive capacity capabilities are related to low-impact resilience and high-impact resilience, respectively, and these effects depend on industry context. Moderating influences of exploitation capability and environmental volatility are consistent with a “learning by experience” explanation of the association of low-impact resilience to high-impact resilience.

This study thus provides a unifying framework with which to consider resiliency capabilities. Further, it answers a question raised in prior research, and it extends our understanding of important relationships between capabilities for different levels of resilience.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the combined effects of different modalities of long-term knowledge accumulation and short-term knowledge searching on the generation of high-impact ideas. The authors aim at providing useful conclusions for academic scholars.

Two dimensions of the cumulative knowledge structures of researchers are measured: knowledge depth and knowledge breadth. The search strategies employed by researchers are classified as local search and distant search. The authors use researchers’ historical publications to measure cumulative knowledge structures. References contained in these publications serve as an indicator of knowledge searching behaviors and are used to measure search strategies. Highly cited papers with random-but-matched papers from the same journal published in the same year are adopted to test the hypotheses.

The knowledge depth of researchers positively predicts the generation of high-impact ideas. Knowledge breadth has a bell-shaped relationship to the generation of high-impact ideas. Two instances of “strategic fit” between the knowledge structures and search strategies of researchers are identified; namely, knowledge breadth combines most effectively with local search, and knowledge depth combines most effectively with distant search in generating high-impact ideas.

Using article references to measure authors’ knowledge search behaviors may lead to biases. Future research should perform a survey to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the knowledge search behaviors of scholars.

A “T-shaped” knowledge structure in the long run is recommended for maximal generation of high-impact ideas. Researchers who have not adopted this optimal knowledge structure can employ a matched search strategy to leverage their existing knowledge structures.

This paper is among the first to examine the interactive effects between the cumulative knowledge structures and short-term knowledge searching strategies of researchers. The authors have enriched the exploration and exploitation theory by adding the dimension of time into the analysis.

While product scandals generate many negative headlines, the extent of their impact on the scandalized brands’ equity remains unclear. Research findings are mixed. This might be because of the limitations of existing measurement approaches when investigating the effects of real crises after they occurred. This study aims to propose a new approach for measuring the impact of a real scandal on a high-equity brand using only post-crisis measures.

To overcome the challenge of comparing a priori and ex post outcome measures, this study draws on the brand management literature to evaluate a real scandal’s impact. Volkswagen’s emission scandal serves as a failure context. Two consumer experiments are conducted to examine its impact.

The results provide (longitudinal) support for the proposed evaluative approach. They reveal new evidence that building brand equity is a means to mitigate negative effects, and indicate that negative spillover effects within a high-equity brand portfolio are unlikely. Finally, this research identifies situations in which developing a new brand might be more beneficial than leveraging an existing brand.

This research has significant implications for firms with high-equity brands that might be affected by a scandal. The findings support managers to navigate their brands through a crisis.

This research adds to the discussion concerning the role of a brand’s equity in a crisis. Existing research findings are contradictory. This research provides new empirical evidence and another view on how to measure “impact”.

In service, the periodic clashes of wheel flat against the rail result in large wheel/rail impact force and high-frequency vibration, leading to severe damage on the wheelset, rail and track structure. This study aims to analyze characteristics and dynamic impact law of wheel and rail caused by wheel flat of high-speed trains.

A full-scale high-speed wheel/rail interface test rig was used for the test of the dynamic impact of wheel/rail caused by wheel flat of high-speed train. With wheel flats of different lengths, widths and depths manually set around the rolling circle of the wheel tread, and wheel/rail dynamic impact tests to the flats in the speed range of 0–400 km/h on the rig were conducted.

As the speed goes up, the flat induced the maximum of the wheel/rail dynamic impact force increases rapidly before it reaches its limit at the speed of around 35 km/h. It then goes down gradually as the speed continues to grow. The impact of flat wheel on rail leads to 100–500 Hz middle-frequency vibration, and around 2,000 Hz and 6,000 Hz high-frequency vibration. In case of any wheel flat found during operation, the train speed shall be controlled according to the status of the flat and avoid the running speed of 20 km/h–80 km/h as much as possible.

The research can provide a new method to obtain the dynamic impact of wheel/rail caused by wheel flat by a full-scale high-speed wheel/rail interface test rig. The relations among the flat size, the running speed and the dynamic impact are hopefully of reference to the building of speed limits for HSR wheel flat of different degrees.

This paper aims to explore the impact of cycle superposition on bank liquidity risk under different levels of financial openness so that banks can better manage their liquidity risk. Meanwhile, it can also provide some ideas for banks in other emerging economies to better cope with the shocks of the global financial cycle.

Employing the monthly data of 16 commercial banks in China from 2005 to 2021 and based on the time-varying parameter vector autoregressive model with stochastic volatility (TVP-SV-VAR) model, the authors first examine whether the cycle superposition can magnify the impact of China's financial cycle on bank liquidity risk. Subsequently, the authors investigate the impact of different levels of financial openness on cycle superposition amplification. Finally, the shock of the financial cycle of the world's major economies on the liquidity risk of Chinese banks is also empirically analyzed.

Cycle superposition can magnify the impact of China's financial cycle on bank liquidity risk. However, there are significant differences under different levels of financial openness. Compared with low financial openness, in the period of high financial openness, the magnifying effect of cycle superposition is strengthened in the short term but obviously weakened in the long run. In addition, the authors' findings also demonstrate that although the United States is the main shock country, the influence of other developed economies, such as Japan and Eurozone countries, cannot be ignored.

Firstly, the cycle superposition index is constructed. Secondly, the authors supplement the literature by providing evidence that the association between cycle superposition and bank liquidity risk also depends on financial openness. Finally, the dominant countries of the global financial cycle have been rejudged.

Composites 3D printing has the potential to replace the conventional manufacturing processes for engineering applications because it allows for the manufacturing of complex shapes with the possibility of reducing the manufacturing cost. This paper aims to analyse the performance of 3D printed fibre reinforced polymer composites to investigate the energy absorption capabilities and the residual properties before and after impact.

Various composites composed of carbon fibres and Kevlar fibres embedded into both Onyx and nylon matrix were printed using Markforged-Two 3D printers. Specimens with different fibre orientations and fibre volume fractions (Vf) were printed. A drop-weight impact test was performed at energies of 2, 5, 8 and 10 J. Flexural testing was performed to evaluate the flexural strength, flexural modulus and absorbed energy under bending (AEUB) before and after impact. Additionally, 3D printed carbon fibre composites were tested at two different temperatures to study their behaviour under room and sub-ambient temperatures. Failure modes were investigated using optical and high depth of field microscopes for all 3D printed composite samples.

Kevlar/nylon composites with a unidirectional lay-up and 50% Vf exhibited the most prominent results for AEUB at room temperature. The high-Vf carbon fibre composite showed the highest ultimate strength and modulus and performed best at both temperature regimes.

The work, findings and testing produced in this paper are entirely original with the objective to provide further understanding of 3D printed composites and its potential for use in many applications.