Effect of the Impact Conditions on the Mechanical Properties of Injection-Molded Parts

This work focused on the study of the impact event on molded parts in the framework of automotive components. The influence of the impact conditions and processing parameters on the mechanical behavior of talc-filled polypropylene specimens was analyzed. The specimens were lateral-gate discs produced by injection molding, and the mechanical characterization was performed through instrumented falling weight impact tests concomitantly assisted with high-speed videography. Results analyzed using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) method have shown that from the considered parameters, only the dart diameter and test temperature have significant influence on the falling weight impact properties. Higher dart diameter leads to higher peak force and peak energy results. Conversely, higher levels of test temperatures lead to lower values of peak force and peak energy. By means of high-speed videography, a more brittle fracture was observed for experiments with higher levels of test velocity and dart diameter and lower levels of test temperature. The injection-molding process conditions assessed in this study have an influence on the impact response of moldings, mainly on the deformation capabilities of the moldings.

The impact of size and age of the company on assessing financial risk

Textiles and tourism sectors are two important sectors in Portuguese economy. Its high exposure to both internal and international economy volatility transform the companies operating in these economic sectors especially vulnerable to recent economic crises in Portugal and European Union. The objective of this paper is to evaluate and understand the impact of size and age on the financial health of textile and tourism companies, measured by economic indices. An empirical based model is proposed. Its implications are derived and tested on a sample of 4061 Portuguese companies from textile and tourism sector, during the period 2005-2009. The results conclude that age has a stronger impact on the risk of failure than size. Whereas the effect of age is generally positive regarding the financial health of the company, the effect of size is less clear and depends on the age of the company.

The impact of size and age of the company on assessing financial risk.

Textiles and tourism sectors are two important sectors in Portuguese economy. Its high exposure to both internal and international economy volatility transform the companies operating in these economic sectors especially vulnerable to recent economic crises in Portugal and European Union. The objective of this paper is to evaluate and understand the impact of size and age on the financial health of textile and tourism companies, measured by economic indices. An empirical based model is proposed. Its implications are derived and tested on a sample of 4061 Portuguese companies from textile and tourism sector, during the period 2005-2009. The results conclude that age has a stronger impact on the risk of failure than size. Whereas the effect of age is generally positive regarding the financial health of the company, the effect of size is less clear and depends on the age of the company.