Computer simulation using the Discrete Element Method (DEM) has emerged as a powerful tool in studying the behaviour of particulate systems during powder flow and compaction. Contact law between particles is the most important input to the Discrete Element simulation. However, most of the present simulations employ over-simplistic contact laws which cannot capture the real behaviour of particulate systems. For example, plastic yielding, material brittleness, sophisticated particle geometry, surface roughness, and particle adhesion are all vitally important factors affecting the behaviour of particle interactions, but have been largely ignored in most of the DEM simulations. This is because it is very difficult to consider these factors in an analytical contact law which has been the characteristic approach in DEM simulations. This thesis presents a strategy for obtaining the contact laws numerically and a comprehensive study of all these factors using the numerical approach. A numerical method, named as the Material Point Method (MPM) in the literature, is selected and shown to be ideal to study the particle interactions. The method is further developed in this work in order to take into account all the factors listed above. For example, to study the brittle failure during particle impact, Weibull’s theory is incorporated into the material point method; to study the effect of particle adhesion, inter-atomic forces are borrowed from the Molecular Dynamic model and incorporated into the method. These developments themselves represent a major progress in the numerical technique, enabling the method to be applied to a much wider range of problems. The focus of the thesis is however on the contact laws between extremely fine particles. Using the numerical technique as a tool, the entire existing theoretical framework for particle contact is re-examined. It is shown that, whilst the analytical framework is difficult to capture the real particle behaviour, numerical contact laws should be used in its place.

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This dissertation examines a bank’s right to unilaterally terminate its contractual relationship with a customer on the basis of reputational risk. The law of contract allows a bank to terminate the bank-customer agreement when the customer is in serious breach of the contract. Over the years, however, a pattern has started to develop by which a bank can unilaterally terminate the bank-customer relationship of high-risk customers based on reputational risk. Banks are reluctant to facilitate the transactions of individuals surrounded by negative publicity, due to fears of how the bank’s investors, customers or counterparts might perceive the bank. Compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) and counter financing of terrorism (CFT) requirements, as set out by both domestic and foreign legislation, results in higher costs for the bank. As such, the profitability of a particular bank-customer relationship may ultimately decline to such an extent that the bank rather decides to make an appropriate business decision by terminating the relationship. Correspondent banking relationships are agreements in terms of which one bank will provide services for another in jurisdictions where the first bank lacks a physical presence. As such, whenever there is a perception that a local bank does not comply with the relevant AML/CFT laws as set out by its domestic legislation, the correspondent bank might decide to terminate its relationship with the local bank, leaving the latter financially excluded from the correspondent banking market. Such a situation would hinder the growth of the South African economy and may also cause a systemic event in the financial industry. Adequate customer due diligence (CDD) measures assist a bank in formulating a clear understanding of the business of its customers. The information obtained through CDD may also assist the bank in determining the reputation of a particular customer. This information can also assist law enforcement in combatting financial crimes. In this regard, it is recommended that a bank should be able to trace the information that was shared with Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) and law enforcement agencies, so that the bank may reasonably determine the level of reputational risk involved in the relationship. / Mini Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Mercantile Law / LLM / Unrestricted

Dans le cadre du développement d’un outil semi-analytique de pré-dimensionnement de structures sandwich soumises à des impacts à vitesse intermédiaire (<20m.s-1), nous proposons la détermination d’une solution efficace, basée sur les séries de Fourier avec des conditions aux limites générales. Les équations gouvernantes qui permettent de décrire la réponse transitoire élastique de plaques stratifiées orthotropes avec prise en compte d’une loi non linéaire de contact hertzien sont développées en utilisant un schéma de discrétisation temporelle explicite. Pour les conditions aux limites générales, la solution en séries de Fourier est complétée par une série mixte de polynômes-cosinus, qui permet d’aboutir à la solution, tout en permettant à la série de satisfaire les équations d’équilibres ainsi que les conditions limites, de façon exacte en augmentant le nombre de termes de la série. Afin de tenir compte des phénomènes physiques locaux lors de l’impact de structure sandwich, la plasticité et la rupture locale de la plaque anti-perforation sont introduites dans une formulation modifiée du contact de Hertz et l’écrasement de l’âme du sandwich est ajouté dans l’équation d’équilibre du projectile. Les solutions obtenues par cette méthode sont en accord avec les résultats par modélisation éléments finis de plaques composites multicouches impactées par un projectile. Une campagne expérimentale d’impact de type « box corner » sur des plaques sandwich de 1m², a servi de référence expérimentale et permis la validation de ce modèle complet. Finalement, le couplage de ce modèle à un optimiseur basé sur les techniques de plans d’expériences et de surfaces de réponses (métamodèles), nous a permis de choisir la meilleure structure d’absorption d’énergie (matériaux et géométrie) pour des structures plaques soumises à des impacts de 7kJ. Un test sur un véhicule réel avec la configuration structurelle choisie, nous a permis de valider l’outil final de pré-dimensionnement et de confirmer la qualité des résultats numériques obtenus par ce modèle semi-analytique. / A semi-analytical tool for the design of sandwich structures under intermediate speed loadings impact (<20m.s-1) is proposed by using an efficient solution based on the Fourier series with general boundary conditions. The governing equations, which describe dynamic elastic response of orthotropic laminates and include the non linear Hertzian contact law, are derived by means of explicit time discretization. For the general boundary conditions, the Fourier series solution is supplemented with mixed polynomial-cosine series, which allows derivation of the classical solution by letting the series satisfy exactly the governing differential equation and the boundary conditions with increased values of terms series. To take local physical behavior during sandwich structure impact into account, local plasticity and failure of the protection plate are introduced in a modified form of the Hertzian contact and the compression of the foam is added in the equilibrium equation of the projectile. The solutions obtained with this new method are close to those found by finite element simulations for impact on multilayers composite structures. An experimental campaign with one square meter sandwich structures impacted by corner box projectile is then used to validate the whole model. Finally, the best sandwich structure for energy absorption under a 7kJ impact (material and geometry) is chosen by coupling the model with an optimizer based on the metamodel approach. This solution is applied to a real vehicle and the results confirm the quality of the design of the structure.