Assessing the effect of the cost-of-living crisis on hot water bottle-related burns in the United Kingdom, a single-centre retrospective observational study

Sangha, Mahaveer S.; Baker, Michelle; Baldwin, Alexander J.; Murray, Alexandra

doi:10.1016/j.jpra.2024.01.008

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 16 publications

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“…Owing to the vast usage frequency of hot water bottles, failure incidents relating to injury are common occurrences [2,6]. Hot water bottles can fail due to age-related wear and tear, internal damage due to exposure to extreme conditions, weakened material from bending or folding, damage from sharp surfaces or overfilling, improper storage, and manufacturing defects that mostly impact seams and seals [7][8][9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary Failure Analyses of Loaded Hot Water Bottles

Towler,

Baraya,

Ran

et al. 2024

Applied Sciences

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Hot water bottles are widely utilised for their therapeutic advantages, such as relieving muscle tension and imparting warmth. However, the increasing frequency and potential risks associated with bursting or failure necessitate a detailed examination of the contributing factors as their failure is not fully understood in a scientific manner. With the apparent lack of analysis of hot water bottles in the literature, this study employs, for the first time, a dual methodology involving finite-element (FE) analysis conducted in ABAQUS and experimental validation to systematically investigate the underlying mechanisms leading to failure incidents. Through FE modelling and analysis, the stress and strain distribution within typical hot water bottles is modelled under compression loading conditions, facilitating the identification of vulnerable areas prone to failure. Experimental validation encompasses uniaxial loading compression tests on distinct specimens, generating load–displacement curves that elucidate material responses to compressive forces and highlight variations in load-bearing capacities. The study explores diverse failure modes, attributing them to stress concentration at geometric transitions and contact regions. Stress–strain curves contribute valuable insights into material characteristics, with ultimate stress values as crucial indicators of resistance to deformation and rupture. The FE analysis simulation results visualise deformation patterns and stress concentration zones. The findings illustrate that the highest stress concentration areas exist in the internal boundary of hot water bottles near the neck and cap region. This is experimentally confirmed through the bursting failures of four samples, with three failures occurring in this specific region. The findings support the guidance that users should avoid sleeping with a hot water bottle as it may fail under compression if they lay on top of it. Meanwhile, this result guides manufacturers to strengthen the weak areas of hot water bottles around the nicks and edges. This study significantly enhances our understanding of hot water bottle mechanics, thereby guiding design practice to improve overall performance and user safety. In summary, hot water bottles are commonly used but have not been investigated scientifically regarding external loading conditions and their related failure, as the current study has achieved. Identifying the weak points through experiment and simulation directs manufacturers towards required improvements in particular regions, such as the bottleneck and edge reinforcement during the design and manufacturing phases.

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