• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.77 no.2
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• pp.167-177
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• 2021

Due to various benefits such as unlimited degrees of freedom, environment adaptability, and safety for humans, engineers have used soft materials with hyperelastic behavior in various industrial, medical, rescue, and other sectors. One of the applications of these materials in the fabrication of bending soft actuators (SA) is that they have eliminated many problems in the actuators such as production cost, mechanical complexity, and design algorithm. However, SA has complexities, such as predicting and monitoring behavior despite the many benefits. The first part of this paper deals with the prediction of SA behavior through mathematical models such as Ogden and Darijani, and its comparison with the results of experiments. At first, by examining different geometric models, the cubic structure was selected as the optimal structure in the investigated models. This geometrical structure at the same pressure showed the most significant bending in the simulation. The simulation results were then compared with experimental, and the final gripper model was designed and manufactured using a 3D printer with silicone rubber as for the polymer part. This geometrical structure is capable of bending up to a 90-degree angle at 70 kPa in less than 2 seconds. The second section is dedicated to monitoring the bending behavior created by the strain sensors with different sensitivity and stretchability. In the fabrication of the sensors, silicon is used as a soft material with hyperelastic behavior and carbon fiber as a conductive material in the soft material substrate. The SA designed in this paper is capable of deforming up to 1000 cycles without changing its characteristics and capable of moving objects weigh up to 1200 g. This SA has the capability of being used in soft robots and artificial hand making for high-speed objects harvesting.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.477-496
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• 2021

The main objective of this paper is to study vibration of sandwich open cylindrical panel with damaged core and FG face sheets based on three-dimensional theory of elasticity. The structures are made of a damaged isotropic core and two external face sheets. These skins are strengthened at the nanoscale level by randomly oriented Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and are reinforced at the microscale stage by oriented straight fibers. These reinforcing phases are included in a polymer matrix and a three-phase approach based on the Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka scheme and on the Halpin-Tsai approach, which is developed to compute the overall mechanical properties of the composite material. Three complicated equations of motion for the panel under consideration are semi-analytically solved by using 2-D differential quadrature method. Several parametric analyses are carried out to investigate the mechanical behavior of these multi-layered structures depending on the damage features, through-the-thickness distribution and boundary conditions. It is seen that for the large amount of power-law index "P", increasing this parameter does not have significant effect on the non-dimensional natural frequency parameters of the FG sandwich curved panel. Results indicate that by increasing the value of isotropic damage parameter "D" up to the unity (fully damaged core) the frequency would tend to become zero. One can dictate the fiber variation profile through the radial direction of the sandwich panel via the amount of "P", "b" and "c" parameters. It should be noticed that with increase of volume fraction of fibers, the frequency parameter of the panels does not increase necessarily, so by considering suitable amounts of power-law index "P" and the parameters "b" and "c", one can get dynamic characteristics similar or better than the isotropic limit case for laminated FG curved panels.

• Composites Research
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.174-179
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• 2021

Currently, fluid transfer steel pipes take a lot of time and expense to maintain all facilities due to new construction and painting or corrosion and aging. Therefore, this study was conducted for designing a CFRP pipe structure with high corrosion resistance and chemical resistance as a substitute for steel pipes. The helical/hoop pattern was cross-laminated to improve durability, and HNT was added to suppress the moisture absorption phenomenon of the epoxy. The HNT/CFRP pipe was manufactured by a filament winding process, and performed a mechanical property test, and a moisture absorption test in distilled water at 70℃. As a result, the highest bending strength was obtained when the hoop pattern was laminated with a thickness equivalent to 0.6% of the pipe. The 0.5 wt% HNT specimen had the highest moisture absorption resistance. Also, the delamination phenomenon at the interlayer interface was delayed, resulting in the lowest strength reduction rate.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.68-75
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• 2022

The breathable film refers to a high-functional film that allows gas and water vapor to pass through very fine and sophisticated pores but not liquid. In this research, the breathable film was prepared based on linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and CaCO₃ particles by extrude method. The LLDPE composite film containing CaCO₃ particles had excellent mechanical properties and functionalties. The drawing is a technologically simple and excellent method for improving the mechanical properties of composite films. In this work, the effects of draw ratio on morphology, crystallinity, pore size distribution, mechanical properties, and water vapor permeability of the films were examined. The results revealed that both surface morphology and breathability were affected by the influence of chain orientation and crystal growth with increasing the draw ratio. The mechanical properties were improved with increasing the draw ratio.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.20-26
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• 2022

Centrifugal spinning is an emerging technique for fabricating micro-to-nano-fibers in recent years. To obtain fibers with the desired size and morphology, it is necessary to configure and optimize the parameters used in centrifugal spinning. In this study, it was controlled by changing the solution's concentration (7.5, 10, and 12.5 wt.%) and disk's rotational velocity (6,000, 8,000, and 10,000 rpm) to prepare centrifugal spun nano-filter. The morphological property, air permeability, and dust collection efficiency of the PVA/PP bi-layer nanoweb prepared by centrifugal spun PVA on the PP micron nonwoven substrate are studied using a field emission scanning electron microscope, an air permeability tester, and a filter tester equipment, and the analysis results indicate that it is suitable as a nano-filter when the concentration of PVA solution is 10 wt.% and the rotational velocity of the disk is 8,000 rpm. The resultant reduced diameter and uniform fibers also proved that an excellent dust collection efficiency filter could be made.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.285-295
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• 2022

Creation of plastic deformation under seismic loads, is one of the most serious subjects in RC structures with steel bars which reduces the life threatening risks and increases dissipation of energy. Shape memory alloy (SMA) is one of the best choice for the relocating plastic hinges. In a challenge to study the seismic response of concrete moment resisting frame (MRF), this article investigates numerically a new type of concrete frames with nano fiber reinforced polymer (NFRP) and shape memory alloy (SMA) hinges, simultaneously. The NFRP layer is containing carbon nanofibers with agglomeration based on Mori-Tanaka model. The tangential shear deformation (TASDT) is applied for modelling of the structure and the continuity boundary conditions are used for coupling of the motion equations. In SMA connections between beam and columns, since there is phase transformation, hence, the motion equations of the structure are coupled with kinetic equations of phase transformation. The Hernandez-Lagoudas theory is applied for demonstrating of pseudoelastic characteristics of SMA. The corresponding motion equations are solved by differential cubature (DC) and Newmark methods in order to obtain the peak ground acceleration (PGA) and residual drift ratio for MRF-2%. The main impact of this paper is to present the influences of the volume percent and agglomeration of nanofibers, thickness and length of the concrete frame, SMA material and NFRP layer on the PGA and drift ratio. The numerical results revealed that the with increasing the volume percent of nanofibers, the PGA is enhanced and the residual drift ratio is reduced. It is also worth to mention that PGA of concrete frame with NFRP layer containing 2% nanofibers is approximately equal to the concrete frame with steel bars.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.287-297
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• 2022

This paper presents experimental and analytical studies on the lateral cyclic behavior of RC columns actively confined with iron-based shape memory alloy (Fe-SMA) strips. Based on the Anexperimental study, we investigated the effectiveness of active confinement through compression testings of concrete cylinders confined by Fe SMA strips and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets. The test results showed that the specimens confined with Fe SMA strips significantly increased the deformation capacity of the concrete, even under lower confining pressures, compared to those specimensconfined with CFRP sheets. The experimental results were used to develop finite-element models of RC columns confined with Fe SMA or CFRP in their plastic-hinge region. After validating the proposed analytical model through comparison with the results from a previous RC column test, a series of lateral cyclic load analyses were carried out for the RC columns confined with Fe SMA and CFRP. The analytical results revealed that the lateral cyclic behavior of the Fe SMA-confined column was greatly enhanced in terms of deformation and energy dissipation capacities compared with tothat of the as-built and CFRP-confined columns.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.447-456
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• 2022

Recent experimental studies showed that deep steel I-shaped profiles classified as high ductility class sections in seismic design international codes exhibit low deformation capacity when subjected to cyclic loading. This paper presents an innovative retrofit solution to increase the rotation capacity of beams using bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) patches validated with advanced finite element analysis. This investigation focuses on the flexural cyclic behaviour of I-shaped hot rolled steel deep section used as beams in moment-resisting frames (MRF) retrofitted with CFRP patches on the web. The main goal of this CFRP reinforcement is to increase the rotation capacity of the member without increasing the overstrength in order to avoid compromising the strong column-weak beam condition in MRF. A finite element model that simulates the cyclic plasticity behavior of the steel and the damage in the adhesive layer is developed. The damage is modelled using the cohesive zone modelling (CZM) technique that is able to capture the crack initiation and propagation. Details on the modelling techniques including the mesh sensitivity near the fracture zone are presented. The effectiveness of the retrofit solution depends strongly on the selection of the appropriate adhesive. Different adhesive types are investigated where the CZM parameters are calibrated from high fidelity fracture mechanics tests that are thoroughly validated in the literature. This includes a rigid adhesive commonly found in the construction industry and two tough adhesives used in the automotive industry. The results revealed that the CFRP patch can increase the rotation capacity of a steel member considerably when using tough adhesives.

• Composites Research
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.425-430
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• 2022

In this study, the mechanical properties of the pressure vessel composite exposed to the thermal environment were evaluated to establish the standard for high temperature static pressure test of the pressure vessel for hydrogen bus. As the tensile strength of the composite material approaches the glass transition temperature of the epoxy resin, the strength decreases due to the deterioration of the epoxy resin. In addition, it was confirmed that the tensile strength increased again due to the post-curing of the epoxy resin during long-term exposure. Therefore, the accelerated stress rupture test conditions of the pressure vessel for the hydrogen bus should be set based on the epoxy resin properties of the carbon fiber composite material.

• Composites Research
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.426-433
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• 2021

The carbon fiber reinforced plastic manufacturing process has a problem in that a dimensional error occurs due to thermal deformation such as residual stress, spring-in, and warpage. The main causes of thermal deformation are various, including the shape of the product, the chemical shrinkage, thermal expansion of the resin, and the mold effect according to the material and surface condition of the mold. In this study, a viscoelastic model was applied to the plate model to predict the thermal deformation. The effects of chemical shrinkage and thermal expansion of the resin, which are the main causes of thermal deformation, were analyzed, and the analysis technique of the 3-D viscoelastic model with and without mold was also studied. Then, the L-shaped mold effect was analyzed using the verified 3D viscoelastic model analysis technique. The results show that different residual deformation occurs depending on the surface condition even when the same mold is used.