• 센서학회지
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.6-11
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• 2022

To date, various techniques have been utilized to assess the contractility of cardiomyocytes and their response to drug-induced toxicity. However, these techniques are either invasive or involve complex fabrication methods and expertise. Here, we introduce the use of video-based analysis software to track the motion of cardiomyocytes and assess their contractility. The software, called "Tracker", is freely available and this is the first attempt at using it for cardiac contractility measurement. We used the software to measure the contractile properties of cells cultured on a rigid substrate and two flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates having different elastic moduli day-wise up to eight days. Contractility was found to be highest in the most flexible substrate. Subsequently, the cardiotoxicity response of the cells on three different substrates was analyzed with verapamil. It was observed that the cells on rigid substrate were primarily affected by drug-induced toxicity, while the drug had a lesser impact on cells on the more flexible PDMS substrate. Evidently, the flexible substrate aided the maturation of cells and had lower drug toxicity, while the cells on PS could not fully mature. The assessment of cardiomyocytes using "Tracker" proved to be simple and reliable.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제84권1호
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• pp.101-111
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• 2022

It is widely known that axially loaded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) confined concrete presents significant and enhanced mechanical properties with reference to the unconfined concrete. Therefore, to predict the mechanical behavior of FRP-confined concrete two quantities-peak strength and ultimate strain are required. Despite the significant advances, the determination of the ultimate strain of FRP-confined concrete is one of the most challenging problems to be resolved. This is often attributed to our persistence in desiring the conventional methods as the sole technique to examine this phenomenon and the complex nature of the ultimate strain of FRP-confined concrete. To bridge the research gap, this study adopted two machine learning (ML) techniques-artificial neural network (ANN) and Gaussian process regression (GPR)-to analyze observations obtained from 627 datasets of FRP-confined concrete circular and non-circular sections under axial loading test. Besides, the techniques are also used to predict the ultimate strain of FRP-confined concrete. Seven parameters namely width/diameter of the specimens, corner radius ratio, the strength of concrete, FRP elastic modulus, FRP thickness, FRP tensile rupture strain, and the axial strain of unconfined concrete-are the input parameters used to predict the ultimate strain of FRP-confined concrete. The results of the current study highlight the merit of using AI techniques in structural engineering applications given their extraordinary ability to comprehend multidimensional phenomena of FRP-confined concrete structures with ease, low computational cost, and high performance over the existing empirical models.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제81권4호
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• pp.443-459
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• 2022

The paper studies the dispersion and attenuation of propagating waves in the "plate+compressible viscous fluid layer" system in the case where the fluid layer flow is restricted with a rigid wall, and in the case where the fluid layer has a free face. The motion of the plate is described by the exact equations of elastodynamics and the flow of the fluid by the linearized Navier-Stokes equations for compressible barotropic Newtonian viscous fluids. Analytical expressions are obtained for the amplitudes of the sought values, and the dispersion equation is derived using the corresponding boundary and compatibility conditions. To find the complex roots of the dispersion equation, an algorithm based on equating the modulus of the dispersion determinant to zero is developed. Numerical results on the dispersion and attenuation curves for various pairs of plate and fluid materials under different fluid layer face conditions are presented and discussed. Corresponding conclusions on the influence of the problem parameters on the dispersion and attenuation curves are made and, in particular, it is established that the change of the free face boundary condition with the impermeability condition can influence the dispersion and attenuation curves not only in the quantitative, but also in the qualitative sense.

• Design & Manufacturing
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.27-32
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• 2023

Liquid silicon rubber (LSR) has fine thermal compatibility and is widely used in various fields such as medical care and automobiles because it is easy to implement products with good fluidity. With the recent development of flexible sensors, the focus has been on manufacturing conductive elastomers, such as silicone as elastic materials, and carbon black, CNT, and graphene are mainly used as nanomaterials that impart conductive phases. In this study, mechanical behavior and curing behavior were measured and analyzed to manufacture a CB-LSR complex by adding Carbon Black to LSR and to identify properties. As a result of the compression test, the elastic modulus tended to increase as carbon black was added. When the swelling test and the compression set test were conducted, the swelling rate tended to decrease as the content of carbon black increased, and the compression set tended to increase. In addition, DSC measurements showed that the total amount of reaction heat increased slightly as the carbon black content increased. It is considered that carbon black was involved in the crosslinking of LSR to increase the crosslinking density and have a positive effect on oil resistance reinforcement.

• 소성∙가공
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.28-34
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• 2023

In this research, a representative volume element (RVE)-based FE Model is presented to estimate the mechanical properties of additively manufactured continuous fiber-reinforced composites with different fiber orientations. To construct the model, an ABAQUS Python script has been implemented to produce matrix and fiber in the desired orientations at the RVE. A script has also been developed to apply the periodic boundary conditions to the RVE. Experimental tests were conducted to validate the numerical models. Tensile specimens with the fiber directions aligned in the 0, 45, and 90 degrees to the loading direction were manufactured using a continuous fiber 3D printer and tensile tests were performed in the three directions. Tensile tests were also simulated using the RVE models. The predicted Young's moduli compared well with the measurements: the Young's modulus prediction accuracy values were 83.73, 97.70, and 92.92 percent for the specimens in the 0, 45, and 90 degrees, respectively. The proposed method with periodic boundary conditions precisely evaluated the elastic properties of additively manufactured continuous fiber-reinforced composites with complex microstructures.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제87권2호
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• pp.173-189
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• 2023

For a given structural geometry, the stiffness and damping parameters of the soil and the dynamic response of the structure may change in the face of an equivalent linear soil behavior caused by a strong earthquake. Therefore, the influence of equivalent linear soil behavior on the impedance functions form and the seismic response of the soil-structure system has been investigated. Through the substructure method, the seismic response of the selected structure was obtained by an analytical formulation based on the dynamic equilibrium of the soil-structure system modeled by an analog model with three degrees of freedom. Also, the dynamic response of the soil-structure system for a nonlinear soil behavior and for the two types of impedance function forms was also analyzed by 2D finite element modeling using ABAQUS software. The numerical results were compared with those of the analytical solution. After the investigation, the effect of soil nonlinearity clearly showed the critical role of soil stiffness loss under strong shaking, which is more complex than the linear elastic soil behavior, where the energy dissipation depends on the seismic motion amplitude and its frequency, the impedance function types, the shear modulus reduction and the damping increase. Excellent agreement between finite element analysis and analytical results has been obtained due to the reasonable representation of the model.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제49권1호
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• pp.109-123
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• 2023

Headed studs welded to steel beams and embedded within the concrete of deck slabs are vital components of modern composite floor systems, where safety and economy depend on the accurate predictions of the stud shear resistance. The multitude of existing deck profiles and the complex behavior of studs in deck slab ribs makes developing accurate and reliable mechanical or empirical design models challenging. The paper addresses this issue by presenting a machine learning (ML) model developed from the natural gradient boosting (NGBoost) algorithm capable of producing probabilistic predictions and a database of 464 push-out tests, which is considerably larger than the databases used for developing existing design models. The proposed model outperforms models based on other ML algorithms and existing descriptive equations, including those in EC4 and AISC 360, while offering probabilistic predictions unavailable from other models and producing higher shear resistances for many cases. The present study also showed that the stud shear resistance is insensitive to the concrete elastic modulus, stud welding type, location of slab reinforcement, and other parameters considered important by existing models. The NGBoost model was interpreted by evaluating the feature importance and dependence determined with the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method. The model was calibrated via reliability analyses in accordance with the Eurocodes to ensure that its predictions meet the required reliability level and facilitate its use in design. An interactive open-source web application was created and deployed to the cloud to allow for convenient and rapid stud shear resistance predictions with the developed model.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제38권1호
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• pp.45-56
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• 2024

The weakening effect of water on rocks is one of the main factors inducing deformation and failure in rock engineering. To clarify this weakening effect, immersion tests and post-immersion triaxial compression tests were conducted on sandstone and mudstone. The results showed that the strength of water-immersed sandstone decreases with increasing immersion time, exhibiting an exponential relationship. Similarly, the strength of water-immersed mudstone decreases with increasing environmental humidity, also following an exponential relationship. Subsequently, a statistical damage model for water-weakened rocks was proposed, changes in elastic modulus to describe the weakening effect of water. The model effectively simulated the stress-strain relationships of water-affected sandstone and mudstone under compression. The R² values between the theoretical and experimental peak values ranged from 0.962 to 0.996, and the MAPE values fell between 3.589% and 9.166%, demonstrating the model's effectiveness and reliability. The damage process of water-saturated rocks corresponds to five stages: compaction stage - no damage, elastic stage - minor damage, crack development stage - rapid damage increase, post-peak residual stage - continuous damage increase, and sliding stage - damage completion. This study provides a foundational reference for researching the fracture characteristics of overlying strata during coal mining under complex hydrogeological conditions.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제91권6호
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• pp.627-642
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• 2024

In the present work, the deformation and stresses induced in a functionally graded disk have been reported for different loading conditions. The governing differential equation is solved using the classical method namely Navier's method by considering thermal and mechanical boundary conditions at the surface of the disk. To simplify solving the second-order differential equation, a plane stress condition was assumed. Following validation using a one-dimensional steady-state heat condition problem, temperature variations were computed for constant heat generation and varying conductivity. The research aims to investigate both the individual and combined effects of rotation, gravity, and temperature with constant heat generation on a hollow disk operating under complex loading conditions. The results demonstrated a high degree of accuracy when compared with those in existing literature. Material properties, such as Young's modulus, density, conductivity, and thermal expansion coefficient, were modeled using a power law variation along the disk's radius by considering aluminum as a base material. The proposed analytical method is straightforward, providing valuable insights into the behavior of disks under various loading conditions. This method is particularly useful for researchers and industries in selecting appropriate loading conditions and grading parameters for engineering applications, including aerospace components, energy systems, and rotary machinery parts.

• Composites Research
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.241-248
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• 2021

전기자동차 시장이 성장함에 따라 배터리 효율을 증가시키기 위해 차량 경량화 이슈가 대두되고 있다. 이에 전기자동차 배터리 모듈을 보호하는 배터리 모듈 커버를 기존 알루미늄 소재에서 알루미늄 대비 절반 수준의 무게를 가지는 고강도/고내열성 고분자 복합소재로 대체하고자 한다. 또한 복잡한 형상에 대한 제약이 없고, 다품종 소량생산에 유리한 3D 프린팅 기술을 접목하여 기술 변화가 빠른 초기 전기자동차 시장에 대응하고자 한다. 복합소재 역학에 기반하여 압출기를 통해 가공한 단섬유 GF(glass fiber)/PC(polycarbonate) 복합소재 내 유리섬유의 임계길이(critical length)가 453.87 ㎛임을 도출하였고, 사이드 피딩(side feeding) 방식의 가공법을 택함으로써 기존 365.87 ㎛이었던 잔류섬유길이를 향상시킴과 동시에 분산성을 향상시켰다. 이에 30 wt%의 GF가 함유된 GF/PC 복합소재로 인장강도(tensile strength) 135 MPa, 탄성계수(Young's modulus) 7.8 MPa의 최적의 물성을 구현하였다. 또한 3D 프린팅 필라멘트가 상용 필라멘트 규격인 두께 1.75 mm, 표준편차 0.05 mm를 만족하기 위해서 필라멘트 압출 조건(온도, 압출속도)을 최적화하였다. 제작된 필라멘트를 통해 기공률을 최소화하며 강도를 최대화하고, 동시에 생산성 향상을 위해 프린팅 속도를 최대화하는 다중 최적화 문제를 통해 3D 프린팅 공정조건(온도, 프린팅 속도)을 최적화하였고, 이로써 기존 상용화 되어있는 동일 소재 필라멘트 대비 인장강도 11%, 탄성계수 56%가 향상된 결과를 얻었으며, 출력물의 후처리(post-process)를 통해 후처리 전 대비 인장강도 5%, 탄성계수 18%를 추가로 향상시켰다. 끝으로 유한요소해석(finite element analysis, FEA) 기법을 활용하여 전기자동차 배터리 모듈 커버의 시험 규격(ISO-12405)의 Mechanical Shock test의 기준을 만족하도록 배터리 모듈 커버의 구조를 최적화하였고, 이로써 배터리 커버 시험규격을 만족하면서 동시에 알루미늄을 사용했을 때 대비 37%의 경량화를 달성하였다. 해당 연구 결과 및 연구 방법을 활용하여 향후 다양한 분야에 고분자 복합소재 3D 프린팅 기술이 활용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.