• Transactions of the KSME C: Technology and Education
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.113-124
• /
• 2014

In developing an aircraft, configuration determination and requirement proofing depend on flight test results. Since the flight tests require much time and high cost, systematic flight test planning and analysis are needed to reduce cost and development time. This paper presents a desirability function approach to present an integrative measure of vibration levels at important positions and suggests a fractional factorial design which is one of the experimental design methods to help perform systematic flight tests. A method to perform flight tests in stages is also suggested to further reduce the number of flight tests.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.12-20
• /
• 2016

Purpose: Pepper prices have risen continuously because of a decrease in cultivation area; therefore, mechanical harvesting systems for peppers should be developed to reduce cost, time, and labor during harvest. In this study, a screw type picking head for a self-propelled pepper harvester was developed, and the optimal working conditions were evaluated considering helix types, winding directions of helix, and rotational speeds of the helix. Methods: The screw type was selected for the picking head after analyzing previous studies, and the device consisted of helices and a feed chain mechanism for conveying pepper branches. A double helix and a triple helix were manufactured, and rotational speeds of 200, 300, and 400 rpm were tested. The device was controlled by a variable speed (VS) motor and an inverter. Both the forward and reverse directions were tested for the winding and rotating directions of the helix. An experiment crop (cultivar: Longgreenmat) was cultivated in a plastic greenhouse. The test results were analyzed using the SAS program with ANOVA to examine the relationship between each factor and the performance of the picking head. Results: The results of the double and triple helix tests in the reverse direction showed gross harvest efficiency levels of 60-95%, mechanical damage rates of 8-20%, and net marketable portion rates of 50-80%. The dividing ratio was highest at a rotational speed of 400 rpm. Gross harvest efficiency was influenced by the types of helix and rotational speed. Net marketable portion was influenced by rotational speed but not influenced by the type of helix. Mechanical damage was not influenced by the type of helix or rotational speed. Conclusions: Best gross harvest efficiency was obtained at a rotational speed of 400 rpm; however, operating the device at that speed resulted in vibration, which should be reduced.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.187-200
• /
• 2014

After excavation or blasting, rock properties within an excavation damaged zone can be perpetually weakened on account of stress redistribution or blasting impact. In the present study, the excavation damaged zone is applied to a rock slope. The objective of this research is to compare the mechanical stability of the rock slope depending on the presence of the damaged zone using 2-dimensional modeling and analyze factors affecting factor-of-safety. From the modeling, it was founded that the mechanical stability of the rock slope is significantly dependent on the presence of the damaged zone. In particular, factor-of-safety with a consideration of the damaged zone decreased by approximately 49.4% in comparison with no damaged zone. Factor analysis by fractional factorial design was carried out on factor-of-safety. It showed that the key parameters affecting factor-of-safety are angle of the slope, cohesion, internal friction angle and height.

• Carbon letters
• /
• v.28
• /
• pp.72-80
• /
• 2018

In this study, an empirical relationship between the energy band gap of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and synthesis parameters in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor using factorial design of experiment was established. A bimetallic (Fe-Ni) catalyst supported on $CaCO_3$ was synthesized via wet impregnation technique and used for MWCNT growth. The effects of synthesis parameters such as temperature, time, acetylene flow rate, and argon carrier gas flow rate on the MWCNTs energy gap, yield, and aspect ratio were investigated. The as-prepared supported bimetallic catalyst and the MWCNTs were characterized for their morphologies, microstructures, elemental composition, thermal profiles and surface areas by high-resolution scanning electron microscope, high resolution transmission electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, thermal gravimetry analysis and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller. A regression model was developed to establish the relationship between band gap energy, MWCNTs yield and aspect ratio. The results revealed that the optimum conditions to obtain high yield and quality MWCNTs of 159.9% were: temperature ($700^{\circ}C$), time (55 min), argon flow rate ($230.37mL\;min^{-1}$) and acetylene flow rate ($150mL\;min^{-1}$) respectively. The developed regression models demonstrated that the estimated values for the three response variables; energy gap, yield and aspect ratio, were 0.246 eV, 557.64 and 0.82. The regression models showed that the energy band gap, yield, and aspect ratio of the MWCNTs were largely influenced by the synthesis parameters and can be controlled in a CVD reactor.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.11 no.6
• /
• pp.685-691
• /
• 1998

In the first of two experiments, chemical composition (Ash, CP and CF contents), nutritive value (in vitro organic matter disappearance "lVOMD" and energy content "ME") and nitrogen retention of chopped date fronds (CDF) as affected by chemical treatment (CT) and storage duration (SD) were investigated. The experimental design was a completely randomized block, arranged in a $3{\times}4$ factorial, with 3 (CT) and 4 (SD) as the main factors using 2 replications / treatment. Three chemical treatments, were used : Control (With zero or no chemical treatment); treatment with 4% urea solution (w /w) and treatment with 4% urea + Date syrup extract (DS). The 4 (SD) were: Control (immediately after opening - without any storage or zero time storage); one month storage period; two months storage period and three months storage period. Both (CT) and (SD) had significant effects (p < 0.05) on CP and ash contents of the CDF, however there were no significant effects (p > 0.05) due to (CT) and (SD) on CF and nutritive value. High retention value (> 80%) for nitrogen was reported for the treated CDF, immediately after opening the incubated material (zero SD). However, nitrogen retention decreased with increasing (SD) to 67% after one month (SD) but tended to stay at a fairly constant level of 67% until 3 months of storage. In experiment 2, the feeding value of treated CDF was evaluated in comparison to Rhodes grass hay, using growing goats and sheep. A $4{\times}2$ factorial design was used (Four roughage sources were used : Rhodes grass hay, untreated CDF, urea-treated CDF and CDF treated with urea + DS with sheep and goats as two animal species, using three animals / treatment). Untreated CDF had a similar feeding value to Rhodes grass hay. However treatment of CDF with urea alone or with urea + DS depressed animal performance of both goats and sheep, apparently due to depression of feed intake (appetite). Feeding untreated CDF decreased feeding cost by 29% and cost/kg gain by 23%. CDF showed a good potential as a cheap local roughage and emergency feed for ruminants in the Sultanate.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.37 no.9
• /
• pp.1183-1188
• /
• 2013

The reliability of hydraulic equipment used in power plants is especially important because failures that occur in the power plant can have a great ripple effect on human lives and financial losses. In this study, specimens using the materials used in the spool and sleeve of hydraulic valves of power plants have been produced, heat-treated, and tested under the precipitation conditions of phosphate ester hydraulic fluid with a variety of conditions. 23 full factorial designs have been applied to evaluate the significance of factors that affect the wear loss of the specimen, specifically, the load, velocity, and temperature. The significance evaluation was performed on the main effects and two-way interactions for wear loss based on the experiment results, and the mathematical equations between the wear loss and the three factors were derived from the analysis results.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.193-200
• /
• 2014

Research on flow channel designs of the separate plates is necessary to improve the PEMFC performance. On concerning the performance improvement of PEMFC, many recent studies have been made on the interdigitated flow channel using forced convection. In this paper, the interdigitated flow channel is similarly applied on the parallel flow channel with a baffle or baffles. Numerical analysis is performed by using a commercial multiphysics program, which is called COMSOL, on the parallel channel with the fully blocked baffle(FBB) and there are three variables, the position of baffle, flow direction and flow velocity. Each power of the variables is resulted from the fixed 0.5V, the voltage from 80 percents of the maximum power. Finally, based on the full factorial designs(FFD), one of the design of experiments(DOE), each factor which has several levels lead to the conclusion. The analysis of the main effects and interactions of the factors is useful to find the most influenced factor to improve the power.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.507-512
• /
• 2000

This study set out to improve the physical and pharmaceutical characteristics of the present formulation using an appropriate experimental design. The work described here concerns the formulation of the dispersible tablet applying direct compression method containing roxithromycin in the form of coated granules. In this study $2^3$ factorial design was used as screening test model and Central Composite Design (CCC) associated with response surface methodology was used as optimization study model to develop and to optimize the proper formulation of roxithromycin dispersible tablet. The three independent variables investigated were functional excipients like binder (X1), disintegrant (X2) and lubricant (X3). The effects of these variables were investigated on the following responses: hardness (Y1), friability (Y2) and disintegration time (Y3) of tablet. Three replicates at the center levels of the each design were used to independently calculate the experimental error and to detect any curvature in the response surface. This enabled the best formulations to be selected objectively. The effect order of each term to all response variable was X3> X2> Xl> X1＊X2> X2＊X2> X2＊X3> X3＊X3> Xl＊X3> Xl＊Xl and model equations on each response variables were generated. Optimized compositions of formula were accordingly computed using those model equations and confirmed by following demonstration study. As a result, this study has demonstrated the efficiency and effectiveness of using a systematic formulation optimization process to develop the tablet formulation of roxithromycin dispersible tablet with limited experiment.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.38-49
• /
• 2013

Prohexadione-calcium (Pro-Ca), ethephon and transient water stress were evaluated in a factorial design, as potential inhibitors of early-season shoot growth of high density orchard management of apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) trees. In the experiment, water stress was imposed to one-half of the 7-year-old 'Golden Delicious'/M.9 apple trees in each of 5 blocks, by stopping irrigation for 3 weeks between 35 and 56 days after full bloom (AFB). Within each whole unit, the following Pro-Ca and ethephon treatments were randomly allocated at $2{\times}2$ factorial: a) 0 or 250 $mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ a.i. Pro-Ca applied at 28 days AFB and b) 0 or 300 $mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ a.i. ethephon applied twice (35 and 71 days AFB). All trees were hand thinned to king flowers prior to treatments. Vegetative shoot growth was markedly reduced by Pro-Ca, with its effect being obvious within 14 days after application, while ethephon and water stress treatments were less effective. Pro-Ca had no effect on fruit set and yield but slightly increased fruit size. Ethephon substantially reduced the fruit size and yield but had no effect on fruit set. Water stress reduced fruit set, fruit size and yield. With regard to fruit quality, Pro-Ca did not influence fruit shape, flesh firmness and soluble solids contents (SSC) but slightly reduced titratable acidity. Ethephon had no effect on fruit shape but increased firmness, SSC and acidity, while water stress did not influence these fruit quality attributes. Dry weight of dormant spur buds was reduced by both Pro-Ca and water stress, while increased by ethephon. The larger dormant buds led to the larger spur flowers at the tight cluster stage the following spring. Return flowering was promoted only by ethephon, especially on previous season's shoots. There were no significant interactions between Pro-Ca and ethephon or water stress on most variables observed in this study.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.23 no.11
• /
• pp.1490-1495
• /
• 2010

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of addition of sodium polyacrylate (SPA) to a phytasesupplemented diet on the performance and phosphorus (P) retention of chicks. In experiment 1, chicks were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments which were fed from 7 to 21 days of age: i) basal diet (low nonphytate phosphorus (0.23% NPP)); ii) basal with 250 U/kg diet of phytase; iii) as (ii) with 2.5 g/kg diet of SPA; and iv) as (ii) with 5.0 g/kg diet of SPA. In experiment 2, three replicates, each with three chicks, were fed from 7 to 28 days of age the basal diet (0.23% NPP) with supplementation of phytase (0, 300, 600, 900 U/kg diet) and SPA (0, 2.5 g/kg diet) in a $4{\times}2$ factorial arrangement. In Experiment 1, feed efficiency was improved and excreted P was 10% less with phytase supplementation. However, the addition of SPA did not affect performance or P excretion. Dietary SPA supplementation to the diets showed significantly higher amounts of P retention, and highest values were observed in chicks fed 2.5 g/kg of the SPA-supplemented diet. In Experiment 2, feed efficiency was improved with phytase supplementation, and the addition of SPA showed significant improvement in feed efficiency. Excreted P was significantly lower in chicks fed SPA-supplemented diets, and the retained P coefficient improved with SPA supplementation. In conclusion, the increased transit time of digesta with suitable supplementation levels of SPA may allow phytase activity to be more effective in the degradation of phytate, and improve P retention.