• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.311-320
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• 2022

TBM concrete segment requires a higher level of material properties compared to general concrete structures due to difficulties in maintenance and uncertainty in ground conditions. In this regard, recently, as one of the methods to achieve enhancement effect on concrete strength, many researchers have been focusing on adding CNTs to concrete mixture. However, even CNTs do not compensate the weakness that concrete exhibits brittle behavior after cracking. Separately, over the past few decades, a number of studies have been conducted on fiber reinforced concrete which exhibits ductile behavior due to fibers bridging cracks. However, only limited studies have been conducted to employ the advantages of the both materials together. In this study, an experimental program has been conducted to investigate the effect of CNTs on the workability and the compressive behavior of PVA-ECC which exhibits ductile tensile behavior with well-distributed cracks even without a conventional rebar. In addition to the compression test, SEM analysis has been also conducted for detailed investigation in the microstructure. The variable was the CNTs mix ratio, which were set to 0.00, 0.25, and 0.50 wt.% to the binding materials. It was observed though the test results that as the CNTs mix ratio increased, the workability considerably decreased with the reduced slump and slump flow. From the compression test results, it was also investigated that the compressive behavior was improved since the compressive strength, the strain corresponding to the compressive strength, and the modulus of elasticity increased with an increase of CNTs mix ratio. The contents of this paper will be useful for relevant research areas such as fiber reinforced concrete with CNTs which might be applied for high performance TMB concrete segments.

• Composites Research
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.380-386
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• 2021

This paper aims to improve the critical speed of power-take-off (PTO) shafts by using carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs). The PTO shaft was designed with titanium-CFRPs hybrid structure in order to compensate the low shear strength of CFRPs. Based on the requirements for PTO shafts, the dimensions of PTO shafts were determined through a parametric study. To evaluate the performance of the PTO shaft, a vibration test, a static torsion test, and a torsion durability test were performed. In the vibration test, the critical speed of PTO shafts was 20570 rpm, which was 7.5% higher than that of titanium shafts. Additionally, it was confirmed that the maximum allowable torque of the PTO shaft was 2300 N·m. Finally, under repeated load in the range of 11.3 to 113 N·m, the fatigue failure in the PTO shaft did not occur up to 10⁶ cycles.

• Composites Research
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.8-12
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• 2022

Analysis of defect signals inside glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) was conducted through deconvolution of terahertz (THz) wave. The GFRP specimen with internal defects was manufactured and the THz signal was measured through the reflection mode of the Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy (THz-TDS) system. For deconvolution of the measured THz signal, the peak position of the THz signal was amplified through Normalized Cross Correlation (NCC) of the incident and detected THz signals. The position and intensity of the amplified peak were extracted as impulse, and the extracted signal of the impulse position was removed from the THz original signal. By repeating the process, the critical impulses, which represent boundary of the specimen, were derived. The deconvolution process was verified by confirming that the original THz signal without noise can be restored through the convolution of the critical impulses and the incident signal. From the derived critical impulses, the thickness of the internal defect in the GFRP was calculated through the detection time of impulses within 15 ㎛ accuracy.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.219-235
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• 2022

Strengthening slender reinforced concrete (RC) columns is a challenge. They are susceptible to overall buckling that induces bending moment and axial compression. This study presents the precise three-dimensional finite element modeling of slender RC columns strengthened with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites sheets with various patterns under concentric or eccentric compression. The slenderness ratio λ (height/width ratio) of the studied columns ranged from 15 to 35. First, to determine the optimal modeling procedure, nine alternative nonlinear finite element models were presented to simulate the experimental behavior of seven FRP-strengthened slender RC columns under eccentric compression. The models simulated concrete behavior under compression and tension, FRP laminate sheets with different fiber orientations, crack propagation, FRP-concrete interface, and eccentric compression. Then, the validated modeling procedure was applied to simulate 58 FRP-strengthened slender RC columns under compression with minor eccentricity to represent the inevitable geometric imperfections. The simulated columns showed two cross sections (square and rectangular), variable λ values (15, 22, and 35), and four strengthening patterns for FRP sheet layers (hoop H, longitudinal L, partial longitudinal L_w, and longitudinal coupled with hoop LH). For λ=15-22, pattern L showed the highest strengthening effectiveness, pattern L_w showed brittle failure, steel reinforcement bars exhibited compressive yielding, ties exhibited tensile yielding, and concrete failed under compression. For λ>22, pattern L_w outperformed pattern L in terms of the strengthening effectiveness relative to equivalent weight of FRP layers, steel reinforcement bars exhibited crossover tensile strain, and concrete failed under tension. Patterns H and LH (compared with pattern L) showed minor strengthening effectiveness.

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 2023

Damage caused by impact on a vehicle composed of CFRP(carbon fiber reinforced plastic) composite to reduce weight in the aerospace industries is related to the safety of passengers. Therefore, it is important to understand the damage behavior of materials that is invisible in impact situations, and research through the FEM(finite element model) is needed to simulate this. In this study, FEM suitable for predicting damage behavior was constructed for impact analysis of unidirectional laminated composite. The calibration parameters of the MAT_54 Enhanced Composite Damage material model in LS-DYNA were acquired by inverse estimation through ANN(artificial neural network) model. The reliability was verified by comparing the result of experiment with the results of the ANN model for the obtained parameter. It was confirmed that accuracy of FEM can be improved through optimization of calibration parameters.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.93-122
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• 2024

One well-known reason for using Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites is to improve concrete strength and strain capacity via external confinement. Hence, various studies have been undertaken to offer a good illustration of the response of FRP-wrapped concrete for practical design intents. However, in such studies, the strength and strain of the confined concrete were predicted using regression analysis based on a limited number of test data. This study presents an approach based on artificial neural networks (ANNs) to develop models to predict the strength and strain at maximum stress enhancement of circular concrete cross-sections confined with different FRP types (Carbone, Glass, Aramid). To achieve this goal, a large test database comprising 493 axial compression experiments on FRP-confined concrete samples was compiled based on an extensive review of the published literature and used to validate the predicted artificial intelligence techniques. The ANN approach is currently thought to be the preferred learning technique because of its strong prediction effectiveness, interpretability, adaptability, and generalization. The accuracy of the developed ANN model for predicting the behavior of FRP-confined concrete is commensurate with the experimental database compiled from published literature. Statistical measures values, which indicate a better fit, were observed in all of the ANN models. Therefore, compared to existing models, it should be highlighted that the newly developed models based on FRP type are remarkably accurate.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.83-90
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• 2024

This study investigates the 3D printing characteristics of strain hardening cement composites (SHCC) reinforced by PVA fibers. Three SHCC mixtures with diverse fiber volume fractions (1.0% for F1.0 mixture, 1.5% for F1.5 mixture, and 1.8% for F1.8 mixture) were designed. Except for the F1.0 mixture, all mixtures met the necessary conditions for multiple micro-cracking, with higher fiber volume fractions more readily satisfying these conditions. The flow values of three SHCC mixtures were within the 3D printable range of 120~160 mm, exhibiting decreased flow values with increasing the fiber volume fractions. Observation of the printed SHCC surfaces indicated that the F1.0 mixture had a Level-3 (good) rating, while F1.5 and F1.8 were rated as Level-2 (average). Higher fiber volume fractions resulted in poorer surface quality, thus, further research needs to be performed for modulating SHCC mixture suitable for 3D printing. The uniaxial tension behavior showed that the F1.0 mixture failed at lower strain, whereas F1.5 and F1.8 exhibited higher strain performance with multiple micro-cracks occurring.

• Composites Research
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.332-339
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• 2018

Fiber metal hybrid laminate (FML) can be used as an economic material with superior mechanical properties and light weight than conventional metal by bonding of metal and FRP. However, there are disadvantages that it is difficult to predict fracture behavior because of the large difference in properties depending on the type of fiber and lamination conditions. In this paper, we study the failure behavior of hybrid materials with laminated glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP, GEP118, woven type) in Al6061-T6 alloy. The Al alloys were coated with GFRP 1, 3, and 5 layers, and fracture behavior was analyzed by using a static test and a low cycle fatigue test. In the low cycle fatigue test, strain - life analysis and the total strain energy density method were used to analyze and predict the fatigue life. The Al alloy did not have tensile properties strengthening effect due to the GFRP coating. The fatigue hysteresis geometry followed the behavior of the Al alloy, the base material, regardless of the GFRP coating and number of coatings. As a result of the low cycle fatigue test, the fatigue strength was increased by the coating of GFRP, but it did not increase proportionally with the number of GFRP layers.

• Composites Research
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.8-11
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• 2018

Sheet molding compound (SMC) is one of the most economical fiber reinforced composite fabrication processing for automotive applications. In this study, we studied the optimum formulation for the production of SMC which shows low specific gravity without lowering the mechanical properties by using glass bubble (GB) which is a low specific gravity filler and glass fiber (GF) as a reinforcing material. The tensile strength increased with the increase of the GF in the SMC, and the specific gravity decreased with the increase of the GB. The synergistic effect of improving the mechanical properties as the specific gravity is lowered is found in the optimum formulation. The synergy effect was confirmed by the internal structure analysis that the dispersion effect of the crack propagation of the GB and the improvement of the binding force between the fiber and the matrix due to the incorporation of the GB.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.707-720
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• 2022

In the present work, bending and free vibration analyses of multilayered functionally graded (FG) graphene platelet (GPL) and fiber-reinforced hybrid composite beams are carried out using the parabolic function based shear deformation theory. Parabolic variation of transverse shear stress across the thickness of beam and transverse shear stress-free conditions at top and bottom surfaces of the beam are considered, and the proposed formulation incorporates a transverse displacement field. The present theory works only with four unknowns and is computationally efficient. Hamilton's principle has been employed for deriving the governing equations. Analytical solutions are obtained for both the bending and free vibration problems in the present work considering different variations of GPLs and fibers distribution, namely, FG-X, FG-U, FG-Λ, and FG-O for beams having simply-supported boundary condition. First, the matrix is assumed to be strengthened using GPLs, and then the fibers are embedded. Multiscale modeling for material properties of functionally graded graphene platelet/fiber hybrid composites (FG-GPL/FHRC) is performed using Halpin-Tsai micromechanical model. The study reveals that the distributions of GPLs and fibers have significant impacts on the stresses, deflections, and natural frequencies of the beam. The number of layers and shape factors widely affect the behavior of FG-GPL-FHRC beams. The multilayered FG-GPL-FHRC beams turn out to be a good approximation to the FG beams without exhibiting the stress-channeling effects.