• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2017

Recently, flexible cages have been introduced in an attempt to absorb and reduce the abnormal load transfer along the anterior parts of the spine. They are designed to be used with the pedicle screw systems to allow some mobility at the index level while containing ROM at the adjacent level. In this study, a finite element (FE) study was performed to assess biomechanical efficacies of the flexible cage when combined with pedicle screws with flexible rods. The post-operated models were constructed by modifying the L4-5 of a previously-validated 3-D FE model of the intact lumbar spine (L2-S1): (1) Type 1, flexible cage only; (2) Type 2, pedicle screws with flexible rods; (3) Type 3, interbody fusion cage plus pedicle screws with rigid rods; (4) Type 4, interbody fusion cage plus Type 2; (5) Type 5, Type 1 plus Type 2. Flexion/extension of 10 Nm with a compressive follower load of 400N was applied. As compared to the Type 3 (62~65%) and Type 4 (59~62%), Type 5 (53~55%) was able to limit the motion at the operated level effectively, despite moderate reduction at the adjacent level. It was also able to shift the load back to the anterior portions of the spine thus relieving excessively high posterior load transfer and to reduce stress on the endplate by absorbing the load with its flexible shape design features. The likelihood of component failure of flexble cage remained less than 30% regardless of loading conditions when combined with pedicle screws with flexible rods. Our study demonstrated that flexible cages when combined with posterior dynamic system may help reduce subsidence of cage and degeneration process at the adjacent levels while effectively providing stability at the operated level.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.20-31
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• 2010

In this research, the submersible fish cage was designed to avoid structural and biological damage during harsh sea conditions. The submersible cage system consists of netting, mooring ropes, a floating collar, floats, sinkers and anchors. Whole elements of the cage were modeled on the mass-spring model. The computer simulations were carried out to investigate the dynamic behavior of the cage and to calculate mooring line tension subjected to tidal currents and waves. As expected, the tension values in the mooring line of the submerged position are 36% less compared to that of the surface cage under the same loading conditions. As the wave was used in combination with the current velocity of 1m/s, the average tensile load for the submerged cage showed 85% of the value for the floating cage. The simulation results provide an improved understanding of the behaviors of the structure and valuable information on the optimized design of the cage system exposed to open ocean environmental factors.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.159-168
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• 2010

This paper presents a mathematical model and simulation method for investigating the performance of set net systems and fish cage systems influenced by currents and waves. Both systems consist of netting, mooring ropes, a floating collar and sinkers. The netting and ropes were considered flexible structures and the floating collar was considered an elastic structure. Both were modeled on a mass-spring model. The structures were divided into finite elements and mass points were placed at the mid-point of each element, and the mass points were connected by mass-less springs. Each mass point was subjected to external and internal forces and the total force was calculated at every integration step. An implicit integration scheme was used to solve the nonlinear dynamic system. The computation method was applied to dynamic simulation of actual systems simultaneously influenced by currents and waves in order to evaluate their practicality. The simulation results improved our understanding of the behavior of the structure and provided valuable information concerning the optimized design of set net and fish cage systems exposed to an open ocean environment.

• KIEE International Transaction on Electrical Machinery and Energy Conversion Systems
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• v.5B no.1
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• pp.34-38
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• 2005

The finite element method is very flexible for new shapes and provides flux distribution, magnetomotive force, eddy currents, and torques. However, it requires lengthy computational time in order to achieve desired accuracy. The magnetic equivalent circuit method takes less computation time than the finite element method. Therefore, the finite element method is mainly used to confirm the completed design. The magnetic equivalent circuit method is convenient for complicated analysis of the transient state of the induction motor. The magnetic equivalent circuit method is restricted to only one direction of magnetic flux. In this paper, the construction elements (that is, stator iron, rotor iron, yoke, air gap, etc.) of the squirrel cage induction motor were represented by a flux tube and the air gap magnetomotive force was calculated by the magnetic equivalent circuit method. Starting transient torque and phase current of the squirrel cage induction motor were verified by the theoretical calculation and the experiment.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.303-311
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• 2012

The possibility of suppressing critical speeds by using electromagnetic actuators (EMAs) is assessed experimentally in this paper. The system studied is composed of a horizontal flexible shaft supported by two ball bearings at one end and one roller bearing that is located in a squirrel cage at the other end. Four identical EMAs supplied with constant current are utilized. The EMAs associated to the squirrel cage constitutes the hybrid bearing. Results obtained, show that the constant current, when applied to the EMAs, produces a shift of the first critical speed toward lower values. Moreover, the application of constant current for a speed interval around the critical speed enables a smooth run-up or run-down without crossing any resonance.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.143-155
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• 2017

For complex flexible structures such as nets, the determination of drag forces and its deformation is a challenging task. The accurate prediction of loads on cages is one of the key steps in designing fish farm facilities. The basic physics with a simple cage, can be addressed by the use of experimental studies. However, to design more complex cage system for various environmental conditions, a reliable numerical simulation tool is essential. In this work, the current load on a cage is calculated using a Morison-force model applied at instantaneous positions of equivalent-net modeling. Variations of solidity ratio ($S_n$) of the net and current speed are considered. An equivalent array of cylinders is built to represent the physical netting. Based on the systematic comparisons between the published experimental data for Raschel nets and the current numerical simulations, carried out using the commercial software OrcaFlex, a new formulation for $C_d$ values, used in the equivalent-net model, is presented. The similar approach can also be applied to other netting materials following the same procedure. In case of high solidity ratio and current speed, the hybrid model defines $C_d$ as a function of Re (Reynolds number) and $S_n$ to better represent the corresponding weak diffraction effects. Otherwise, the conventional $C_d$ values depending only on Re can be used with including shielding effects for downstream elements. This new methodology significantly improves the agreement between numerical and experimental data.

• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.173-173
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• 2006

We have explored a strategy to control the supramolecular nano-structures self-assembled from rigid segments through attachment of flexible chains through microphase separation and anisotropic arrangement. Supramolecular structures formed by self-assembly of rigid building blocks can be precisely controlled from 1-D layered, 3-D bicontinuous cubic to 2-D cylindrical structures by systematic variation of the type and relative length of the respective blocks. Furthermore, depending on the individual molecular architectures, rigid building blocks self-assemble into a wide range of supramolecular structures such as honeycomb, disk, cylinder, helix, tube, barrel stave, and nano-cage.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.1059-1061
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• 2002

A FE model is to develop a personalized biomechanical model of the scoliotic spine that will allow the design of clinical test providing optimal estimation of the post-operation results. A flexible multi-body model of the spine including rib cage, clavicle, and scapular was developed to simulate several mobility simulations. Vertebrae, clavicle and scapular were represented using rigid bodies and ribs and sternum were modeled as flexible bodies. Kinematical Joints and spring elements were used to represent the intervertebral disc and ligaments respectively. Postero-anterior and lateral radiographics of a scoliotic spine were used to represent a 3D reconstruction. CT data for same patient were also used to verify vertebrae rotation driven from postero-anterior and lateral radiographic images. Simulated results showed good reducibility almost uniformly distributed along the spinal segments. It was also found that boundary and loading conditions, required to mimic the operation procedures, were proven to be very sensitive parameters to its results rather than its mechanical properties

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2014.10a
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• pp.252-255
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• 2014

The elevator rope is easy to oscillate and continue vibrating because the rope structure is flexible and inner damping is small. The vibration of elevator rope is caused by the building vibration excited by external disturbances such as winds and earthquake. This paper is concerned with the experimental verification of the elevator rope vibrations using a small-scale simulator. The elevator rope vibration coupled with the building vibration was modelled using the energy method in the previous study. In this study, the natural frequencies of the elevator rope were computed using the theoretical model and compared to experimental results. Also, the time-responses of the rope vibration during the cage motion were measured by laser sensors and compared to the theoretical predictions. Experimental results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.135-145
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• 2023

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to discover which breathing technique is more effective in improving respiratory function by applying different breathing techniques-the chest expansion respiratory technique and the abdominal expansion respiratory technique-to adults in the same aerobic exercise situation. Methods : In this study, 30 people were randomly assigned to two groups: chest expansion respiratory technique with aerobic exercise (A group) and abdominal expansion respiratory technique with aerobic exercise (B group). Group A was asked to breathe after wrapping their rib cage with an elastic band, and Group B was asked to breathe after wrapping their abdomen with an elastic band. A total of 3 sets of 30 breaths were performed, 3 times a week for 6 weeks. For statistical processing, an independent t-test was used to verify homogeneity between the two groups, and a repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare differences according to the period for each group. Results : The changes in FVC and FEV₁ for each group following 6 weeks of intervention are as follows. In comparison according to the intervention period, there was a significant increase in all groups depending on the timing of measurement (p<.05), and as a result of the inter-subject effect test, there was no significant difference between groups (p>.05). In addition, there was no interaction effect between period and group (p>.05). Conclusion : The conclusion of this study is that FVC and FEV₁ values increased according to the intervention period in both groups; therefore, it can be suggested that flexible breathing techniques can be applied depending on the patient's physical situation when applying a breathing program to improve respiratory function.