• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.617-632
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• 2011

A concept of crash energy absorbing (CEA) lattice structure for an inflatable morphing vehicle body (Lee et al. 2008) has been investigated as a method of providing rigidity and energy absorption capability during a vehicular collision (Lee et al. 2007). A modified analytical model for the CEA lattice structure design is described in this paper. The modification of the analytic model was made with a stiffness approach for the elastic region and updated plastic limit analysis with a pure plastic bending deformation concept and amended elongation factors for the plastic region. The proposed CEA structure is composed of a morphing lattice structure with movable thin-walled members for morphing purposes, members that will be locked in designated positions either before or during the crash. What will be described here is how to model the CEA structure analytically based on the energy absorbed by the CEA structure.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.33-38
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• 2005

The large deformation of inflatable membrane structure is numerically and experimentally considered in this paper. The numerical algorithm of wrinkling based on Miller and Hedgepeth membrane theory is developed using user material(UMAT) subroutine written by FORTRAN. Wrinkled area and deformed shapes of inflatable membrane structures are investigated by using ABAQUS with UMAT subroutine of wrinkling algorithm.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.109-117
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• 2016

This paper is focused on the determination of friction parameter which is a predominant factor in the design of inflatable structure system. This inflatable structure system is very valuably used to protect passively and rapidly the possibilities of tunnel damages by flooding threats and unusual leakage to be occurred during and after underground infrastructure construction. In particular, this system should be necessary in subsea tunnel. This study presents the experimental results obtained from the relative friction characteristics tests of the fabric materials that constitute the inflatable structure. In order to evaluate the relative friction behaviour of the inflatable structure system, friction tests and scaled model tunnel friction tests are carried out. The friction tests are carried out to determine the friction coefficient for different surface conditions between tunnel and inflatable structure. These friction coefficients are then evaluated and compared with the result obtained from the model tunnel friction tests. Interaction behaviours between tunnel and system are also reviewed and described in this study. The results clearly show that the friction coefficients derived from scaled model slippage tests are about 12% lower than values obtained from the friction tests. In addition, this study will be necessary to verify the real friction behaviour with prototype tests before applying in practice.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.1221-1230
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• 2008

Inflatable rubber dams are used for controlling flood, impounding water for recreations, preventing beach erosions, diverting water for irrigations, and generating hydropower. They are long, flexible, inflated with air, cylindrical structures on a rigid horizontal foundation such as concrete. The dam is modeled as an elastic shell inflated with air. The mechanical behaviors of the inflated dam model were investigated by using the finite element method. The analysis process such as One Way Coupling Fluid-Structure Interaction consists of two steps. First, the influences of the fluid side were investigated, viz, the shape changes of the inflated rubber dam due to the fluid motions was captured when the height of the dam was 30cm with air pressure 0.01MPa, at which the pressure distributions over the surface of the dam were calculated. And next, the structural deformations were calculated using the pressure distributions. The initial inlet velocity for flow field was set to 0.1m/s. The structural deformation behaviors were investigated. The final research goal is to develop a Korean Inflatable Rubber Dam to be used for generating small hydropower.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.161-177
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• 2017

This paper presents the design considerations and field applications on inflatable structure system to protect rapidly flooding damages in large section tunnel. This inflatable structure system is very valuably used to protect passively and rapidly the possibilities of tunnel damages by flooding threats and unusual leakage to be occurred during and after underground infrastructure. In particular, this system should be necessary in subsea tunnel. The predominant factors in the design of inflatable structure system are the leakage and friction characteristics between the inflater and tunnel liner. The analytical and experimental studies are performed to develop the design considerations and to examine the design parameters of the inflatable structure system. The analytical solutions are developed using membrane theory to suggest the design considerations. The relative friction tests of several fabric materials are also carried out to determine the friction characteristics according to the different friction conditions between inflater and tunnel surface. The test results show that the friction coefficients in wet surface condition are about 20% lower than the values in dry surface condition. In addition, virtual design of tunnel protection system for two virtual subsea tunnel sites which is under reviewing in Korea, is carried out based on this research. It is expected that the results of this research will be very useful to understand the inflater structure design and development the technology of tunnel protection structures in the future.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.469-484
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• 2020

This study focused on shielding through inflatable structure in the event of sudden water inflow into the submerged floating tunnels. Currently, there is a lack of measures to deal with unexpected water in tunnels in Korea. Although water treatment facilities such as waterproofing and floodgates in tunnels are installed, there are limitations to the sudden inflow of large amounts of seawater or underground water. Also, floodgates cannot respond quickly to sudden damage due to slow blocking time. Accordingly, a study was conducted on the shielding rate and axial movement distance for inflatable structure. The results of the reduced model experiment confirmed that the number of inflatable structure and internal pneumatic pressure influence on the shielding rate. As the number of inflatable structure increased from one to two, the shielding rate increased by about 35 up to 40 percent. It was also confirmed that the shielding rate increased by about 4 percent as the internal pneumatic pressure increased from 0.2 bar to 0.3 bar. If we verify and further develop the results identified in this study through a real-size experiment, it will be able to be used as an effective waterproof measure for sudden water inflow into the undersea tunnels or underwater tunnels.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.91-98
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• 2006

The thermomechanical behaviors of SMA thin film actuator and their application are investigated. The numerical algorithm of the 2-D SMA thermomechanical constitutive equation is developed and implemented into the ABAQUS finite element program by using the user defined material (UMAT) subroutine. To verify the numerical algorithm of SMAs, the results are compared with experimental data. For the application of SMA thin film actuator, the methodology to maintain the precise configuration of inflatable membrane structure is demonstrated.

• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• v.5 no.6
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• pp.653-669
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• 2018

This work has the objective to analyze multibody mechanisms of inflatable structures for manned space applications. The focus is on the evaluation of the main characteristics of MaxFlex, a new module of MSC Adams including the effect of nonlinear flexible bodies. MaxFlex integrates the nonlinear Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of Nastran-SOL400-and the Adams multibody capabilities in one unique solver, providing an improvement concerning the concept and technology based on the co-simulation among solvers. MaxFlex converts the equations of motion of the nonlinear FEA into phase-space form and discretizes them according to the multibody system integrator framework. The numerical results deal with an inflatable manned space module having rigid components and a flexible coating made of Kevlar. This paper is a preliminary assessment of the computational capabilities of the software and does not provide realistic guidelines for the actual design of the structure. The analysis leads to some recommendations related to the main issues to consider in a nonlinear simulation including both rigid and flexible components. The results underline the importance of realistic deployment times and applied forces. Also, a proper structural modeling is necessary, but can lead to excessive computational overheads.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.108-116
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• 2006

• Advanced Composite Materials
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.319-332
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• 2008

The thermoelastic behaviors of an inflatable fabric membrane structure for use in a stratospheric airship envelope are experimentally and numerically investigated. Mechanical tensile properties of the membrane material at room, high, and low temperatures are measured using an $Instron^{(R)}$ universal testing machine and an $Instron^{(R)}$ thermal chamber. To characterize the nonlinear behavior of the inflated membrane structure due to wrinkling, the bending behavior of an inflated cylindrical boom made of a fabric membrane is observed at various pressure levels. Moreover, the envelope of a stratospheric airship is numerically modeled based on the thermoelastic properties of the fabric membrane obtained from experimental data, and the wrinkled deformed shape induced by a thermal load is analyzed.