• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.12
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• pp.4522-4533
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• 2022

For severe accident assessment of reactor pressure vessel (RPV), it is important to develop an accurate model that can predict transient thermo-mechanical behavior of the RPV lower head under the given condition. The present study revisits the lower head failure with two- and three-dimensional finite element models. In particular, we aim to give clear insight regarding the effect of the three-dimensionality present in the distribution of the thickness and thermal load of the lower head. For a rigorous validation of the result, both the OLHF-1 and the OLHF-2 tests are considered in this study. The result suggests that the three-dimensional effect is not negligible as far as the failure location is concerned. The non-uniformity of the thickness distribution is found to affect the failure location and time. The thermal load, which may not be axisymmetric in general, has the most significant effect on the failure assessment. We also observe that the creep property can affect the global deformation of the lower head, depending on the applied mechanical load.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.299-308
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• 2000

A safety assessment of reactor vessel lower head integrity under in-vessel vapor explosion loads has been performed. The core melt relocation parameters were chosen within the ranges of physically realizable bounds. The premixing and explosion calculations were performed using TRACER-II code. Using the calculated explosion pressures imposed on the lower head inner wall, strain calculations were peformed using ANSYS code. Then, the calculated strain results and the established failure criteria were used in determining the failure probability of the lower head, In the explosion analyses, it is shown that the explosion impulses are not altered significantly by the uncertain parameters of triggering location and time, fuel and vapor volume fractions in uniform premixture bounding calculations. Strain analyses show that the vapor explosion-induced lower head failure is not possible under the present framework of assessment. The result of static analysis using the conservative explosion-end pressure of 50 MPa also supports the conclusion. It is recommended, however, that an assessment of fracture mechanics for preexisting cracks be also considered to obtain a more concrete conclusion.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.11
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• pp.4134-4145
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• 2023

This paper proposes strain-based failure model of A533B1 pressure vessel steel to simulate failure, followed by application to OECD lower head failure (OLHF) test simulation for experimental validation. The proposed strain-based failure model uses simple constant and linear functions based on physical failure modes with the critical strain value determined either using the lower bound of true fracture strain or using the average value of total elongation depending on the temperature. Application to OECD Lower Head Failure (OLHF) tests shows that progressive deformation, failure time and failure location can be well predicted.

• Proceedings of the Korea Committee for Ocean Resources and Engineering Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.144-149
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• 2001

The failure at the head section of rubble-mound detached breakwaters is more important than other failure modes. because this initial failures will occur the failure of the trunk section and lead to the instability of the structure. The three-dimensional failure modes are discussed using the experimental data with multi-directional waves considering the failure modes occurring around the head of the rubble-mound detached breakwater. The spacial characteristics of failure mode around the rubble-mound structures can be summarized as follows: 1) It was clarified that the failure modes at the round head of a detached breakwater are classified as failure by plunging breaker on the slope, failure by direct incident wave force and failure by scouring at the toe of the detached breakwater. 2) The failure mode was found in the lower wave height than the design wave by the breaker depth effects. It is clarified that the structure monitored was safely designed for the design wave but the failure was occurred by the reason of breaker waves and scouring processes at the toe 3) It was observed that scouring at the toe developed in the region where steady stream due to vorticity was generated and the spatial variation of scour at the toe of the round head was predominated by incident wave direction.

• Proceedings of the Korea Committee for Ocean Resources and Engineering Conference
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• 2004.05a
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• pp.303-308
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• 2004

The failure at the head section of rubble mound breakwaters is more important than other failure modes. because this initial failures will occur the failure of the trunk section and lead to the instability of the structure. The three-dimensional failure modes are discussed using the experimental data with multi-directional waves considering the failure modes. It was occurred by the topographical characteristics around the head of rubble mound breakwater. The spacial characteristics of failure mode around the rubble-mound structures can be summarized as follows: 1) It was clarified that the failure modes at the round head of a detached breakwater are classified as failure by plunging breaker on the slope, failure by direct incident wave force and failure at the rubble mound breakwaters. 2) The failure mode was found in the lower wave height than the design wave by the breaker depth effects and topography around structures. It is clarified that the structure was monitored safely designed for the design wave but the failure was occurred by the reason of breaker waves.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.2866-2874
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• 2000

This paper is concerned with the optimum design for external reinforcement of a nuclear reactor pressure vessel(RPV) in a severe accident. During the severe reactor accident of molten core, the temperature and the pressure in the nuclear reactor rise to a certain level depending on the initial and subsequent condition of a severs accident. The reis of the temperature and the internal pressure cause deterioration of the load carrying capacity and could cause failure of the RPV lower head. The deterioration of failure can be mitigated by the external cooling or the reinforcement of the lower head with additional structures. While the external cooling forces the temperature of an RPV to drop to the desired level, the reinforcement of the lower head can attain both the increase of the load carrying capacity and the temperature drop. The reinforcement of the lower head can be optimized to have the maximum effect on the collapse pressure and the temperature at the inner wall. Optimization results are compared to both the result without the reinforcement and the result with the designated reinforcement.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.744-751
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• 2000

To achieve lower flying height for high areal recording density, the laser zone texturing of the disk needs to be designed to reduce glide height. One problem of the laser bump design is that the regular laser bump pattern often produces glide resonance phenomenon, which leads to failure of the glide height test. However, it was found in this study that glide resonance is an intrinsic problem of the glide head used and resonance phenomenon depends on the type of the head slider, that is, the natural frequency of the slider body. Therefore, higher glide height or glide failure caused by glide resonance does not lead to head/media interface problem in the real drive operating conditions in which the data head is used. Pseudo-random bump pattern greatly reduces the glide resonance. Smaller bump pitch will also help to reduce the glide resonance. However, as bump spacing becomes smaller, glide height will be increased due to increased air pressure developed around the bumps. Lowering bump height is the most effect way to reduce glide avalanche.

• Proceedings of the Korea Committee for Ocean Resources and Engineering Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.317-322
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• 2003

The Sectional and Spatial failure modes are discussed using the experimental data with long crest wave and multi-directional waves considering the failure modes occurring around the rubble-mound breakwater. The spatial & sectional stability and failure mode around the rubble-mound structures with construction progress can be summarized as follows: 1) The rubble mound structures at basic construction step was occurred serious failures when ${\xi}$ was about 6.5. 2) It was clarified that the failure modes at the round head of detached breakwater are classified as failure by plunging breaking on the slope, failure by direct incident wave force and failure by scouring at the toe of the detached break water. 3) The failure mode was found in the lower wave height than the design wave by the breaker depth effect. 4) The failure on the slope were also developed at the lee side of the round head because diffracted wave propagated into the behind area by grouping effect of multi-directional irregular wave.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.191-198
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• 2014

In this paper, structural integrity evaluation of reactor pressure vessel bottom head without penetration nozzles in core melting accident has been performed. Considering the analysis results of thermal load, weight of molten core debris and internal pressure, thermal load is the most significant factor in reactor vessel bottom head. The failure probability was evaluated according to the established failure criteria and the evaluation showed that the equivalent plastic strain results are lower than critical strain failure criteria. Thermal-structural coupled analyses show that the existence of elastic zone with a lower stress than yield strength is in the middle of bottom head thickness. As a result of analysis, the elastic zone became narrow and moved to the internal wall as the internal pressure increases, and it is evaluated that the structural integrity of reactor vessel is maintained under core melting accident.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 1999

There are lots of reconstructive ways like direct closure, skin graft, local flap, regional flap, distant flap, free flap and so on. Microsurgical reconstruction is regarded as the last step in various reconstructive methods. So the failure of this last step causes the troublesome situation for both of patients and surgeon. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the problems in failed free flap surgery and to introduce the strategy of appropriate management in wound of free flap failure. We performed 252 cases of free flap surgeries from May, 1988 to June, 1998. Among these cases, we failed 9 cases of free flaps. Patients' age ranged from 19 to 63. There were 7 males and 2 females. Site of failure were 3 head and neck areas, 2 hands, and 4 lower extremities. However there was no failure in breast, trunk, buttock, and genitalia. 7 patients who had region of head and neck, and lower extremity underwent the second free flap surgery successfully in postoperative 4 to 16 days following debridement of necrotic tissue. However 2 patients who had region in hand were managed with conventional treatment like skin graft and distant flap. Vein grafts were needed in 3 cases of 7 second free flaps, and 1 patients needed sequentially-linked free flaps with two flaps. The second free flaps were inevitable for head and neck area because the large complex wound may cause the lifethreatening condition without immediate coverage with well vascularized flap. Lower extremity also needed second free flap for limb salvage. Hand could be managed with conventional method, even though healing time was quite delayed. We thought second free flap surgery in free flap failure cases should be performed with more careful preoperative evaluation and refined surgery. Success of second free flap surgery could recover the very difficult situation due to previously failed operation.