• Computers and Concrete
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.97-106
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• 2019

This paper describes the design of a new interlocking masonry system, the production of designed interlocking units and mechanical properties of interlocked masonry assemblages with mortar. In this proposed system, units have horizontal and vertical locks to integrate the units to the wall and have a channel to enable the use of horizontal reinforcements in the wall. Using these units, unfilled, filled or reinforced walls can be constructed with or without mortar. In the production of the interlocking units, it was decided to use foamed concrete. 12 trial productions have been carried out at different mix proportions to obtain the optimum concrete mix. At the end of the mentioned productions, the units were produced with foam concrete which is selected as the most suitable in terms of compressive strength and specific gravity. Then, axial compression, diagonal tension and bed joint shear tests were carried out to determine the mechanical properties of the interlocked masonry assemblages with mortar. Results from the tests showed that interlocks designed to strengthen the system against shear stresses by creating discontinuity throughout the joints have been successful to achieve their aim. Obtained data will enable structural analysis of walls to be constructed with these new units.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.77 no.1
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• pp.75-87
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• 2021

The present study pertains to the introduction of two new types of grip adaptor for universal testing machines, namely Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and Polyoxymethylene (POM) grip adaptors, and their application to tension testing of FRP bars with different fiber and surface finish types. The tabs are connected to the FRP bar sample with the help of mechanical anchors, i.e. bolts. These new adaptors offer vital superiorities over the existing end tab designs (anchors with filling material or mechanical anchorage), including the reduction in the time and labor for production, reusability and the mild nature, i.e. low hardness of the tab material, which retards and even prevents peeling and crushing in the gripping regions of an FRP sample. The methods were successfully applied to FRP bars with different types of fiber (CFRP, GFRP and BFRP) and different types of surface texture (ribbed, wrapped, sand-coated and wound). The test results indicated that the both types of end caps prevented slip of the bar, crushing and peeling in the gripping zone. The mechanical properties from the material tests with the new caps were in perfect agreement with the ones from the material tests with steel tubular caps.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.1652-1656
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• 2022

Fire tests were conducted on cables using fire-retardant paint employed in nuclear power plants that transmit electrical power, control and instrument signals. The failure criteria of various power and control cables coated with fire retardant coating at three different coating thicknesses (~0.5 mm, 1.0 mm & 1.5 mm) were studied under direct flame test using Container Fire Test Facility (CFTF) based on standard tests for bare cables. A direct flame fire test was conducted for 10 min with an LPG ribbon burner rated at ten by fixing the cable samples in a vertical cable track. Inner sheath temperature was measured until ambient conditions were achieved by natural convection. The cables are visually evaluated for damage and the mass loss percentage. Cable functionality is ascertained by checking for electrical continuity for each sample. The thickness of cable coating on fire exposure is also studied by comparing the transient variation of inner sheath temperature along the Cable length. This study also evaluated the adequacy of fire-retardant coating on cables used for safety-critical equipment in nuclear power plants.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.34-37
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• 2023

The practical application of REBCO coated conductor (CC) tapes, vital for energy transmission (e.g., cable application) and high-field magnets (e.g., coil application), necessitates efficient and simple quality assessment procedures. This study introduces a systematic approach to assess the electromechanical properties of REBCO CC tapes under 77 K and self-field conditions. The approach involves customized tensile and bending tests that clarify the critical current (I_c) response of the CC tapes under mechanical loads induced by tension and bending. This study measures the retained Ic values of commercially available GdBCO CC tapes under 250 MPa tensile stress and 40 mm bending diameter. Through experimentation, the study demonstrates the resilience of these tapes and their suitability for applications. By presenting a simplified stress-based analysis and a bending test of the tapes, the study contributes to effective quality assessment methods for the development of practical superconducting products.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.86-92
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• 2024

Flexible electronic devices are exposed to repeated mechanical deformation; therefore, electrode performance is an important element. Recently, a new technology has been developed to improve the adhesion strength between polymer substrates and metal thin films through the cross-linking reaction of bovine serum albumin (BSA) bioconjugation proteins; however, additional performance evaluation as an electrode is necessary. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of adhesive strength between a flexible substrate and a metal thin film on the performance of a flexible electrode. Cracks and changes in the electrical resistance of the electrode surface were observed through outer bending fatigue tests and tensile tests. As a result of a bending fatigue test of 50,000 cycles and a tensile test at 10% strain, the change in the electrical resistance of the flexible electrode with a high adhesion strength was less than 40%, and only a few microcracks were formed on the surface; thus, the electrical performance did not significantly deteriorate. Through this study, the relationship between the adhesion strength and electrical performance was identified. This study will provide useful information for analyzing the performance of flexible electrodes in the commercialization of flexible electronic devices in the future.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.603-611
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• 2014

When image sensor and lens are fixed on the module, mechanical errors often induce tilt, rotation, or narrow field-of-view of the acquired image. Therefore, the optical characteristics of image sensor modules should be tested by test equipments. This paper explains how to test the optical characteristics of images sensors. It also proposes the standardized description methods of optical characteristics tests which are similar with those of image acquisition characteristics tests. The proposed method helps the test equipments to perform image acquisition characteristics tests and optical characteristics tests together.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.142-149
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• 2012

The reduction characteristics of $NO_2$ to NO are experimentally studied over a platinum-based catalyst, especially at lower temperatures below about $200^{\circ}C$. In the present work, two types of steady-state experiments, engine bench and synthetic gas bench tests, are carried out in sequence. Steady-state engine bench tests with the DOC mounted on a light duty 4-cylinder 2.0 liter turbocharged diesel engine are performed and prove that CO plays a major role in $NO_2$ abatement at temperatures below the light-off temperature of CO oxidation, about $200^{\circ}C$. Synthetic gas bench tests are then performed using synthetic gas mixtures with CO, $C_3H_6$, NO, $NO_2$, $O_2$, $H_2O$ and $N_2$ in the $140{\sim}450^{\circ}C$ T-range and show that both CO and $C_3H_6$ are capable of reducing $NO_2$. It is noted that the reaction rate of $NO_2$ with $C_3H_6$ is much higher than that with CO. At temperatures below about $200^{\circ}C$, the reduction of $NO_2$ to NO is promoted with increasing CO concentration and $NO_2$/$NO_X$ ratio and with decreasing $O_2$ concentration, as well as with the presence of $H_2O$.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.491-498
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• 2018

The Earth Mechanics Institute (EMI) was established at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) in 1974 to develop innovations in rock mechanics research and education. During the last four decades, extensive rock mechanics research has been conducted at the EMI. Results from uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), Brazilian tensile strength (BTS), point load index (PLI), punch penetration (PP), and many other types of tests have been recorded in a database that has been unexamined for research purposes. The EMI database includes over 20,000 tests from over 1,000 different projects including mining and underground construction, and analysis of this database to identify relationships has been started with preliminary results reported here. Overall, statistically significant correlations are identified between bulk density and mechanical strength properties through UCS, BTS, PLI, and PP testing of sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. In this paper, bulk density is considered as a surrogate metric that reflects both mineralogy and porosity. From this analysis, sedimentary rocks show the strongest correlation between the UCS and bulk density, whereas metamorphic rocks exhibit the strongest correlation between UCS and PP. Data trends in the EMI database also reveal a linear relationship between UCS and BTS tests. For the singular case of rock coral, the database permits correlations between bulk density of the core versus the deposition depth and porosity. The EMI database will continue under analysis, and will provide additional insightful and comprehensive understanding of the variation and predictability of rock mechanical strength properties and density. This knowledge will contribute significantly toward the increasingly safe and cost-effective geostructures and construction.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.39-45
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• 2013

PURPOSES : The objective of this study is to evaluate the mechanical characteristics of castor oil based bio-polymer concrete for use of ultra thin overlays. METHODS : To evaluate the mechanical properties of bio-polymer concrete, the various laboratory tests including compressive, tensile, and flexural strength, and elongation tests were conducted on bio-polymer concrete specimens in this study. The mechanical characteristics of bio-polymer concretes were examined by changing the content of hardener and polymer binder to determine the optimum content for ultra-thin overlays. The bio-polymer concrete developed in this study was used for field trial test of the ultra-thin bridge deck pavement for verifying the workability and monitoring the long-term performance of materials. RESULTS : Test results showed that tensile and the flexural strength of bio-polymer concretes increase and the elongation of bio-polymer concrete decreases with increase of binder content. A field adhesive strength tests conducted on bridge deck pavement indicates the bio-polymer concrete has more than 2MPa of adhesive strength satisfy with the design criteria. CONCLUSIONS : The bio-polymer concrete with more than 20% content of castor oil was developed for ultra-thin overlays in this study. It is found from this study that the 35% of hardener content is most appropriate for maintaining the strength characteristics and flexibility.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.127-134
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• 2005

This paper introduces a newly developed high speed material testing apparatus for tensile tests at the strain rate up to 500/sec. The tensile properties of sheet metals are indispensable for the accurate crashworthiness analysis of auto-bodies since the local strain rate reaches to 500/sec in the car crash. An appropriate experimental method has to be developed to acquire the tensile properties at the intermediate strain rate ranged from 0.003/sec to 200/sec. Tensile tests of various different steel sheets for an auto-body were perform ed to obtain the dynamic properties with respect to the strain rate. The dimensions of specimens that can provide the reasonable results were determined by the finite element analysis. A special jig fixture of a load cell is designed to reduce the load ringing phenomenon induced by unstable stress propagation at the high strain rate. Stress-strain curves were acquired for each steel sheet from the dynamic tensile test and utilized to obtain the relationship of the stress to the strain rate.