• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.450-456
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• 2017

Reaction-bonded silicon carbide (RBSC) is a SiC-based composite ceramic fabricated by the infiltration of molten silicon into a skeleton of SiC particles and carbon, in order to manufacture a ceramic body with full density. RBSC has been widely used and studied for many years in the SiC field, because of its relatively low processing temperature for fabrication, easy use in forming components with a near-net shape, and high density, compared with other sintering methods for SiC. A radiant tube is one of the most commonly employed ceramics components when using RBSC materials in industrial fields. In this study, the mechanical strengths of commercial RBSC tubes with different sizes are evaluated using 3-point flexural and C-ring tests. The size scaling law is applied to the obtained mechanical strength values for specimens with different sizes. The discrepancy between the flexural and C-ring strengths is also discussed.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.194-202
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• 2020

In this paper, experimental and numerical study on a combined sheet metal forming and plate forging of a seal part of a passenger car's hub bearing is conducted to develop the new process of which target is to remove machining process by plate forging and to achieve near-net shape manufacturing. The previous process of a sheet metal forming inevitably needed a machining process for making stepped sheet after conventional sheet metal forming in a progressive way. The stepped sheet is intended to be formed by plate forging in this study. Through the systematic way of developing the combined forming process using solid elements based-elastoplastic finite element method (FEM), several conceptual designs are made and an optimized process design in terms of geometric dimensioning and tolerance of straightness of the thin part is found, which is exposed to bending in metal forming of axisymmetric part. The predicted straightness measured by the slope angle of the tilted thin region is compared with the experimental straightness, showing that they are in a good agreement with each other. Through this study, a systematic approach to optimal process design, based on elastoplastic FEM with solid elements, is established, which will contribute to innovating the conventional small-scaled sheet metal forming processes which can be dealt with by solid elements.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.297-309
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• 2013

Design optimization is a mathematical process to find an optimal solution through the use of formal optimization algorithms. Design plays a vital role in the engineering field; therefore, using design tools in education and research is becoming more and more important. Recently, numerical design optimization in fluid mechanics, which uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD), has numerous applications in the engineering field, because of the rapid development of high-performance computing resources. However, it is difficult to find design optimization software and contents for educational purposes in aerospace engineering. In the present study, we have developed an aerodynamic design framework specifically for an airfoil, based on the EDucation-research Integration through Simulation On the Net (EDISON) portal. The airfoil design framework is composed of three subparts: a geometry kernel, CFD flow analysis, and an optimization algorithm. Through a seamless interface among the subparts, an iterative design process is conducted. In addition, the CFD flow analysis and the design framework are provided through a web-based portal system, while the computation is taken care of by a supercomputing facility. In addition to the software development, educational contents are developed for lectures associated with design optimization in aerospace and mechanical engineering education programs. The software and content developed in this study is expected to be used as a tool for e-learning material, for education and research in universities.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.193-201
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• 2014

The sea cage in marine aquaculture might be varied such as on the stability and shape in the open sea by environmental factors. To evaluate the stability of net cage structures in the open sea, the physical and numerical modeling techniques were applied and compared with field observations. This study was carried out to analyse the stability and the volume loss which would have an effect on the fish swimming behavior in the octagonal pillar type fish cage under the open sea. As a results, the volume loss ratio of the fish cage as measured using a depth sensor was indicated a value of the 30.3% under the current velocity (1.1m/s). The fish cage should be consisted of a concrete block with a weight over 10 tons, a mooring rope diameter over 28mm PP, and a shackle of 25mm under the current speed of 1m/sec for reasonable stability.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.419-426
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• 2006

This study investigated the ecology and growth of Monostroma nitidum Wittrock in both its natural habitat and the laboratory. The maximum length, width, and weight of M. nitidum in March were 9.0$\pm$4.7 cm, 9.6$\pm$3.6 cm, and 1.52$\pm$1.13 g, respectively. Yellowish-green or yellowish-brown reproductive thalli began to appear in January, and over 80% of the thalli matured by March. The male and female spores were ca. 6 $\mu$m long, and elongate and ovoid in shape. The spores had two flagella and one-eye spot, and tended to swim toward light. Maximum number of spores released from matured thalli was 236 cells/mL after 70 minutes at a light intensity of 100 $\mu$mol/m$^2$/s. The zygote diameter ranged from 3.4-6.0 $\mu$m (mean 4.2 $$m) and increased to 69.8 $\mu$m 14 weeks after culture. The mass release of zoospores was observed from thalli in the dark (3 to 12 days), after 30 min under dry conditions in the shade, at 25$^{\circ}C$, and a light intensity of 100 $\mu$mol/m$^2$/s. The maximum number of zoospores released was 109.8 cells/mL after 60 min of induction. M. nitidum fronds on the net increased to 6.8-7.2 cm in length, and 6.6-8.9 cm in width during the winter.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.380-387
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• 2015

A lead slowing-down spectrometer (LSDS) system is a promising nondestructive assay technique that enables a quantitative measurement of the isotopic contents of major fissile isotopes in spent nuclear fuel and its pyroprocessing counterparts, such as $^{235}U$, $^{239}Pu$, $^{241}Pu$, and, potentially, minor actinides. The LSDS system currently under development at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (Daejeon, Korea) is planned to utilize a high-flux ($>10^{12}n/cm^2{\cdot}s$) neutron source comprised of a high-energy (30 MeV)/high-current (~2 A) electron beam and a heavy metal target, which results in a very intense and complex radiation field for the facility, thus demanding structural shielding to guarantee the safety. Optimization of the structural shielding design was conducted using MCNPX for neutron dose rate evaluation of several representative hypothetical designs. In order to satisfy the construction cost and neutron attenuation capability of the facility, while simultaneously achieving the aimed dose rate limit (< $0.06{\mu}Sv/h$), a few shielding materials [high-density polyethylene (HDPE)eBorax, $B_4C$, and $Li_2CO_3$] were considered for the main neutron absorber layer, which is encapsulated within the double-sided concrete wall. The MCNP simulation indicated that HDPE-Borax is the most efficient among the aforementioned candidate materials, and the combined thickness of the shielding layers should exceed 100 cm to satisfy the dose limit on the outside surface of the shielding wall of the facility when limiting the thickness of the HDPE-Borax intermediate layer to below 5 cm. However, the shielding wall must include the instrumentation and installation holes for the LSDS system. The radiation leakage through the holes was substantially mitigated by adopting a zigzag-shape with concrete covers on both sides. The suggested optimized design of the shielding structure satisfies the dose rate limit and can be used for the construction of a facility in the near future.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.847-858
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• 2016

An overview is given on the work of the Laboratory of Nuclear Energy Systems at ETH, Zurich (ETHZ) and of the Laboratory of Thermal Hydraulics at Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Switzerland on tight-lattice bundles. Two-phase flow in subchannels of a tight triangular lattice was studied experimentally and by computational fluid dynamics simulations. Two adiabatic facilities were used: (1) a vertical channel modeling a pair of neighboring sub-channels; and (2) an arrangement of four subchannels with one subchannel in the center. The first geometry was equipped with two electrical film sensors placed on opposing rod surfaces forming the subchannel gap. They recorded 2D liquid film thickness distributions on a domain of $16{\times}64$ measuring points each, with a time resolution of 10 kHz. In the bubbly and slug flow regime, information on the bubble size, shape, and velocity and the residual liquid film thickness underneath the bubbles were obtained. The second channel was investigated using cold neutron tomography, which allowed the measurement of average liquid film profiles showing the effect of spacer grids with vanes. The results were reproduced by large eddy simulation + volume of fluid. In the outlook, a novel nonadiabatic subchannel experiment is introduced that can be driven to steady-state dryout. A refrigerant is heated by a heavy water circuit, which allows the application of cold neutron tomography.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.369-378
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• 2012

A load-following operation in APR+ nuclear plants is necessary to reduce the need to adjust the boric acid concentration and to efficiently control the control rods for flexible operation. In particular, a disproportion in the axial flux distribution, which is normally caused by a load-following operation in a reactor core, causes xenon oscillation because the absorption cross-section of xenon is extremely large and its effects in a reactor are delayed by the iodine precursor. A model predictive control (MPC) method was used to design an automatic load-following controller for the integrated thermal power level and axial shape index (ASI) control for APR+ nuclear plants. Some tracking controllers employ the current tracking command only. On the other hand, the MPC can achieve better tracking performance because it considers future commands in addition to the current tracking command. The basic concept of the MPC is to solve an optimization problem for generating finite future control inputs at the current time and to implement as the current control input only the first control input among the solutions of the finite time steps. At the next time step, the procedure to solve the optimization problem is then repeated. The support vector regression (SVR) model that is used widely for function approximation problems is used to predict the future outputs based on previous inputs and outputs. In addition, a genetic algorithm is employed to minimize the objective function of a MPC control algorithm with multiple constraints. The power level and ASI are controlled by regulating the control banks and part-strength control banks together with an automatic adjustment of the boric acid concentration. The 3-dimensional MASTER code, which models APR+ nuclear plants, is interfaced to the proposed controller to confirm the performance of the controlling reactor power level and ASI. Numerical simulations showed that the proposed controller exhibits very fast tracking responses.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.147-158
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• 2014

In order to investigate how the microstructure of fuel/matrix-interaction (FMI) layers change during irradiation, different U-7Mo dispersion fuel plates have been irradiated to high fission density and then characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Specifially, samples from irradiated U-7Mo dispersion fuel elements with pure Al, Al-2Si and AA4043 (~4.5 wt.%Si) matrices were SEM characterized using polished samples and samples that were prepared with a focused ion beam (FIB). Features not observable for the polished samples could be captured in SEM images taken of the FIB samples. For the Al matrix sample, a relatively large FMI layer develops, with enrichment of Xe at the FMI layer/Al matrix interface and evidence of debonding. Overall, a significant penetration of Si from the FMI layer into the U-7Mo fuel was observed for samples with Si in the Al matrix, which resulted in a change of the size (larger) and shape (round) of the fission gas bubbles. Additionally, solid fission product phases were observed to nucleate and grow within these bubbles. These changes in the localized regions of the microstructure of the U-7Mo may contribute to changes observed in the macroscopic swelling of fuel plates with Al-Si matrices.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.43-53
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• 2018

It is important to clarify the characteristics of flow regimes underlying the debris bed formation behavior that might be encountered in core disruptive accidents of sodium-cooled fast reactors. Although in our previous publications, by applying dimensional analysis technique, an empirical model, with its reasonability confirmed over a variety of parametric conditions, has been successfully developed to predict the regime transition and final bed geometry formed, so far this model is restricted to predictions of debris mixtures composed of spherical particles. Focusing on this aspect, in this study a new series of experiments using nonspherical particles have been conducted. Based on the knowledge and data obtained, an extension scheme is suggested with the purpose of extending the base model to cover the particle-shape influence. Through detailed analyses and given our current range of experimental conditions, it is found that, by coupling the base model with this scheme, respectable agreement between experiments and model predictions for the regime transition can be achieved for both spherical and nonspherical particles. Knowledge and evidence from our work might be utilized for the future improvement of design of an in-vessel core catcher as well as the development and verification of sodium-cooled fast reactor severe accident analysis codes in China.