• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.501-508
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• 2007

This paper presents the feasibility of using electromechanical impedance based active sensing technique for nondestructive strength gain monitoring of early-age concrete by employing piezoelectric lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) patches on concrete surface. The strength development of early age concrete is actively monitored by performing a series of experiments on concrete specimens under moist curing condition. The electrical admittance signatures are acquired for five different curing ages and compared with each other. The resonant frequency shifts of PZT patches with increasing days is observed which is on account of additional stiffening due to strength gain of concrete during curing and level of stiffening being related to strength obtained from compression tests on companion cylinder specimens. The proposed approach is found to be suitable for monitoring the development of compressive strength in early-age concrete. It is also observed in this study that root mean square deviation (RMSD) in admittance signatures of the PZT patches can also be used as an indicator of concrete strength development.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2005.10b
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• pp.38-40
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• 2005

Microdrive with high precision and light mass enough to install on mouse head was fabricated for recording the reliable signal of neuron cell to understand the brain study. The proposed microdrive has three H-form PZT actuators and its guide structure. The microdrive operation principle is based on the well known inchworm principle. The synchronization of three PZT actuators is able to produce the linear motion along the guide structure. Our proposed microdrive has a precise accuracy of about 100nm and a long stroke of about 5mm. The electrode which is used for the recording of the action potential of the neuron cell was fixed at one of PZT actuators. The proposed microdrive was suited to acquisition of signals from in vivo extra-cellular single-unit recoding. On the condition of the anesthetized mouse, the single-unit signals could be recorded by using the proposed microdrive. In addition, applying the PZT microdrive to an alert mouse, we try to implant it on a mouse brain skull to explore single neuron firing.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.360-364
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• 2019

PZT suspensions for photo-curable 3D printing were fabricated and their characteristics were evaluated. After mixing the PZT, photopolymer, photo-initiator, and dispersant for 10 min by using a high-shear mixer, the viscosity characteristics were investigated based on the powder content. To determine an appropriate dispersant content, the dispersant was mixed at 1, 3, and 5 wt% of the powder and a precipitation test was conducted for two hours. Consequently, it was confirmed that the dispersibility was excellent at 3 wt%. Through thermogravimetric analysis, it was confirmed that weight reduction occurred in the photopolymer between 120? and 500?, thereby providing a debinding heat treatment profile. The fabricated suspensions were cured using UV light, and the polymer was removed through debinding. Subsequently, the density and surface characteristics were analyzed by using the Archimedes method and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Consequently, compared with the theoretical density, an excellent characteristic of 97% was shown at a powder content of 87 wt%. Through X-ray diffraction analysis, it was confirmed that the crystallizability improved as the solid content increased. At the mixing ratio of 87 wt% powder and 13 wt% photo-curable resin, the viscosity was 3,100 cps, confirming an appropriate viscosity characteristic as a stereolithography suspension for 3D printing.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2007

Recently, implantable middle ear hearing devices (IMEHDs) have been developed to overcome the problems of conventional hearing aids. In this paper, a piezoelectric floating mass transducer (PFMT) based on a PZT multi-layered actuator has been designed and implemented using the approximated mechanical vibration modeling for the PFMT and the analysis of vibration characteristics through the transformation into the equivalent electrical model. The implemented PFMT has been attached to the ossicle of a human cadaver's temporal bone and the in-vitro experiment has been performed. Through the experimental results, it has been verified that the PFMT applied into our developed implantable middle ear hearing device can be used for an IMEHD transducer.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2015

Structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques based on the use of active-sensing piezoelectric (PZT) materials have received considerable attention. The validation of the PZT functionality during SHM operation is critical to successfully implementing a reliable SHM system. In this study, we investigated several parameters that affect the admittance-based sensor diagnostic process. We experimentally identified the temperature dependency of the active-sensor diagnostic process. We found that the admittance-based sensor diagnostic process can differentiate the adhesion conditions of bonding materials that are used to install a PZT on a structure, which is important when designing a sensor diagnostic process for an SHM system.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.603-606
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• 2006

We present a study on the development of a practical and quantitative technique for the assessment of the structural health condition with using piezoceramic(PZT) sensors. The electro-impedance-based technique with the PZT patches is very sensitive for evaluation of the incipient and small damage in a high frequency range, and however the commonly traditional modal analysis method is effective only for considerably larger damages in low frequency range. The paper presents the technique in detecting and characterizing real-time damage on the specimen that is an aluminum plate fastened with bolts and nuts by different torques and as well a plate with a crack. By using the special arrangement of the PZT sensors, the required longitudinal wave is generated through the specimen. A large number of experiments are conducted and the different conditions of the specimens, i.e. the location and extent of loosening bolts, and the plate with a crack are simulated. respectively. Since fixing and loosening the loosened bolt is controlled by a torque wrench, we can control exactly the experiment of the different torques. Compared with the simulated healthy condition, we can find whether or not there is a damage in the specimen with using an impedance analyzer with the PZT sensors. Several indices are discussed and used for assessing the different simulated damages. As for the location of bolt loosening, the RMSD is found to be the most appropriate index for numerical assessment and as well the RMSD shows strongly linear relationship for assessing the extent of the bolt loosening, and the frequency peak shift ${\Delta}F$ is used to assess the cracked plate. The possibility of repeatability of the pristine condition signatures is also presented and the appropriate frequency range and interval are uniquely selected through large numbers of experiments.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.220-230
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• 2006

Fracture behavior of a monolithic PZT and a plate-type piezoelectric composite actuator (PCA) has been investigated under a bending load at three points by an acoustic emission (AE) monitoring. AE signal from a monolithic PZT at the maximum bending load shows the characteristics of high amplitude and long duration with a low frequency band of $100{\sim}230kHz$ which is confirmed by fast Fourier transform (FFT). For a PCA, it is concluded that AE signals with high amplitude over 80dB and low dominant frequency band of $170{\sim}223kHz$ emitted in the stage I are due to the brittle fracture in the PZT layer and the delamination between the PZT layer and the adjacent fiber composite layer. Based on the above analysis of AE behavior and damage observations with an optical microscopy and a scanning electron microscopy, AE characteristics related to fracture behavior of asymmetrically laminated PCA have been elucidated.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.607-614
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• 2012

In this study, the evolution of the electro-mechanical impedance (EMI) of a piezoelectric (PZT) patch embedded in fresh cement paste was investigated to discuss the possibility of monitoring the setting process of cement-based materials using an EMI sensing technique. A tailored thin square PZT patch was embedded in cement paste before casting, and EMI signatures of the embedded patch were continuously measured from casting up to 12 hours. A standard penetration resistance test was performed to compare and correlate the evolution of EMI during the setting process. The results showed that EMI responses differ according to the age of the cement paste, and that the behavior of the EMI resonance peak has a clear correlation with the penetration resistance of the cement paste. Based on the results, it is concluded that an EMI sensing technique using embedded PZT patch can be effectively applied to monitor the setting process of cement-based materials.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2004.08a
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• pp.171-175
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• 2004

A tactile stimulator array using stacked PZT is fabricated and evaluated in this paper. The purpose of this research is the development of a tactile stimulator to represent the obstacle information for the visually disabled. As a first step of this research, we investigate the physiological characteristics of tactile stimuli and design a tactile stimulator based on the investigated results. Also we evaluated a fabricated tactile stimulator. The prototype of tactile stimulator which has 2x2 tactor elements with 3mm spacing is fabricated using stacked PZT actuator. In order to evaluate the characteristics of this tactile stimulator, physiological experiments are carried out. In the experiment, the threshold of tactile stimulus intensity within a frequency range of 5-500Hz and at various stimulus amplitudes are investigated. According to the obtained experimental result, the input signal of tactile stimulator for the transfer of obstacle information is determined. Also physiological experiments of multi-stimuli recognition such as shift and rotation are carried out.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2010.03b
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• pp.13-13
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• 2010

Piezoelectric sensors are extensively used to measure force because of their high sensitivity and low cost. however, the development of device with reduced size but with improved sensitivity is highly important. Low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) is one of promising materials for this application than a silicon substrate because it has very good electrical and mechanical properties as well as possibility of making various three dimensional (3D) structures. In this work, piezoelectric pressure sensors based on hybrid LTCC technology were presented. The LTCC diaphragms with thickness of $400\;{\mu}m$ were fabricated by laminating 12 green tapes which consist of alumina and glass particle in an organic binder. The piezoelectric sensing layer consists of PZT thin film deposited by RF magnetron sputtering method on between top and bottom Au electrodes. The PZT films deposited on LTCC diaphragms were successfully grown and were analyzed by using X-ray diffraction method (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM).