• Composites Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.52-57
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• 2015

Soft morphing robotics making use of smart material and based on biomimetic principles are capable of continuous locomotion in harmony with its environment. Since these robots do not use traditional mechanical components, they can be built to be light weight and capable of a diverse range of locomotion. This paper illustrates a flexible smart phone robot made of smart soft composite (SSC) with inchworm-like locomotion capable of two-way linear motion. Since rigid components are embedded within the robot, bending actuators with embedded rigid segments were investigated in order to obtain the maximum bending curvature. To verify the results, a simple mechanical model of this actuator was built and compared with experimental data. After that, the flexible robot was implemented as part of a smart phone robot where the rigid components of the phone were embedded within the matrix. Then, experiments were conducted to test the smart phone robot actuation force under different deflections to verify its load carrying capability. After that, the communication between the smart phone and robot controller was implemented and a corresponding phone application was developed. The locomotion of the smart phone robot actuated through an independent controller was also tested.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.563-564
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• 2012

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2013.05a
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• pp.885-886
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• 2013

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.77-83
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• 2016

Intricate deflection requires many conventional actuators (motors, pistons etc.), which can be financially and spatially wasteful. Novel smart soft composite (SSC) actuators have been suggested, but fabrication complexity restricts their widespread use as general-purpose actuators. In this study, a hybrid manufacturing process comprising 3-D printing and casting was developed for automated fabrication of SSC actuators with $200{\mu}m$ precision, using a 3-D printer (3DISON, ROKIT), a simple polymer mixer, and a compressor controller. A method to improve precision is suggested, and the design compensates for deposition and backlash errors (maximum, $170{\mu}m$). A suitable flow rate and tool path are suggested for the polymer casting process. The equipment and process costs proposed here are lower than those of existing 3D printers for a multi-material deposition system and the technique has $200{\mu}m$ precision, which is suitable for fabrication of SSC actuators.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2013

Smart material such as SMA (Shape Memory Alloy) has been studied in various ways because it can perform continuous, flexible, and complex actuation in simple structure. Smart soft composite (SSC) was developed to achieve large deformation of smart material. In this paper, a shell actuator using woven type SSC was developed to enhance stiffness of the structure while keeping its deformation capacity. The fabricated actuator consisted of a flexible polymer and woven structure which contains SMA wires and glass fibers. The actuator showed various actuation motions by controlling a pattern of applied electricity because the SMA wires are embedded in the structure as fibers. To verify the actuation ability, we measured its maximum end-edge bending angle, twisting angle, and actuating force, which were $103^{\circ}$, $10^{\circ}$, and 0.15 N, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2012.10a
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• pp.925-926
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• 2012

• Journal of the Korean Society of Mechanical Technology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.894-900
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• 2018

Among the soft ground improvement methods, PBD is the most common construction method because it is cheap and construction is fast. However, if the ground is rigid, additional work is required. In this study, the structural safety, natural vibration, and safety angle of the steel vertical tower structure were evaluated in the development of the PBD composite perforator which can be combined with drilling work and PBD construction. Structural safety was assessed when the wind load of 20 m/s was simultaneously applied to the PBD construction load of 20 tons, the perforating operation of 25 tons, and the wind speed of 50 m/s was applied only to the wind load. The natural frequencies were evaluated up to the sixth mode, and the safety angle was evaluated for static and dynamic safety angles.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.81-85
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• 2017

Fiber-reinforced polymer composites, which are made by combining a continuous fiber that acts as reinforcement and a homogeneous polymeric material that acts as a host, are engineering materials with high strength and stiffness and a lightweight structure. In this study, a shape memory alloy(SMA) reinforced composite actuator is presented. This actuator is used to generate large deformations in single lightweight structures and can be used in applications requiring a high degree of adaptability to various external conditions. The proposed actuator consists of numerous individual laminas of the glass-fiber fabric that are embedded in a polymeric matrix. To characterize its deformation behavior, the composition of the actuator was changed by changing the matrix material and the number of the glass-fiber fabric layers. In addition, current of various magnitudes were applied to each actuator to study the effect of the heating of SMA wires on applying current.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.857-865
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• 2023

This study aimed to develop a seismic retrofit technique using a steel frame which can be easily transported and assembled on site. This enables the retrofit steel frame to be easily attached to an existing structure minimizing the unwanted gap between the structure and the steel frame assembly. A one-story one-bay RC frame was tested with and without seismic retrofit using the proposed steel frame to verify the seismic retrofit effect of the proposed system, and an analysis model was developed in Opensees for seismic performance evaluation of a case study soft first-story model structure retrofitted with the developed steel frame assembly. Seismic performance of the model structure was also evaluated considering soil structure interaction effect. The experimental study confirmed that the proposed seismic retrofit system can be applied effectively to improve the seismic performance of framed structures. Time history analysis results of the model structure showed that the proposed steel frame assembly was effective in increasing the seismic load resisting capacity of the soft first-story structure. However more steel frame assemblies were required to satisfy the given performance limit state of the model structure located on weak soil due to the negative soil-structure interaction effect.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.721-734
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• 2024

In this research, the efficiency of a metallic energy dissipation device for seismic retrofit of an existing structure is evaluated by cyclic loading test. The proposed device, which is called multi-slit damper, is made of weak and strong slit dampers connected in series. Its energy dissipation mechanism consists of two stages: (i) yielding of the weak-slit damper under minor earthquakes; (ii) restraint of further deformations of the weak slit damper and activation of the strong slit damper under major earthquakes using a gap mechanism. A reinforced concrete (RC) frame with characteristics similar to soft-first-story structures is tested under cyclic loading before and after retrofit using the proposed device. The details of the experimental study are described and the test is simulated in an available commercial software to validate the analytical model of the damper. To further verify the applicability of the damper, it is applied to an analysis model of a 4-story structure with soft first story and its seismic performance is evaluated before and after retrofit. The experimental and analysis results show that the multi-slit damper is effective in controlling seismic response of structures.