• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.267-278
• /
• 2022

Pre-stressed concrete circular spun piles are widely used in various infrastructure projects around the world and offer an economical deep foundation system with consistent and superior quality compared to cast in-situ and other concrete piles. Conventional methods for measuring the lateral response of piles have been limited to conventional instrumentation, such as electrical based gauges and pressure transducers. The problem with existing technology is that the sensors are not able to assist in recording the lateral stiffness changes of the pile which varies along the length depending on the distribution of the flexural moments and appearance of tensile cracks. This paper describes a full-scale bending test of a 1-m diameter spun pile of 30 m long and instrumented using advanced fibre optic distributed sensor, known as Brillouin Optical Time Domain Analysis (BOTDA). Optical fibre sensors were embedded inside the concrete during the manufacturing stage and attached on the concrete surface in order to measure the pile's full-length flexural behaviour under the prescribed serviceability and ultimate limit state. The relationship between moments-deflections and bending moments-curvatures are examined with respect to the lateral forces. Tensile cracks were measured and compared with the peak strains observed from BOTDA data which corroborated very well. By analysing the moment-curvature response of the pile, the structure can be represented by two bending stiffness parameters, namely the pre-yield (EI) and post-yield (EI_cr), where the cracks reduce the stiffness property by 89%. The pile deflection profile can be attained from optical fibre data through closed-form solutions, which generally matched with the displacements recorded by Linear Voltage Displacement Transducers (LVDTs).

• Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.65-70
• /
• 1987

In Girder to measure the pressure and weight decrease of drying sample during the vacuum drying process of food, sensing devices were designed and constructed with strain gauge. Microcomputer based vacuum drying system was made up of these devices interfaced to apple II microcomputer. The electrical output signal from vacuum sensor which constituted with Bourdon tube whereon strain gauge attached were digitalized and input to microcomputer through the MC 6821 interface I.C. chip. The relationship between read-out digital value (D) from microcomputer and readings of vacuum gauge (P, mmHg) was P=-146.136+3.620D'(r=0.9994) The pressure control of vacuum dryer was successfully conducted in the range of $400{\sim}600\;mmHg$ accuracy. The digitalized load cell output (D) could be correlated with the real weight (W, g) as W=-14,000+0.585D (r=0.9998) Drying curves of green red pepper under $64^{\circ}C$, $400{\sim}600\;mmHg$ was similar to those of red pepper and differently affected by the degree of vacuum pressure but was varied according to their shape (cut or whole). Moisture movement of green red pepper during the vacuum drying process was fitted to Page model. The empirical equations obtained were $M-M_e/M_o-M_e={\exp}\;(-0.0673{\theta}^{1.177})$ and $M-M_e/M_o-M_e={\exp}\;(-0.0655\;{\theta}^{1.477})$ for whole and cut green red pepper, respectively.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.40 no.9
• /
• pp.815-820
• /
• 2016

An elastic polymer (e.g., PDMS) blended with EFG particles is a promising conductive composite for fabricating soft sensors that can detect an object's deformation up to or more than 50%. Here, we develop large-strain, sprayable soft sensors using a mixture of PDMS and EFG particles, which are used as a host elastomer and electrically conductive particles, respectively. A solution for a conductive composite mixture is prepared by the microwave-assisted graphite exfoliation, followed by ultrasonication-induced fragmentation of the exfoliated graphite and ultrasonic blending of PDMS and EFG. Using the prepared solutions for composite and pure PDMS, 1-, 2-, and 3-axis soft sensors are fabricated by airbrush stencil technique where composite mixture and pure PDMS are materials for sensing and insulating layers, respectively. We characterize the soft strain sensors after investigating the effect of PDMS/EFG wt% on mechanical compliance and electrical conductance of the conductive composite.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.42 no.3
• /
• pp.311-322
• /
• 2022

This study performed 4-point flexural tests of reinforced concrete to which was attached a distributed optical fiber sheet and carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets in order to assess the effect of the CFRP sheets and the applicability of a BOTDR sensor simultaneously. To evaluate the reinforcing effect, various degrees of CFRP sheet attachment were manufactured, and to evaluate the sensing ability, strains obtained from a BOTDR sensor were compared with strains measured from electric resistance strain gauges that were attached to the concrete surface. From the results, the reinforcing effects were evidently different according to the attachment type of the CFRP sheets, and it was confirmed that the main influencing factor on the reinforcing effect was the type of attachment rather than the attachment area. The reinforced concrete structural behavior was visualized with strains measured from the BOTDR sensor as load increased, and it was identified that load was concentrated in the CFRP reinforced area. Strains from the BOTDR sensor were similar to those from the electric resistance strain gauge; thereby a BOTDR sensor can be effective in the analysis of structural behaviorsof massive infrastructure. Finally, the strain from a BOTDR sensor was high where CFRP sheet fall-off occurs, and it would therefore be efficient to track local damage locations of CFRP sheets by utilizing a BOTDR sensor.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.19 no.5
• /
• pp.431-438
• /
• 2009

The alkaline serine protease asp, which was shown to be a virulence factor of Vibrio alginolyticus as a purified protein, was cloned from V. alginolyticus EPGS, a strain recently isolated from moribund Epinephelus coioides in an outbreak of vibriosis in a mariculture farm of Shenzhen. The asp null mutant was constructed by homologous recombination with suicide plasmid pNQ705-1. Compared with the wild-type strain, the asp null mutant exhibited a significant decrease of total extracellular protease activity, and caused a IS-fold decrease in virulence of V. alginolyticus. In our previous study, the luxO and $luxR_{val}$ genes from V. alginolyticus MVP01 were cloned and identified, and the luxO-$luxR_{val}$ regulatory couple was shown to regulate various genes expression, suggesting that it played a central role in the quorum sensing system of V. alginolyticus. In this study, the regulation of the asp gene was analyzed by using RT-PCR and quantitative real-time PCR methods; we proved that its transcription was greatly induced at the late stage of growth and was regulated by a luxO-$luxR_{val}$ regulatory system.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.415-424
• /
• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the global regulatory mechanism known as quorum sensing and expression of virulence factors in Escherichia coli O157:87. A nonpolar luxS deletion was introduced into the chromosome of strain CI03J, a human clinical isolate from South Korea, to create the ${\Delta}luxS$ mutant strain ML03J. Phenotypic characterization of wild-type and mutant strains demonstrated that ML03J had no obvious growth or metabolic defects on 0.2% glucose LB medium, produced a functionally defective flagellum, and could not utilize sorbose; the biological significance of sorbose utilization is unknown. Omics-based analysis revealed the involvement of LuxS in the transcriptional activation of several flagella/chemotaxisrelated genes (flhD; fliA, C, D, S, Z; and cheA, Y, Z), repression of glutamate-dependent acid resistance genes (gadAB), and expression of virulence factors including Shiga toxin, hemolysin, and SepD within the LEE pathogenicity island.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.19 no.7
• /
• pp.852-858
• /
• 2009

The homeostasis of the pyridine nucleotide pool [NAD(P)H and NAD(P)$^+$] is maintained in Rhodobacter sphaeroides mutant strains defective in the cytochrome bci complex or the cytochrome c oxidases in terms of its concentration and redox state. Aerobic derepression of the puf operon, which is under the control of the PrrBA two-component system, in the CBB3 mutant strain of R. sphaeroides was shown to be not the result of changes in the redox state of the pyridine nucleotides and the ubiquinone/ubiquinol pool. Using the bc$_1$ complex knock-out mutant strain of R. sphaeroides, we clearly demonstrated that the inhibitory effect of cbb$_3$, oxidase on spectral complex formation is not caused indirectly by the redox change of the ubiquinone/ubiquinol pool.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
• /
• v.29 no.6
• /
• pp.642-647
• /
• 2018

Gas compressors are mostly driven by motors. It is important to measure the power of motors to evaluate their power efficiency, because the mechanical loads of gas compressors are always varied. In order to measure the power given to the driving motors, the torque should be measured. Manufacturers of compressors usually use the torque data to calculate the compressors qualities such as power consumption, efficiencies and failures. In general, measurements for the shaft torque of the compressors have been based upon contact types, strain gauges. In the cases of larger compressors, the contact type of strain gauges have several disadvantages such as large size and high cost. In this study, a relatively inexpensive and simple torque sensing technique that is not restricted to shaft diameter is introduced using visualization technique. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) has been adopted to complete non-contact torques measurements for rotating motors. In order to compare the performance of the newly constructed torque measurement technique, torque measurement by a transducer based on MEMS technology has been performed simultaneously during experiments.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.51-56
• /
• 2018

A new study was carried out to utilize a pencil drawing paper sensor (PDPS), which drew a line using a pencil on the paper, as a sensor. The sensing effect on 3 different papers based on the properties of PDPS was compared. The specimens were prepared by drawing 4B pencils on plain (A4), Hwasun, and Han papers. The silver paste was used to give good electrical contacts of the copper wires and the pencil drawn line. The chemical structures of 3 papers for PDPS by FT-IR spectrum analysis were similar and the comparative compact states of each paper were observed by optical microscope. From statistical evaluation of tensile strength using 3 papers, plain paper was chosen to be best for the PDPD. The optimum drawing number of PDPD was determined by changing the thickness of the paper with the drawing number. Electrical resistance (ER) with graphite on 3 different papers were compared. The changes in compression was observed through cyclic compressive test of composite materials, it was possible to predict the degree of strain sensing under compressive test. It leads to expectation of properties.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.138-144
• /
• 2017

Damage sensing of polymer composite films consisting of poly(dicyclopentadiene) p-DCPD and carbon nanotube (CNT) was studied experimentally. Only up to 1st ring-opening polymerization occurred with the addition of CNT, which made the modified film electrically conductive, while interfering with polymerization. The interfacial adhesion of composite films with varying CNT concentration was evaluated by measuring the wettability using the static contact angle method. 0.5 wt% CNT/p-DCPD was determined to be the optimal condition via electrical dispersion method and tensile test. Dynamic fatigue test was conducted to evaluate the durability of the films by measuring the change in electrical resistance. For the initial three cycles, the change in electrical resistance pattern was similar to the tensile stress-strain curve. The CNT/p-DCPD film was attached to an epoxy matrix to demonstrate its utilization as a sensor for fracture behavior. At the onset of epoxy fracture, electrical resistance showed a drastic increase, which indicated adhesive fracture between sensor and matrix. It leads to prediction of crack and fracture of matrix.