• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.166-172
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• 2019

BACKGROUND: Increase in the ratio of small berries in blueberry production decreases the farmers' profits due to weakening market competitiveness and lowering harvest efficiency. One of the reasons for increased small berries is over fruit-load. For improving productivity and competitiveness of blueberry in Korea, hand-thinning can be applied to increase fruit quality before the developing adequate chemical thinning methods. This study was conducted to investigate the proper timing and methods for floral buds thinning in rabbiteye blueberry. METHODS AND RESULTS: Eight years old bushes of rabbiteye bluberries 'Brightwell' as a primary cultivar and 'Powderblue' as a pollinizer were used for this study. Fruit size distribution by leaf-to-fruit ratio was investigated by counting the number of leaves and fruits in canes of 127 'Brightwell' plants whose fruit set varied. Fifty percent of flowers/floral buds were removed in four different floral buds stages such as bud swell, late pink bud, full bloom, and petal fall, and the consumed time for thinning and fruit characteristics were recorded to investigate the effect and proper timing of floral buds thinning. Fruit weight and soluble solids content tended to increase in proportion to leaf-to-fruit ratio and the production of the number of fruits less than 13 mm in diameter decreased when leaf-to-fruit ratio was more than 2.5. Manual floral buds thinning by hands was fastest in full bloom stage and slowest in bud swelling stage. In all cultivars, fruit size was significantly smaller in non-thinning treatment than thinning, and there was, however, no significant difference in total fruit yield. The number of fruits less than 13 mm in diameter increased in both cultivars as floral buds thinning was delayed. Consumed time for picking 90% berries out of total berries per bush was shortest in full bloom stage thinning in 'Brightwell' and bud swelling, full bloom thinning in 'Powderblue'. These were 25 and 20 days faster than no thinning, respectively. CONCLUSION: Although the effect of floral buds thinning varied depending on the cultivars, our results confirmed that floral buds thinning was effective for the early intensive harvesting and the increase of the large fruit ratio and the harvesting productivity. Also, in order to increase thinning efficiency, it is recommended to remove the flower buds before the full bloom stage.

• Journal of Korea Foresty Energy
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.69-80
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• 2001

Larix kaemferi Carr. is one of main timber species in Korea that could be found in plantations and growing stands on all over the country The proper practice of thinning is one of very important techiques in silviculture, which greatly affects the quality and size of timber produced. Proper thinning period is considered to be important for maintaining stand growth before competition initiated. To investigate suitable thinning period, this study investigates the volume and radial growths of Larix kaemferi plantation in Mt. Worak located in the central part of Korea. The main findings and conclusions obtained from this study were as follow ; (1) The tree height curve equation for Larix kaemferi in Mt. Worak was calculated H=4.25783+0.80024D(H=Tree height, D=DBH). (2) To estimate tree volume for Larix kaemferi by DBH and tree height or only by DBH, regression equations were calculated as V=0.00147-0.002095D-0.000211H+0.00015D.H++$0.000744D^2$+$0.000008H^2$(V=Volume(($m^3$), H=Tree height(m), D=DBH(cm)), V=0.0000794-0.000512D+$0.000826D^2$. (3) The criteria of estimating thinning time of Larix kaemferi are the age when maximum tree height-MAI(mean annual increment) obtained and the age when annual DBH increments of dead trees decrease to below average. (4) The age of maximum tree height MAI was not significantly correlated with stocking. Therefore, it can not be used as a criterion for estimating thinning time of Larix kaemferi (5) The estimated thinning time equation of Larix kaemferi was obtained by regression analysis of the disk section collected from dead trees. The obtained equation is Y=0.2825+0.01752X(Y=Desirable thinning age, X=the sum total of nearest 4-trees interval(cm)). (6) General estimated thinning age of Larix kaemferi, which planted 3,086 stocks/ha, is concluded as 12 to 14 year.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.104 no.4
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• pp.527-535
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• 2015

With results from previous Korean studies on forest thinning, we conducted a meta-analysis on the effect of thinning on diameter at breast height (DBH) growth and carbon (C) stocks (tree, litter layer, coarse woody debris (CWD), and soils) in Korean forests. Thinning increased the DBH growth and the C stocks in soils by 39.2% and 12.8%, respectively, while it decreased the C stocks in tree by 30.9%. In contrast, thinning had no significant effect on the C stocks in litter layer and CWD. The DBH growth and the C stocks in tree showed significant correlations with thinning intensity and recovery time. The C stocks in litter layer correlated with recovery time while those in CWD and soils did not show significant correlation neither with thinning intensity nor with recovery time. Regression models of the DBH growth and the C stocks in tree were developed to quantify the effect of thinning intensity and recovery time. An integration of the regression model of the tree C stock into forest carbon models is expected to be essential to quantify the effect of thinning on the C stocks in litter layer, CWD, and soils. We also suggested expansion of study species, long-term and frequent monitoring, and investigation on understory vegetation in order to elucidate changes in Korean forests following thinning practices.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.429-435
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• 2010

In approximately fifty utilities, including KHNP (Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power), CHECWORKS is used as a tool for predicting and managing the wall thinning of carbon steel piping; this wall thinning is caused by flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC). It is known that CHECWORKS is only applicable to predict the wall thinning of piping with large bores. When dealing with small-bore steel piping, FAC engineers measure the thickness of the susceptible area that is selected on the basis of the experience and judgment of the engineer. This paper proposes the application of CHECWORKS for the management of wall thinning of small-bore piping. Four small-bore pipelines of a domestic nuclear power plant were analyzed from the viewpoints of FAC and fluid dynamics by using CHECWORKS and FLUENT code. Depending on the engineer's skill, CHECWORKS can also be used for the management of wall thinning of small-bore piping.

• 한국방재학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.02a
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• pp.217-222
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• 2007

Since 1973, we attain a successful achievement of nation-wide afforestation such as a thick forest and heaped-up leaves. However, the higher of the formation density in forest, the more dangerous to be a large-scale forest fire whenever fire occurs. According to the type of forest in the country, 42% of the forest is occupied by conifer forest that are highly flammable, and the distribution of forest age is in a transition period from immature forest to mature one. And the structure is too weak to the forest fire for the occurrence and spread because there are too many scrub and shrub trees in the forest. As a matter of course, it is on the increase of the thinning-forest that can shift the forest structure from a weak on forest fire to a strong one nowaday. In other words, thinning-forest has primary purposes such as the promotion of producing forest trees, production of excellent timbers, and build-up of public forest area. Furthermore, in some reports, the reduction of ladder fuel by eliminating the vertical/horizontal fuel in a forest and ensuring spaces in the forest can decrease the occurrence of forest fire and the risk of spread of burning as by-effect. Therefore, this study is designed to clarify the relation with the risk of forest fire by an on-spat-investigation of the characteristics of forest composition on the thinning and the non-thinning area.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.98 no.3
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• pp.225-230
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• 2009

Using dynamic programming, which is one of operations research techniques, the best pathway was chosen to maximize the total harvest volume for a Korean white pine (Pinus koraiensis) stand. This study was carried out in an age class III at Chuncheon National Forest, Gangwon province. That stand was assumed to apply 3 different thinning intensities of none, 30% and 50% thinnings. These thinning pathways are planned to implement two times, of thinning at 35 age and 55 age. The final cutting (rotation age) is assumed to carry out in 70 years. A growth function for Korean white pine stand was developed with forest inventory data, the volume was calculated with this growth function. As a result, the best thinning pathway for this Korean white pine stand using dynamic programming is to implement 30% at the first thinning and 50%at the second thinning.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.90-95
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• 2014

Local wall thinning is a point of concern in almost all steel structures such as pipe lines covered with a thermal insulator made up of materials with low thermal conductivity(fiberglass or mineral wool); hence, Non Destructive Technique(NDT) methods that are capable of detecting the wall thinning and defects without removing the insulation are necessary. In this study we developed a Pulsed Eddy Current(PEC) system to detect the wall thinning of Ferro magnetic steel pipes covered with fiber glass thermal insulator and shielded with Aluminum plate. The developed system is capable of detecting the wall thickness change through an insulation of thickness 10cm and 0.4mm aluminum shielding. In order to confirm the thickness change due to wall thinning, two different sensors, a hall sensor and coil sensor were used as a detecting element. In both cases, the results show a very good change corresponding to the thickness change of the test specimen. During these experiments a carbon steel tube of diameter 210mm and a length of 620mm, which is covered with insulator of 95mm thickness was used. To simulate the wall thinning, the thickness of the tube is changed for a specified length such as 2.5mm, 5mm and 8 mm from the inner surface of the tube. A 0.4mm thick Aluminum plate was covered on the Test specimen to simulate the shielding of the insulated pipelines. For both hall sensor and coil detection methods Fast Fourier transform(FFT) was calculated using window approach and the results for the test specimen without Aluminum shielding were summarized which shows a clear identification of thickness change in the test specimen by comparing the magnitude spectra. The PEC system can detect the wall thinning under the 95 mm thickness insulation and 0.4 mm Al shielding, and the output signal showed linear relation with tube wall thickness.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.373-377
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• 2000

This study was carried out to verify the effect of fruit thinning on fruit development, and the results were as follows. The number of cells between fruit epidermis and periphery vascular bundle during 35 to 184 days after full bloom (DAFB) were constant with 14~17 cells, regardless of thinning at pink bud stage, fruitlet stage or non-thinning. However, the distance between epidermis and vascular bundle was longest in the fruit thinned at pink stage followed by fruits thinned at fruitlet stage and control. Therefore, it was seemed that the fruit size increment during 35 to 184 DAFB was due to the increment of cell size. Thinning time affected fruit size and the earlier the thinning times were the bigger the fruits were. However, there were no direct relationships between thinning time and the starch or tannin particle development in the cells of the fruit.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.36 no.10
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• pp.1227-1234
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• 2012

In this study, fatigue tests were carried out using real-scale pipe bend specimens with wall-thinning defects under a cyclic bending load together with a constant internal pressure of 10 MPa. The wall-thinning defect was located at the extrados and the intrados of the pipe bend specimens. A fully reversed cyclic in-plane bending displacement was applied to the specimens. For the pipe bends with wall thinning at the extrados, an axial crack occurred at the crown of the pipe bend rather than at the extrados where the defect was located. In addition, the fatigue life was longer than that of a sound pipe bend predicted from the design fatigue curve in ASME Sec.III, and it was less dependent on the axial length of the wall-thinning defect. For the pipe bends with wall thinning at the intrados, a circumferential crack occurred at the intrados. In this case, the fatigue life was much shorter than that of a sound pipe bend predicted from the design fatigue curve, and it clearly decreased with decreasing axial length of the wall-thinning defect.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.182-188
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• 2016

Significant piping wall thinning caused by Flow-Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) and Erosion-Corrosion (EC) continues to occur, even after the Mihama Power Station unit 3 secondary pipe rupture in 2004, in which workers were seriously injured or died. Nuclear power plants in many countries have experienced FAC and EC-related cases in steam cycle piping systems. Korea has also experienced piping wall thinning cases including thinning in the downstream straight pipe of a check valve in a feedwater pump line, the downstream elbow of a control valve in a feedwater flow control line, and failure of the straight pipe downstream of an orifice in an auxiliary steam return line. Cause analyses were performed by reviewing thickness data using Ultrasonic Techniques (UT) and, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images for the failed pipe, and numerical simulation results for FAC and EC cases in Korea Nuclear Power Plants. It was concluded that the main cause of wall thinning for the downstream pipe of a check valve is FAC caused by water vortex flow due to the internal flow shape of a check valve, the main cause of wall thinning for the downstream elbow of a control valve is FAC caused by a thickness difference with the upstream pipe, and the main cause of wall thinning for the downstream pipe of an orifice is FAC and EC caused by liquid droplets and vortex flow. In order to investigate more cases, additional analyses were performed with the review of a lot of thickness data for inspected pipes. The results showed that pipe wall thinning was also affected by the operating condition of upstream equipment. Management of FAC and EC based on these cases will focus on the downstream piping of abnormal or unusual operated equipment.