• Applied Microscopy
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.311-317
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• 2002

There is great requirement on the TEM specimen preparation method with particle size selectivity as a prerequisite for the quantitative structure analysis on the materials such as gibbsite powder, which generally forms a large agglomerate and shows a variation of transition process depending on their sizes. In this experiment, we made an attempt to give a methodology for the TEM specimen preparation of powder with the size selectivity. After mixing 1 wt% gibbsite powder with ethanol solvent, gibbsite suspension was prepared by application of ball-milling and ultrasonification with addition of 0.25 vol% dispersion agent, Darvan C, which was diluted into distilled water by the ratio 1:19. Appling the static sedimentation method to gibbsite suspension after estimation of the sedimentation time by the measurement of accumulative concentration variation, we acquired TEM specimens with well-dispersed and size selected gibbsite particles in nm scale. Overall picture of each sample was taken by SEM and morphology of each dispersed particle was imaged by TEM. Raw and processed gibbsite powders were also examined by XRD to investigate whether they were suffered from phase change during the process or not.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.534-539
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• 2010

Polystyrene (PS)/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposites were prepared via latex technology and the effect of nanotube length on rheological properties were investigated. Monodisperse PS particle was synthesized by the emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization and two types of MWCNTs were used after surface modification to improve dispersion state and to remove impurities. Final nanocomposites were prepared by the freeze-drying process after dispersing the PS particles and the surface-modified MWCNTs in a ultrasonic bath. The effects of MWCNT content and nanotube length on rheological properties were evaluated by imposing the small-amplitude oscillatory shear flow. The PS/MWCNT nanocomposites showed that rheological properties were enhanced as the amount and length of MWCNT increased. It is speculated that the rheological characteristics of nanocomposites change from liquid-like to solid-like as the MWCNT amount increases, and the critical concentration to achieve network structure decreases as the nanotube length increases.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 2012

As the development of MEMS/NEMS structure and application technology the demand for an assessment of the mechanical properties have increased. The mechanical properties are mainly evaluated by using tensile test or ultrasonic wave measurement. However, the new technology have been developed such as nano-indentation, guided wave method because they have a limitation in case of a thin plate and thin film. In the study, the guided wave velocities are measured by electromagnetic-acoustic transducer(EMAT), the material properties of thin metallic foils are obtained using optimization process of the theoretical and experimental group velocity of guided wave. The Young's modulus obtained by the optimization process(201.6 GPa), nano-indentation(207.0 GPa) and literature value(203.7 GPa) of a $50{\mu}m$ thick nickel thin plate shows good agreement within 3%.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2003

Since the scale in pipes reduces the flow rate, a quantitative evaluation of the scale is essential for the proper maintenance of pipes. Guided waves were employed to estimate the amount of scale in water supplying pipes. Using variable angle wedge, several modes of guided waves wire generated and their propagation charcteristics along the pipes with stale were analyzed. It was experimentally observed that the amplitude of F(M,2) modes at $f{\times}d=1.5MHz\;mm$ decreased significantly with increasing amount of scale. The present study showed that F(M,2) modes were optima) to evaluate the scale in water supplying pipes.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.397-401
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• 2000

The corrosion-fatigue characteristics of the 12Cr steel, which is widely used in fossil power plants as a turbine blade material, are evaluated nondestructively by use of the Rayleigh surface wave. In this study, the frequency dependency of the Rayleigh surface wave is investigated indirectly by measuring the angular dependency of the backward radiation of the incident ultrasonic wave in the aged specimens, and then compared to the corrosion-fatigue characteristics. The width of the backward radiation profile decreases as the increase of the aging temperature, which seems to result from the increase of the effective degrading layer thickness. This parameter also shows an inversely proportionality to the exponent, m, in the Paris law which predicts the crack size increasement due to fatigue. The result observed in this study demonstrates high potential of the backward radiated ultrasound as a tool for the nondestructive evaluation of the corrosion-fatigue characteristics of the aged materials.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.351-360
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• 2003

This study was carried out to settle the plugging problem which occurs frequently when agricultural wettable powder is used in pest control work using the crushing and the dispersing effects caused by irradiation of ultrasonic wave. Sonication was applied to the wettable powder suspension in a beaker for 30 seconds using a 28 kHz, 200 W PZT BLT, and the image of suspension before and after sonication was observed using a microscope and a SEM. The image of tow commercial wettable powder suspensions in water observed using an optics microscope showed that the agglomerated particles were irregularly distributed over the whole observed region when stirred mechanically, while showing more uniform distribution composed of comparatively single particles in the whole observed region after sonication. Concerning the above, the projected areas of particles in the four suspensions after sonication were decreased distinctively in the observed range of the microscope and the atomization of crystals was much developed. Over the measured range of 5.6∼4,157 ${\mu}$m particle size, the overall projected area of particles was decreased to 58.3∼89.6% on the average after sonication. When the SEM images of sonicated wettable powder suspensions dissolved in water and CH$_3$OH were compared to the suspensions before sonication, such phenomena as the atomization of particles, the expansion of voids between particles, the reduction and the decrease of agglomerated particle groups, and the progress of crack developments on the surface of flake-shaped particles were observed. It seemed possible that the plugging problem that occurs frequently in pest control machine when using wettable powder would be settled by the use of sonication.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.676-681
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• 2007

A process designed to synthesize rigid polyurethane foam (PUF) with insulative properties via the modulation of PUF cell size via the addition of clay and the application of ultrasound was assessed. The blowing agents utilized in this study include water, cyclopentane, and HFC-365mfc, all of which are known to be environmentally-friendly blowing agents. The rigid PUFs were prepared from polymeric 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (PMDI) and polyether polyol with a density of $50kg/m^3$. In addition, rigid PUFs/clay nanocomposites were synthesized with clay modified by PMDI with and without the application of ultrasound. The PUF generated using water as a blowing agent evidenced the highest tensile strength. The tensile strength of the PUF/nanocomposites was higher than that of the neat PUF and the strength was even higher with the application of ultrasound. The cell size of the PUF/clay nanocomposites was less than that of the neat PUF, regardless of the type of blowing agent utilized. It appears that the higher tensile strength and lower cell size of the PUF/clay nanocomposites may be attributable to the uniform dispersion of the clay via ultrasonic agitation. The thermal conductivity of the PUF/clay nanocomposites generated with HCFC-141b evidenced the lowest value when PUF/clay nanocomposites were compared with other blowing agents, including HFC-365mfc, cyclopentane, and water. Ultrasound has also proven effective with regard to the reduction of the thermal conductivity of the PUF/clay nanocomposites with any of the blowing agents employed in this study. It has also been suggested that the uniformly dispersed clay particles in the PUF matrix function as diffusion barriers, which prevent the amelioration of the thermal insulation property.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.341-347
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• 2004

In order to inspect the piping effectively, one of the important components in the facility of power plants, the ultrasonic guided wave was generated by a tomb transducer and was received in a non-contact fashion by using an air-coupled transducer. The guided wave modes that ran be generated by the comb transducer in piping are predicted from the theoretical dispersion curves and the element spacing of a comb transducer. Moreover, to receive the specific modes, the receiving angle of the air-coupled transducer is calculated from Snell's law between the phase velocities of guided waves and the sound velocity of air. The guided wave modes obtained in experiments are identified from the result of time-frequency analysis such as wavelet transform and two-dimensional fast Fourier transform.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.52-57
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• 2011

Present paper reports a new method to separate the electrolyte membranes and carbon paper without using ultrasonic waves and stirring. In this method, these were separated from fuel cell membrane-electrode assembly(MEA) using the distilled water, butanol and surfactant by dipping method without the dispersion of catalyst particles. Separated carbon paper catalysts and fuel cell Pt/C catalysts were heated in aqua regia at $80{\sim}85^{\circ}C$ and added to precipitant. After calcination, Pt metal was recovered which might be used in fabricating new fuel cells.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.57 no.5
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• pp.837-859
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• 2016

An efficient shear deformation theory is developed for wave propagation analysis of an infinite functionally graded plate in the presence of thermal environments. By dividing the transverse displacement into bending and shear parts, the number of unknowns and governing equations of the present theory is reduced, and hence, makes it simple to use. The thermal effects and temperature-dependent material properties are both taken into account. The temperature field is assumed to be a uniform distribution over the plate surface and varied in the thickness direction only. Material properties are assumed to be temperature-dependent, and graded in the thickness direction according to a simple power law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. The governing equations of the wave propagation in the functionally graded plate are derived by employing the Hamilton's principle and the physical neutral surface concept. There is no stretching.bending coupling effect in the neutral surface-based formulation, and consequently, the governing equations and boundary conditions of functionally graded plates based on neutral surface have the simple forms as those of isotropic plates. The analytic dispersion relation of the functionally graded plate is obtained by solving an eigenvalue problem. The effects of the volume fraction distributions and temperature on wave propagation of functionally graded plate are discussed in detail. It can be concluded that the present theory is not only accurate but also simple in predicting the wave propagation characteristics in the functionally graded plate. The results carried out can be used in the ultrasonic inspection techniques and structural health monitoring.