• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.17-29
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• 2016

Ultrasonic tomography is a powerful tool for identifying defects within an object or structure. But practical application of ultrasonic tomography to solids is often limited by time consuming transducer coupling. Air-coupled ultrasonic measurements may eliminate the coupling problem and allow for more rapid data collection and tomographic image construction. This research aims to integrate recent developments in air-coupled ultrasonic measurements with current tomography reconstruction routines to improve testing capability. The goal is to identify low velocity inclusions (air-filled voids and notches) within solids using constructed velocity images. Finite element analysis is used to simulate the experiment in order to determine efficient data collection schemes. Comparable air-coupled ultrasonic signals are then collected through homogeneous and isotropic solid (PVC polymer) samples. Volumetric (void) and planar (notch) inclusions within the samples are identified in the constructed velocity tomograms for a variety of transducer configurations. Although there is some distortion of the inclusions, the experimentally obtained tomograms accurately indicate their size and location. Reconstruction error values, defined as misidentification of the inclusion size and position, were in the range of 1.5-1.7%. Part 2 of this paper set will describe the application of this imaging technique to concrete that contains inclusions.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2010

To provide necessary information for future environmental monitoring of smelting and litharge making industries in Korea, environmental monitoring dataset of air lead concentration of 4 lead industries(1 primary smelting, 2 secondary smelting and 1 litharge making industry) were analyzed from 1994 to 2007. Data were compared using geometric mean and standard deviation with minimum and maximum values according to year of measurement, type of lead industries and type of operation of lead industries. The geometric mean and standard deviation of air concentration for a total of 1140 samples in all lead industries for overall 14 years were 70.7${\mu}g/m^3$ and 5.51 with minimum of 1${\mu}g/m^3$ and maximum of 9,185 ${\mu}g/m^3$. The overall geometric means of air concentration were above the permissible exposure levels(PEL) until year of 2001 and thereafter they were remained at the level of half of PEL. The geometric means of primary smelting, secondary smelting and litharge making industry for overall 14 years were 21.7${\mu}g/m^3$(number of samples: 353), 82.5${\mu}g/m^3$(number of samples: 357) and 164.2 ${\mu}g/m^3$(number of samples: 430) respectively. In primary smelting industry, the highest geometric mean air concentration was 35.4 ${\mu}g/m^3$ in the secondary smelting operation; followed by casting operation (24.9 ${\mu}g/m^3$) and melting operation (14.9 ${\mu}g/m^3$), respectively. On the other hand, in secondary smelting industries, the highest geometric mean air concentration was 125.4${\mu}g/m^3$ in melting operation; followed by casting operation (90.5${\mu}g/m^3$) and pre-treatment operation (43.4${\mu}g/m^3$), respectively. However, in litharge making industries, there were no significant differences of geometric mean air concentrations between litharge operation and stabilizer operation. The proportion of over PEL (50${\mu}g/m^3$) was highest in litharge industry and followed by secondary smelting industries. However The proportions of over PEL(${\mu}g./m^3.$) were decreased by the years of environmental monitoring. The significant reduction of mean air lead concentration since year of 2000 was observed due to more active environmental engineering control and new introduction of new operation in manufacturing process, but may be also influenced by non-engineering method such as reduction of operation hours or reduction of exposure time during actual environmental measurement by industrial hygienist according to more strict enforcement of occupational and safety law by the government.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.53-58
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• 2006

Objectives: We wanted to evaluate the main route of exposure to lead and cadmium for the general population in Korea by using multi-route and multi-media exposure assessment Methods: Samples of air at the homes, samples of the food and water and peripheral blood samples were collected from thirty volunteers living in Seoul (the metropolitan area), Yong-in (the suburban area) and Ansan (the industrial area) in 2001. Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometric methods were used for the determination of the Pb and Cd levels in the air, food, water and blood samples. Results: The average intake of lead through the air, drinking water and food were $5.06{\mu}g/day\;(26.3%)\;0.002{\mu}g/day\;(0.1%),\;and\;16.4{\mu}g/day\;(73.6%)$, respectively. The average intake of cadmium through the air, drinking water and food were $0.082{\mu}g/day\;(0.9%),\;0.001{\mu}g/day\;(0.007%),\;and\;12.61 {\mu}g/day\;(99.0%)$, respectively. The blood lead level was statistically higher in the male subjects than in the female subjects (3.39 and $2.22{\mu}g/dl$, respectively), and only gender was a significant variable on the multiple regression analysis for blood lead. Conclusions: This study showed that the intake of lead and cadmium through food was the major route of exposure. A policy to reduce the pollutants according to the exposure routes should be established. However, more studies will be needed to support these data for the general population.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.121-138
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• 1999

This study was carried out to evaluate the performance of a sampling and analytical methodology for the measurement of selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the ambient air. VOCs were determined by the adsorbent tube sampling and automatic thermal desorption coupled with GC/FID and GC/MSD analysis. Target analytes were aromatic VOCs, including BTEX, 1,3,5-and 1,2,4,-trimethylbenzenes(TMBs), and naphthalene. The methodology was investigatedwith a wide range of performance criteria such as repeatability, linearity, lower detection limits, collection efficiency, thermal conditioning, breakthrough volume and calibration methods using internal and external standards. standards. Stability of samples collected on adsorbent tubes during storage was also investigated. In addition, the sampling and analytical method developed during this study was applied to real samples duplicately collected in various indoor and outdoor environments. Precisions for the duplicate samples and distributed volume samples appeared to be well comparable with the performance criteria recommended by USEPA TO-17. The audit accuracy was estimated by inter-lab comparison of both duplicate samples and standard materials between the two independent labs. The overall precision and accuracy of the method were estimated to be within 30% for major aromatic VOCs such as BTEX. This study demonstrated that the adsorbent sampling and thermal desorption method can be reliably applied for the measurement of BTEX in ppb levels frequently occurred in common indoor and ambient environments.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.173-182
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• 2023

Color is an attribute of visual perception and can be an important factor that affects the preference of customers toward bamboo and wood products. Solar radiation can discolor bamboo surfaces and initiate cracking. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of an ultraviolet (UV)-protective coating on the photodiscoloration of untreated and heat-treated Phyllostachys bambusoides bamboo surfaces. Artificial UVA radiators are set at a UVA irradiance of 2,000 W/m² to accelerate the aging of the outer surfaces of hot-air-dried and heat-treated bamboo samples. Half of the samples are coated with transparent UV-protective paint. As the UVA radiation progresses, the discoloration prevention efficiency (DPE) of the UV-protective coating on all samples decreases gradually. The DPEs of the hot-air-dried samples are estimated to be 31.4% and 18.8% after 21 and 72 hours of artificial UVA radiation, respectively. The heat-treated samples exhibit similar trends (29.0% after 21 hours and 10.3% after 72 hours). Recoating the UV-protective paint periodically every six months is expected to minimize the discoloration of the bamboo's outer surface.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.165-171
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• 2015

Dust samples collected from air in metropolitan areas of Busan and Ulsan were analyzed by phase contrast microscopy, phase contrast dispersion microscopy and SEM. Asbestos concentration in dust samples was lower than detection limit. Many fibrous materials were observed in dust samples, but most of them were organic fibers. Inorganic fibers such as rock fiber, ceramic fiber and gypsum were contained in the samples and non-fibrous minerals such as quartz, calcite and feldspar were also occasionally observed. Domestic law requires that asbestos in air dust is mainly analyzed by phase contrast microscopy. From this study, however, precise analysis of asbestos was almost impossible by this method only. As indicated in JIS method of Japan, therefore, count and identification of asbestos were more efficient by dispersion staining method after removing organic materials in samples by low temperature incinerator.

• Advances in materials Research
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.51-74
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• 2012

A powder metallurgy-based rapid consolidation technique, Plasma Pressure Compaction ($P^2C^{(R)}$), was utilized to produce near-net shape parts of gamma titanium aluminides (${\gamma}$-TiAl). Micron-sized ${\gamma}$-TiAl powders, composed of Ti-50%Al and Ti-48%Al-2%Cr-2%Nb (at%), were rapidly consolidated to form near-net shape ${\gamma}$-TiAl parts in the form of 1.0" (25.4 mm) diameter discs, as well as $3"{\times}2.25"$ ($76.2mm{\times}57.2mm$) tiles, having a thickness of 0.25" (6.35 mm). The ${\gamma}$-TiAl parts were consolidated to near theoretical density. The microstructural morphology of the consolidated parts was found to vary with consolidation conditions. Mechanical properties exhibited a strong dependence on microstructural morphology and grain size. Because of the rapid consolidation process used here, grain growth during consolidation was minimal, which in turn led to enhanced mechanical properties. Consolidated ${\gamma}$-TiAl samples corresponding to Ti-48%Al-2%Cr-2%Nb composition with a duplex microstructure (with an average grain size of $5{\mu}m$) exhibited superior mechanical properties. Flexural strength, ductility, elastic modulus and fracture toughness for these samples were as high as 1238 MPa, 2.3%, 154.58 GPa and 17.95 MPa $m^{1/2}$, respectively. The high temperature mechanical properties of the consolidated ${\gamma}$-TiAl samples were characterized in air and vacuum and were found to retain flexural strength and elastic modulus for temperatures up to $700^{\circ}C$. At high temperatures, the flexural strength of ${\gamma}$-TiAl samples with Ti-50%Al composition deteriorated in air by 10% as compared to that in vacuum. ${\gamma}$-TiAl samples with Ti-48%Al-2%Nb-2%Cr composition exhibited better if not equal flexural strength in air than in vacuum at high temperatures.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.192-201
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• 2014

A comprehensive profile of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in public spaces is needed for interpreting indoor air measurements. Seasonal differences in profiles are critical for epidemiological study and risk assessment. The purposes of this study were to establish profiles for individual VOCs in 50 indoor public places in Korea and to determine seasonal variations in their concentrations. Air samples were taken during working hours. Seventy-two of the 91 targeted VOCs were identified using multiple standards. Six VOCs detected in all summer and winter samples were toluene, acetone, m,p-xylenes, ethylbenzene, benzene, and styrene. In summer, methyl ethyl ketone and 1-butanol were also found in all samples. In both seasons, the dominant indoor VOCs were toluene, m,p-xylenes, ethylbenzene, acetone, and isopropyl alcohol. Other chemicals associated with gasoline emissions were dominant in summer. Limonene was dominant only in winter due to the consumption of tangerines. The nine VOCs with the highest concentrations comprised 64.8% and 49.6% of the TVOC in summer and winter, respectively. Comparing two types of adsorbent tube, a single adsorbent tube with Tenax-TA had similar detection performance as a double adsorbent tube with Tenax and Carbotrap.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.1050-1059
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• 2017

Drying processes often cause knitted fabrics to shrink. This study obtains proper drying conditions for in the dryer use that can minimize knitted fabric shrinkage by investigating changes in shrinkage according to drying conditions. The experiment samples were all machine washable plain, mesh, and lacoste knitted fabrics made of 100% cotton. Samples were first washed in a washing machine on a normal cycle. They were then layered on a flat surface in an artificial climate chamber and dried for 24 hours at $20^{\circ}C$ and $40^{\circ}C$, respectively. Shrinkage was measured for 180 minutes at 30 minute intervals after washing. The comparison results of the shrinkage in the washing and drying process indicate that 80.0% and 23.0% shrinkage of plain knitted and lacoste knitted fabrics occurred during the washing process. As the samples dried, the shrinkage of the plain and lacoste knitted fabrics then rapidly increased after approximately 30.0% moisture content. The highest air drying shrinkage occurred over one cycle with insignificant changes in shrinkage after repeated treatments.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.95-106
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• 1998

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from Ca to C9 were investigated with nine ambient air samples collected in April 26, August 17, 1996 and January 23, 1997 in a Seoul site. On each sampling day, three 2-hr integrated canister samples were collected in early morning, early afternoon and late afternoon, respectively to study temporal . variation of VOCs. Most of VOC species showed diurnal variation with higher concentrations in the early morning and lower concentrations in the afternoon. The concentrations of light alkanes were high, probably due to the emission from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and evaporation of gasoline. Especially, the concentration of propane was the highest in the morning samples. The concentrations of propane, ethylene, acetylene, and toluene were prominent in their hydrocarbon groups, respectively. These components were the main source of car exhaust, gasoline evaporization, LPG, or solvent usage.