• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.345-352
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• 2022

The existing NATM (New Austrian Tunneling Method) has induced civil compliants due to blasting vibration and noise. Machanized excavation methods such as TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) are being adopted in the planning and construction of tunneling projects. Shield TBM method is composed of repetition processes of TBM excavation and segment installation, the machine has to be stopped during the later process. Consecutive excavation technology using helical segment is under developing to minimize the stoppage time. The modification of thrust jacks and module are planned to ensure the advance force acting on the inclined surface of helical segment. Also, the integrated system design of hydraulic circuit will be remodeled. This means that the system deactivate the jacks on the installing segment while the others automatically act the thrusting forces on the existing segments. This report briefly introduces the mechanical research part of the current consecutive excavation technological development project of TBM.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.214-225
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• 2023

Piezoelectric actuators, which utilize piezoelectric crystals or ceramics, are commonly used in precision positioning applications, offering high-speed response and precise control. However, the use of low-performance ceramics and expensive single crystals is limiting their versatile use in the actuator market, necessitating the development of both high-performance and cost-effective piezoelectric materials capable of delivering higher forces and displacements. The use of textured Pb (lead)-based piezoelectric ceramics formed by so-called templated grain growth method has been identified as a promising strategy to address the performance and cost issue. This review article provides insights into recent advances in texturing Pb-based piezoelectric ceramics for improved performance in actuation applications. We discussed the relevant issues in detail focusing on current challenges and emerging trends in the textured piezoelectric ceramics for their reliability and performance in actuator applications. We discussed in detail focusing on current challenges and emerging trends of textured piezoelectric ceramics for their reliability and performance in actuator applications. In conclusion, the article provides an outlook on the future direction of textured piezoelectric ceramics in actuator applications, highlighting the potential for further success in this field.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.773-791
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• 2023

Connections with damage concentrated to pre-selected components can enhance seismic resilience for moment resisting frames. These pre-selected components always yield early to dissipate energy, and their energy dissipation mechanisms vary from one to another, depending on their position in the connection, geometry configuration details, and mechanical characteristics. This paper presents behaviour insights on two types of beam-to-beam connections that the angles were designed as energy dissipation components, through the results of experimental study and finite element analysis. Firstly, an experimental programme was reviewed, and key responses concerning the working mechanism of the connections were presented, including strain distribution at the critical section, section force responses of essential components, and initial stiffness of test specimens. Subsequently, finite element models of three specimens were established to further interpret their behaviour and response that were not observable in the tests. The moment and shear force transfer paths of the composite connections were clarified through the test results and finite element analysis. It was observed that the bending moment is mainly resisted by axial forces from the components, and the dominant axial force is from the bottom angles; the shear force at the critical section is primarily taken by the slab and the components near the top flange. Lastly, based on the insights on the load transfer path of the composite connections, preliminary design recommendations are proposed. In particular, a resistance requirement, quantified by a moment capacity ratio, was placed on the connections. Design models and equations were also developed for predicting the yield moment resistance and the shear resistance of the connections. A flexible beam model was proposed to quantify the shear resistance of essential components.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.503-517
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• 2022

This paper presents the mechanical buckling of bi-directional functionally graded sandwich beams (BFGSW) with various boundary conditions employing a quasi-3D beam theory, including an integral term in the displacement field, which reduces the number of unknowns and governing equations. The beams are composed of three layers. The core is made from two constituents and varies across the thickness; however, the covering layers of the beams are made of bidirectional functionally graded material (BFGSW) and vary smoothly along the beam length and thickness directions. The power gradation model is considered to estimate the variation of material properties. The used formulation reflects the transverse shear effect and uses only three variables without including the correction factor used in the first shear deformation theory (FSDT) proposed by Timoshenko. The principle of virtual forces is used to obtain stability equations. Moreover, the impacts of the control of the power-law index, layer thickness ratio, length-to-depth ratio, and boundary conditions on buckling response are demonstrated. Our contribution in the present work is applying an analytical solution to investigate the stability behavior of bidirectional FG sandwich beams under various boundary conditions.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.77-84
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• 2023

Simulating the cohesion and stiffness of wet hair or fur in physics-based simulations is one of the most challenging problems. Wet hair or fur is characterized by bunching and stiffening at the ends, a phenomenon that can be seen in wet animal fur or hair. In addition, when wet hair interacts with a solid, adhesion occurs, but this problem becomes difficult to solve due to the different distribution and balance of forces in curly hair. In traditional methods, wet hair is represented by hand or by using static hairstyles to represent wet curls and hair. However, how to depict the details of wet curly hair has not been actively researched. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm to efficiently model the curl exaggeration, cohesion, adhesion, and stiffness of wet curly hair. The proposed method efficiently simulates cohesion and integrates stiffness constraints with curl dynamics to reliably control hair elasticity.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.359-367
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• 2023

High-rise structures are considered as symbols of economic power and leadership. Developing countries like India are also emerging as centers for new high-rise buildings (HRB). As the land is expensive and scarce everywhere, construction of tall buildings becomes the best solution to resolve the problem. But, as building's height increases, its stiffness reduces making it more susceptible to vibrations due to wind and earthquake forces. Several systems are available to control vibrations or deflections; however, outrigger systems are considered to be the most effective systems in improving lateral stiffness and overall stability of HRB. In this paper, a 42-storey RCC HRB is analyzed to determine the optimum position of outriggers of different materials. The linear static analysis of the building is performed with and without the provision of virtual outriggers of reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and pre-stressed concrete (PSC) at different storey levels by response spectrum method using finite element based Extended3D Analysis of building System (ETABS) software for determining responses viz. storey displacement, base shear and storey drift for individual models. The maximum allowable limit and percentage variations in earthquake responses are verified using the guidelines of Indian seismic codes. Results indicate that the outriggers contribute in significantly reducing the storey displacement and storey drift up to 28% and 20% respectively. Also, it is observed that the PSC outriggers are found to be more efficient over RCC outriggers. The optimum location of both types of outriggers is found to be at the mid height of building.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.336-345
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• 2023

The present study was designed to evaluate changes in neuromuscular properties and the structural and qualitative characteristics of muscles during submaximal isometric contractions at low-to-relatively vigorous target forces and to determine their influence on force steadiness (FS). Thirteen young adult males performed submaximal isometric knee extensions at 10, 20, 50, and 70% of their maximal voluntary isometric contraction using their non-dominant legs. During submaximal contractions, we recorded force, EMG signals from vastus medialis (VM), vastus lateralis (VL), and rectus femoris (RF), and ultrasound images from the distal RF (dRF). Force and EMG standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV) values were used to measure FS and EMG steadiness, respectively. Muscle thickness (MT), pennation angle (PA), echo intensity (EI), and texture features were calculated from ultrasound images to assess the structural and qualitative characteristics of the muscle. FS, neuromuscular properties, and texture features showed significant differences across different force levels. Additionally, there were significant differences in EMG_CV among the quadriceps at the 50% and 70% force levels. The results of correlation analysis revealed that FS had a significant relationship with EMG_CV in VM, VL, and RF, as well as with the texture features of dRF. This study's findings demonstrate that EMG steadiness and texture features are influenced by the magnitude of the target force and are closely related to FS, indicating their potential contribution to force output control.

• Journal of Drive and Control
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.22-30
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• 2024

Gearboxes designed for reciprocating motion operating mechanisms operate under conditions where both the load and speed undergo continuous variations. When conducting durability tests on gearboxes designed for such applications, operating the target gearbox under conditions similar to the intended usage is essential. The gearbox must be operated for the required number of cycles to validate its durability under conditions mirroring its intended usage. This study devised an accelerated test method for gearboxes, which reduces operating angles and operational strokes. The reliability of the accelerated test was verified by comparing the stresses imposed on the gears under general and acceleration conditions through multi-body dynamic simulations. The results confirmed that the maximum contact stress levels under normal and accelerated conditions were within a 0.1% error range, indicating a minimal difference in the gear damage rates. However, a difference in the maximum contact stress results between the normal and accelerated conditions was observed when inertial forces acted on the output shaft due to the operational acceleration of the gearbox. Therefore, when conducting this acceleration test, caution should be exercised to ensure that the operational load on the gearbox, which affects inertia, does not significantly deviate from the conditions observed under normal operating conditions.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.438-444
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• 2023

Background: To examine the influences of psychosocial work conditions on mental health risk and intention to leave the public sector among workers of public health agencies in Taiwan. Methods: We surveyed 492 public health workers in March 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Information on job demands, job control, workplace justice, experiences of workplace violence and its type and origin, and mental health status (assessed by the 5-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale, BSRS-5) was obtained. Of them, 192 participated in a follow-up survey conducted in May 2023 that assessed mental health status, employment changes, and intention to leave. Results: In the initial survey, 32.93% of participants reported poor mental health status, defined by having a score of BSRS-5 ≧ 10, and 48.17% experienced some form of workplace violence over the past year. Notably, high psychosocial job demands (OR = 3.64, 95% CI = 1.93-6.87), low workplace justice (OR = 2.58, 95% CI = 1.45-4.58), and workplace violence (OR = 2.38, 95% CI = 1.51-3.77) were significantly associated with increased risk of mental disorders. Among those who participated in the followup survey, 22.40% had persistent poor mental health, and 30.73% considered leaving or have left the public sector. Longitudinal analyses indicated that job demands predicted persistent mental disorders and intention to leave the public sector, and the experience of workplace violence added additional mental health risks. Conclusion: The public health workforce is crucial for effective and resilient public health systems. Our findings that public health workers were at high mental health risk and had a high intention to leave the job warrant attention and policy interventions.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.91 no.1
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• pp.75-86
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• 2024

In this paper, the porous metal PM-35 is proposed as the filler material of filled thin-walled tubes (FTTs), and a series of experimental study is conducted to investigate the dynamic behavior and energy absorption performance of PM-35 filled thin-walled tubes under impact loading. Firstly, cylinder solid specimens of PM-35 steel are tested to investigate the impact mechanical behavior by using the Split Hopkinson pressure bar set (SHP); Secondly, the filled thin-walled tube specimens with different geometric parameters are designed and tested to investigate the feasibility of PM-35 steel applied in FTTs by the orthogonal test. According to the results of this research, it is concluded that PM-35 steel is with the excellent characteristics of high energy absorption capacity and low yield strength, which make it a potential filler material for FTTs. The micron-sizes pore structure of PM-35 is the main reason for the macroscopic mechanical behavior of PM-35 steel under impact loading, which makes the material to exhibit greater deformation when subjected to external forces and obviously improve the toughness of the material. In addition, PM-35 steel core-filled thin-wall tube has excellent energy absorption ability under high-speed impact, which shows great application potential in the anti-collision structure facilities of high-speed railway and maglev train. The parameter V0 is most sensitive to the energy absorption of FTT specimens under impact loading, and the sensitivity order of different variations to the energy absorption is loading speed V0>D/t>D/L. The loading efficiency of the FTT is affected by its different geometry, which is mainly determined by the sleeve material and the filling material, which are not sensitive to changes in loading speed V0, D/t and D/L parameters.