• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.63-71
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• 2023

In order to increase the extrusion production speed of aluminum, extrusion die cooling technology using liquid nitrogen has recently attracted a lot of attention. Increasing the extrusion speed increases the temperature of the bearing area of extrusion dies and the extrusion profile, which may cause defects on the surface of extruded profile. Extrusion die cooling technology is to directly inject liquid nitrogen through a cooling channel formed between the die and the backer inside the die-set. The liquid nitrogen removes heat from the die-set, and gaseous nitrogen at the exit of the channel, covers the extrusion profile of an inert atmosphere reducing the oxidation and the profile temperature. The aim of this study is to evaluate the cooling capacity by applying die cooling to extrusion of Al-Mn-based aluminum alloy flat tubes, and to investigate the effects of die cooling on the change in extrusion characteristics of flat tubes. Cooling capacity was confirmed by observing the temperature change of the extrusion profile depending on whether or not die cooling is applied. To observe changes in material characteristics due to die cooling, surface observation is conducted and microstructure and precipitate analysis are performed by FE-SEM on the surface and longitudinal cross section of the extruded flat tubes.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.185-190
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• 2023

The root canal morphology undergoes aging-related changes, and relevant quantitative analyses have not yet been reported. We compared the cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and micro-computed tomography (microCT) scans of extracted mandibular incisors to check the accuracy of morphological measurements. Thereafter, the root canal morphology and aging-related changes in the mandibular incisors of Japanese individuals were assessed using CBCT. Six extracted teeth were fixed in a phantom head and imaged using CBCT and micro-CT. The correlation between the findings of the two imaging modalities was examined. Further, CBCT reconstructed images of the mandibular incisors of 81 individuals were observed. Age-related changes of the root canals were compared between participants aged <30 years and those aged ≥30 years. The CBCT and micro-CT findings regarding the root canals of the extracted teeth coincided in 94.4% of the cases. Mandibular incisors exhibiting two root canals in either cross-section accounted for 9.9% of central incisors and 12.4% of lateral incisors. Mandibular central incisors with two root canals were observed in two (6.3%) individuals aged <30 years and six (12.2%) aged ≥30 years. Mandibular lateral incisors with two root canals were observed in one (3.1%) individual aged <30 years and nine (18.4%) aged ≥30 years. CBCT allows accurate evaluation of complex root canal morphologies and is useful for endodontic preoperative assessment. Mandibular incisors have more frequent occurrence of two root canals with aging.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.165-175
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• 2024

Rotating beams play a crucial role in representing complex mechanical components that are prevalent in vital sectors like energy and transportation industries. These components are susceptible to the initiation and propagation of cracks, posing a substantial risk to their structural integrity. This study presents a two-stage methodology for detecting the location and estimating the size of an open-edge transverse crack in a rotating Euler-Bernoulli beam with a uniform cross-section. Understanding the dynamic behavior of beams is vital for the effective design and evaluation of their operational performance. In this regard, modal parameters such as natural frequencies and eigenmodes are frequently employed to detect and identify damages in mechanical components. In this instance, the Frobenius method has been employed to determine the first two natural frequencies and corresponding eigenmodes associated with flapwise bending vibration. These calculations have been performed by solving the governing differential equation that describes the motion of the beam. Various parameters have been considered, such as rotational speed, beam slenderness, hub radius, and crack size and location. The effect of the crack has been replaced by a rotational spring whose stiffness represents the increase in local flexibility as a result of the damage presence. In the initial phase of the proposed methodology, a damage index utilizing the slope of the beam's eigenmode has been employed to estimate the location of the crack. After detecting the presence of damage, the size of the crack is determined using a Genetic Algorithm optimization technique. The ultimate goal of the proposed methodology is to enable the development of more suitable and reliable maintenance plans.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.185-202
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• 2024

In this research paper, and for the first time, wave propagations in sigmoidal imperfect functionally graded material plates are investigated using a simplified quasi-three-dimensionally higher shear deformation theory (Quasi-3D HSDTs). By employing an indeterminate integral for the transverse displacement in the shear components, the number of unknowns and governing equations in the current theory is reduced, thereby simplifying its application. Consequently, the present theories exhibit five fewer unknown variables compared to other Quasi-3D theories documented in the literature, eliminating the need for any correction coefficients as seen in the first shear deformation theory. The material properties of the functionally graded plates smoothly vary across the cross-section according to a sigmoid power law. The plates are considered imperfect, indicating a pore distribution throughout their thickness. The distribution of porosities is categorized into two types: even or uneven, with linear (L)-Type, exponential (E)-Type, logarithmic (Log)-Type, and Sinus (S)-Type distributions. The current quasi-3D shear deformation theories are applied to formulate governing equations for determining wave frequencies, and phase velocities are derived using Hamilton's principle. Dispersion relations are assumed as an analytical solution, and they are applied to obtain wave frequencies and phase velocities. A comprehensive parametric study is conducted to elucidate the influences of wavenumber, volume fraction, thickness ratio, and types of porosity distributions on wave propagation and phase velocities of the S-FGM plate. The findings of this investigation hold potential utility for studying and designing techniques for ultrasonic inspection and structural health monitoring.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.85-95
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• 2024

Background: In Korea, riparian zones and some floodplains have been converted into agricultural fields and urban areas. However, there are essential for maintaining biodiversity, as they are important ecological spaces. There are also very important spaces for humanity, as they perform various ecosystem services in a changing environment including climate change. Due to the importance of rivers, river restoration projects have been promoted for a long time, but their achievement has been insignificant. Development should be pursued by thoroughly evaluating the success of the restoration project. Ecological restoration is to accelerate succession, a process that a disturbed ecosystem recovers itself, with human assistance. Ecological restoration can be a test bed for testing ecological theories in the field. In this respect, ecological restoration should go beyond a 'simple landscaping exercise' and apply ecological models and theories in restoration practice. Results: The cross-section of the restored stream is far from natural rivers due to its steep slope and artificial material. The vegetation profiles of the restored streams did not reflect the flooding regime of the river. The species composition of the vegetation in the restored stream showed a significant difference from that of the reference stream, and was also different from that of an unrestored urban stream. Although species richness was high and the proportion of exotic species was low in the restored stream, the effect was offset by the high proportion of gardening and landscaping plants or obligate terrestrial plants. Conclusions: Based on both the morphological and ecological characteristics of the river, the restoration effect in the restored stream was evaluated to be very low. In order to solve the problems, a systematic adaptive management plan is urgently required. Furthermore, it is necessary to institutionalize the evaluation of restoration effects for the development of river restoration projects in the future.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.15-28
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• 2024

The rapid development of the economy has compelled the widen of highways, and the main challenge of this undertaking lies in the uneven settlement of road embankments. Through field and numerical experiments, this study explores the deformation mechanism of shallow buried pipelines due to road widening. The utilization of Plaxis3D software, which is adapt at simulating complex engineering geological conditions, enables the simulation of the settlement of both the central and right-side road embankments. Comparing with other numerical software such as ABAQUS and COMSOL, Plaxis provided more constitutive models including HS, HSS and Hoek-Brown model. The work concludes that the uneven settlement of road cross-sections is positively correlated with the horizontal distance from the pipeline, with a maximum settlement of 73 mm observed after construction. Furthermore, based on the Winkler's assumption, theoretical settlement and stress calculation methods are established. Results indicate that the maximum difference between the calculated values of this formula and simulated values is 1.9% and 7%, respectively. Additionally, the study investigates the stress and settlement of the pipeline's top under different angles to understand its behavior under various conditions. It finds that with traffic loads applied to the new embankment, a lever effect occurs on the lower pipeline, with the fulcrum located within the central isolation zone, leading to a transition in curve type from "single peak and single valley" to "double peak and single valley." Moreover, the settlement of pipelines on both sides of the central isolation zone and the normal stress of the pipeline's top section are symmetrical.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.89-98
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to experimentally evaluate the structural behavior of built-up type column consisted of angles and y-shape steel sheet forms for filling concrete. This column for minimizing form working and reinforcement placing is able to improve capacity of construction and reduce the term of works. Thirteen 1/3 scaled columns were fabricated. The main variables are 1) effect of angles and y-shape steel sheets of fabricated columns, 2) slenderness of column, 3) eccentricity of column. The results show that the experimental capacity of built-up type column is similar to theoretical one by reinforcement concrete design code. The maximum loads increase according to the rate of angle to cross section of column.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.13 no.1 s.53
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• pp.179-185
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• 2009

In recent, the investigations related to the FRP(Fiber Reinforced Polymers) have been increased due to their superior material and mechanical properties such as environmental resistance, high specific strength and stiffness. Considering these advantages, the FRP tube may be proper for strut on the PSC box girder bridge that can maximize the efficiency of cross section and are effective on economics and aesthetics of bridges. In this research, the specimen tests of the FRP tube and compression tests of the concrete member enclosed with the FRP were performed in order to evaluate the suitability of the FRP tubes, which are applied to the PSC box girder bridge with strut. The specific strength of concrete and the energy absorbing capacity as well as ductility were increased according to the experimental results, and it was found that FRP tubes have sufficient safety as strut member.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.13 no.1 s.53
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• pp.125-134
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• 2009

This paper deals with the free vibrations of circular strip foundations which have uniform solid rectangular cross-section. The ground which supports circular strips was modeled as the two parameter elastic foundation. Differential equations governing the flexural-torsional free vibrations of circular strips supported by such foundation were derived, and solved numerically for obtaining the natural frequencies and mode shapes. Boundary condition of free-free ends was considered for numerical examples. Four lowest natural frequencies according to the variations of five system parameters i.e. subtended angle, depth ratio, contact ratio, elasticity ratio and soil parameter are reported in the non-dimensional forms. Also, typical mode shapes of both deformations and stress resultants are presented in the figures. Experiment was conducted for validating the theory developed in this study.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.123-133
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• 2006

The main objective of this study is to develop an optimization algorithm of framed structures with rigid and various semi-rigid connections using the multilevel dynamic programming and the sequential unconstrained minimization techniques (SUMT). The second-order elastic analysis is performed for steel framed structures. The second order elastic analysis is developed based on nonlinear beam-column theory considering the bowing effect. The following semi-rigid connections are considered; double web angle, top-seat angle and top-seat angle with web angle. We considered the three connection models, such as modified exponential, polynomial and three parameter model. The total weight of the structural steel is used as the objective function in the optimization process. The dimensions of steel cross section are selected as the design variables. The design constraints consist of strength requirements for axial, shear and flexural resistance and serviceability requirements.