• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.84-91
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• 2016

The transport and deposition of corrosion products in pressurized water nuclear reactor (PWR) steam generators have led to corrosion (SCC, denting etc.) problems. Lancing, mechanical cleaning and chemical cleaning have been used to reduce these problems. The methods of lancing and mechanical cleaning have limitations in removing corrosion products due to the structure of steam generator tubes. But high temperature chemical cleaning (HTCC) with EDTA is the most effective method to remove corrosion products regardless of the structure. However, EDTA in chemical cleaning aqueous solution and chemical cleaning environments affects the integrity of materials used in steam generators. The nuclear power plants have to perform the pre-test (also called as qualification test (QT)) that confirms the effect on the integrity of materials after HTCC. This is one of the series studies that assess the effect, and this study determines the effects of 20 % EDTA aqueous solution on defective tubes in high temperature chemical cleaning environments. The depth and magnitude of defects in steam generator (SG) tubes were measured by eddy current test (ECT) signals. Surface analysis and magnitude of defects were performed by using SEM/EDS. Corrosion rate was assessed by weight loss of specimens. The ECT signals (potential and depth %) of defective tubes increased marginally. But the lengths of defects, oxides on the surface and weights of specimens did not change. The average corrosion rate of standard corrosion specimens was negligible. But the surfaces on specimens showed traces of etching. The depth of etching showed a range on the nanometer. After comprehensive evaluation of all the results, it is concluded that 20 % EDTA aqueous solution in high temperature chemical cleaning environments does not have a negative effect on defective tubes.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.131-152
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• 2015

Easy detection and evaluation of defect in the tube structure is a continuous problem and remains a significant demand in tube inspection technologies. This study is aimed to automate defect detection using the pattern recognition approach based on the classification of high frequency stress wave signals. The stress wave signals from vibrational impact excitation on several tube conditions were captured to identify the defect in ASTM A179 seamless steel tubes. The variation in stress wave propagation was captured by a high frequency sensor. Stress wave signals from four tubes with artificial defects of different depths and one reference tube were classified using the autoregressive (AR) algorithm. The results were demonstrated using a dendrogram. The preliminary research revealed the natural arrangement of stress wave signals were grouped into two clusters. The stress wave signals from the healthy tube were grouped together in one cluster and the signals from the defective tubes were classified in another cluster. This approach was effective in separating different stress wave signals and allowed quicker and easier defect identification and interpretation in steel tubes.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.511-518
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• 2013

Steam Generator (SG) tube, as a barrier isolating the primary coolant system from the secondary side of nuclear power plants (NPP), must maintain the structural integrity for the public safety and their efficient power generation. So, SG tubes are subject to the periodic examination and the repairs if needed so that any defective tubes are not in service. Recently, corrosion related degradations were detected in the tubes of the domestic OPR-1000 NPP, as a form of axially oriented outer diameter stress corrosion cracking (ODSCC). According to the studies on the factors causing the heat fouling as well as developing corrosion cracking, densely scaled deposits on the secondary side of the SG tubes are mainly known to be problematic causing the adverse impacts against the soundness of the SG tubes [1]. Therefore, the processes of various cleaning methods efficiently to dissolve and remove the deposits have been applied as well as it is imperative to maintain the structural integrity of the tubes after exposing to the cleaning agent. So qualification test (QT) should be carried out to assess the perfection of the chemical cleaning and QT is to apply the processes and to do ECT. In this paper, the chemical cleaning processes to dissolve and remove the scaled deposits are introduced and results of ECT on the artificial crack specimens to determine the effectiveness of those processes are represented.

• BMB Reports
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• v.49 no.8
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• pp.443-448
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• 2016

The arginylation branch of the N-end rule pathway is a ubiquitin-mediated proteolytic system in which post-translational conjugation of Arg by ATE1-encoded Arg-tRNA-protein transferase to N-terminal Asp, Glu, or oxidized Cys residues generates essential degradation signals. Here, we characterized the ATE1^−/− mice and identified the essential role of N-terminal arginylation in neural tube development. ATE1-null mice showed severe intracerebral hemorrhages and cystic space near the neural tubes. Expression of ATE1 was prominent in the developing brain and spinal cord, and this pattern overlapped with the migration path of neural stem cells. The ATE1^−/− brain showed defective G-protein signaling. Finally, we observed reduced mitosis in ATE1^−/− neuroepithelium and a significantly higher nitric oxide concentration in the ATE1^−/− brain. Our results strongly suggest that the crucial role of ATE1 in neural tube development is directly related to proper turn-over of the RGS4 protein, which participate in the oxygen-sensing mechanism in the cells.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.487-499
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• 2024

The primary objective of this study is to analyze the free vibration behavior of a sandwich cylindrical shell with a defective core and wavy carbon nanotube (CNT)-enhanced face sheets, utilizing the three-dimensional theory of elasticity. The intricate equations of motion for the structure are solved semi-analytically using the generalized differential quadrature method. The shell structure consists of a damaged isotropic core and two external face sheets. The distributions of CNTs are either functionally graded (FG) or uniform across the thickness, with their mechanical properties determined through an extended rule of mixture. In this research, the conventional theory regarding the mechanical effectiveness of a matrix embedding finite-length fibers has been enhanced by introducing tube-to-tube random contact. This enhancement explicitly addresses the progressive reduction in the tubes' effective aspect ratio as the filler content increases. The study investigates the influence of a damaged matrix, CNT distribution, volume fraction, aspect ratio, and waviness on the free vibration characteristics of the sandwich cylindrical shell with wavy CNT-reinforced face sheets. Unlike two-dimensional theories such as classical and the first shear deformation plate theories, this inquiry is grounded in the three-dimensional theory of elasticity, which comprehensively accounts for transverse normal deformations.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.30 no.12 s.255
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• pp.1618-1625
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• 2006

During the last two decades, several guidelines have been developed and used for assessing the integrity of a defective steam generator (SG) tube that is generally caused by stress corrosion cracking or wall-thinning phenomenon. However, as some of SG tubes are also failed due to fretting and so on, alternative failure estimation schemes are required for relevant defects. In this paper, parametric three-dimensional finite element (FE) analyses are carried out under internal pressure condition to simulate the failure behavior of SG tubes with different defect configurations; elliptical wear, tapered and flat wear type defects. Maximum pressures based on material strengths are obtained from more than a hundred FE results to predict the failure of SG tube. After investigating the effect of key parameters such as defect depth, defect length and wrap angle, simplified failure estimation equations are proposed in relation to the equivalent stress at the deepest point in wear region. Comparison of failure pressures predicted by the proposed estimation scheme with corresponding burst test data showed a good agreement.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.18-31
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• 1999

The explosive forming has been used for many year to expand tubes into tubesheets. this process has demonstrated ability to direct carefully the energy of an explosive to expand tubes into tubesheet holes without damaging the tubesheet and without causing the excessive cold work at the tube I.D. that is normally associated with mechanical expansion. The success of explosive tube expansion provided the background for the development of the explosive tube plug. The main results are as follows : (1) The optimum explosives and explosive qualities are PETN, RDX, HMS and about 18~31gr/ft of explosive plugging in nuclear steam generator. (2) Explosive plugging's thickness is 0.9~1.8mm. If groove of 0.4 mm formed in plug outside, For the hydraulic leakage is go up, explosive plugging of formed groove are applicate tube and tubrplate. (3) Sheath is designed on the polyethylene of low density, In thermal impact test of the $430^\circ{C}$, hydraulic leakage is $300kg/cm^2$. (4) About 10~60mm oxide inclusions are existed on the space of explosive plug and tube protect to the leakage.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.8-17
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• 1999

Unfortunately leaks occur in heat exchangers periodically, usually at the tube to tubeplate joint. The usual method of repair is to plug off the defective area and isolate the tubes of concern from the circuit. If the leaks continua the thermal capacity of the units is progressively reduced and for this reason the alternative of using an internal bridging sleeve has been examined. This paper discusses the overall development activities that has been found necessary to bring this repair procedure to a successful conclusion for use on the nuclear steam generator. In this work we have investigated optimum explosives and explosive quality, explosive sleeving's thickness, the design of sheath stress relieving heat treatment pull-out load, hydraulic leakage, stress corrosion cracking properties. The results obtain are as follows : (1) The optimum explosives and explosive qualities are PETN and about 15~40 gr/ft of explosive sleeving in nuclear steam generator. (2) Explosive sleeving's thickness is 1.1~l.4mm, If groove of 0.35mm formed in sleeve outside existed, For the hydraulic leakage is go up, explosive sleeving of formed groove are applicate tube and turnplate. (3) If the stress relieving heat treatment are experiment in $750^\circ{C}$, $850^\circ{C}$, 15 minutes Pull-out strength of sleeving 1,500~2,300kg, hydraulic leakage is $250kg/cm^2$.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.108-114
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• 2018

Due to the development of nondestructive testing techniques, methods of inspecting cracks in mechanical parts have drawn attentions. Among various non-destructive testing methods the acoustic resonance method which analyzes the natural frequencies has been developed into a technique suitable for the prompt judgements of the existence of the defects in the mechanical parts. In this study, we investigated the crack inspection technique to examine the cracks in the yoke tubes by using the acoustic resonance method and realized the system to quickly detect the cracks. A 24bit ADC circuit and an MCU were installed for the smooth data collection, and a TCP / IP communication interface was configured for the data communication with PC. We used a microphone as a sensor measuring the vibrations. We constructed an analysis software to obtain the frequency spectra of the vibrations, to find the existence of the cracks, and to feedback to the user. Tests were conducted using the yoke tubes manufactured in the real industrial field. The tests were successfully conducted to distinguish the good products from the defective (cracked) products and confirmed that they can be employed in the actual industrial field.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.137-141
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• 2005

The critical role of folate in the remethylation pathway for methionine synthesis from homocysteine has been well documented. Hyperhomocysteinemia resulting from inadequate folate nutrition has been implicated in increased incidence of macrovascular diseases, colorectal cancer, neural tube defects, etc. Chronic exposure to ethanol impairs folate nutrition and one-carbon metabolism in the liver, which often results in fatty liver due to a defective remetylation process. This study was carried out to investigate the chronic effects of moderate levels of alcohol and dietary folate on plasma homocysteine levels, and on histopathology and biochemical functions of the liver. Rats were raised on experimental diets with three levels of folate (0, 2, 8 mg/kg diet), and 50% ethanol (1.8 ml/kg body weight) was administered intragastically by intubation tubes three times a week for 10 weeks. Plasma homocysteine concentrations were found to be significantly influenced by dietary folate intake and alcohol administration. Among all treatment groups, plasma homocysteine levels were the highest in the animals receiving a combined treatment of folate deficient diet and alcohol administration. Plasma homocysteine concentrations were negatively correlated with folate concentration in the plasma (p<0.01) and liver (p<0.05). Among alcohol treated rats, increase in plasma homocysteine values due to macrovascular and microvascular fatty changes and spotted necrosis were observed more frequently in folate-deficient animals diet than those on folate-adequate and folate supplemented diets in alcohol-treated rats. These results indicate that folate supplementation above the recommended level might be beneficial in the prevention of alcohol-related hyperhomocysteinemia and abnormal histologic changes in the liver.