• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.377-383
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• 2019

Targeting at simulating the application of thorium-uranium (TU) fuel in the CANDU-6 reactor, this paper analyzes the process using the code DRAGON/DONJON where the discrete TU fuel pins are applied in the CANDU-6 reactor under the time-average equilibrium refueling. The results show that the coolant void reactivity of the assembly analyzed in this paper is lower than that of 37-element bundle cell with natural uranium and 37-element bundle cell with mixed TU fuel pins; that the max time-average channel/bundle power of the core meets the limits - less than 6700kW/860 kW; that the fuel conversion ratio is higher than that of the CANDU-6 reactor with natural uranium; and that the exit burnup increases to 13400 MWd/tU. Thus, the simulation in this paper with the fuel in the 37-element bundle cell using discrete TU fuel pins can be considered to be applied in CANDU-6 reactor with adequate modifications of the core structure and operating modes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.59-65
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• 2019

In many industries, particle packing is adopted quite frequently. In the particle packing process, the Discrete Element Method (DEM) can analyze the multi-collision of particles efficiently. Two types of contact models are frequently used for the DEM. One is the linear spring model, which has the fastest calculation time, and the other is the Hertz-Mindlin model, which is the most frequently used contact model employing the DEM. Meanwhile, very tiny particles in the micrometer order are used in modern industries. In the micro length order, surface force is important to decreased particle size. To consider the effect of surface force in this study, we performed a simulation with the Hertz-Mindlin model and added the Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) theory depicting surface force with surface energy. In addition, three contact models were compared with several parameters. As a result, it was found that the JKR model has larger residual stress than the general contact models because of the pull-off force. We also validated that surface force can influence particle behavior if the particles are small.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.72 no.4
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• pp.469-477
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• 2019

The understanding of tool-rock interaction mechanism is of high essence for improving the rock breaking efficiency and optimizing the drilling parameters in mechanical rock breaking. In this study, the tool-rock interaction models of indentation and cutting are carried out by employing the discrete element method (DEM) to examine the rock failure modes of various brittleness rocks and critical indentation and cutting depths of the ductile to brittle failure mode transition. The results show that the cluster size and inter-cluster to intra-cluster bond strength ratio are the key factors which influence the UCS magnitude and the UCS to BTS ratio. The UCS to BTS strength ratio can be increased to a more realistic value using clustered rock model so that the characteristics of real rocks can be better represented. The critical indentation and cutting depth decrease with the brittleness of rock increases and the decreasing rate reduces dramatically against the brittleness value. This effort may lead to a better understanding of rock breaking mechanisms in mechanical excavation, and may contribute to the improvement in the design of rock excavation machines and the related parameters determination.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.85 no.3
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• pp.369-379
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• 2023

Reliability-Based Design Optimization (RBDO) is an appropriate framework for obtaining optimal designs by taking uncertainties into account. Large-scale problems with implicit limit state functions and problems with discrete design variables are two significant challenges to traditional RBDO methods. To overcome these challenges, this paper proposes a hybrid method to perform RBDO of structures that links Firefly Algorithm (FA) as an optimization tool to advanced (finite element) reliability methods. Furthermore, the Genetic Algorithm (GA) and the FA are compared based on the design cost (objective function) they achieve. In the proposed method, Weighted Simulation Method (WSM) is utilized to assess reliability constraints in the RBDO problems with explicit limit state functions. WSM is selected to reduce computational costs. To performing RBDO of structures with finite element modeling and implicit limit state functions, a First-Order Reliability Method (FORM) based on the Direct Differentiation Method (DDM) is utilized. Four numerical examples are considered to assess the effectiveness of the proposed method. The findings illustrate that the proposed RBDO method is applicable and efficient for RBDO problems with discrete and continuous design variables and finite element modeling.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.571-581
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• 2024

Concrete linings in tunnels constructed by drilling and blasting such as NATM serve as a secondary support structure. However, these linings can face unexpected earth pressures if the primary support deteriorates or if ground conditions become unfavorable. It is crucial to determine the loosening earth pressure that allows the lining to maintain its structural integrity and prevent damage caused by this pressure. This study proposes a numerical model for simulating the trapdoor test and developing a method for calculating the loosening earth pressure. The discrete element method (DEM) was employed to describe the soil characteristics around the tunnel. Using this numerical model, a sequence of experimental trapdoor steps was simulated, and the loosening earth pressure was analyzed. Contact parameters were calibrated based on an analysis of a triaxial compression test. The reliability of the developed model was confirmed through a comparison between simulation results and laboratory test findings. The model was used to calculate the contact force applied to the trapdoor plate and to assess the settlement of soil particles. Furthermore, the model accounted for the soil-arching effect, which effectively redistributes the load to the surrounding areas. The proposed model can be applied to analyze the tunnel's cross-sectional dimensions and design stability under various ground conditions.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.509-514
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• 2010

A numerical simulation of passenger evacuation in a subway station was performed by coupling the passenger flow analysis and the fire simulation. The algorithm of the passenger flow analysis was based on a DEM (Discrete Element Method) using the potential map of the direction vector for each passenger. This algorithm was improved in the present study as to use finer grid smaller than a passenger in order to resolve detailed geometry of the station and to resolve the behavior of passengers in the bottleneck at the ticket gate considering the collision of passengers to a wall or with other passengers. In the fire simulation, the CO distribution predicted by using CFD was used to take into account the effect of toxic gases on the passengers' mobility. The methodology proposed in the present study could be used in designing safer subway station in case of fire occurrence.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.36-43
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• 2022

The general screen used to separate the particle size of recycled aggregate has restrictions when dealing with moisturized materials because of the blockage phenomenon. Therefore, in this study, to improve the separation efficiency of the conventional screen, the excellence of additional vibrating device based on spring was decided by a simulation experiment based on the discrete element method (DEM). The motion characteristic was investigated by analyzing the displacement, amplitude, and strain angle based on the spring design. Further, the particle motion was simulated by applying spring motion. The material flow and separation efficiency of the screen applied spring were confirmed as 9.2 kg/s and 97 %, respectively. Consequently, the improvement in the screen applied with blockage prevention spring was confirmed by comparing with the conventional screen.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05b
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• pp.3197-3202
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• 2007

An analysis program for pedestrian flow has been developed to investigate the flow patterns of passenger in railway stations. Analysis algorithms for pedestrian flow based on DEM(Discrete Element Method) are newly developed. There are lots of similarity between particle-laden two phase flow and passenger flow. The velocity component of 1st phase corresponds to the unit vector of calculation cell, each particle to passenger, volume fraction to population density and the particle velocity to the walking velocity, etc. And, the walking velocity of passenger is also represented by the function of population density. Key algorithms are developed to determine the position of passenger, population density and numbering to each passenger. By using the developed program, we compared the simulation results of the effects of the location and size of exit and elapsed time.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.758-772
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• 1997

The snapshot method is introduced to approximate the coherent structures of planar forcing jet flow. The numerical simulation of flow field is simulated by discrete vortex method. With snapshot method we could treat the data efficiently and approximate coherent structures inhered in the planer jet flow. By forcing the jet at a sufficient amplitude and at a well-chosen frequency, the paring can be controlled in the region of the jet. Finally we expressed the underlying coherent structures of planar jet flow in the minimum number of modes by Karhunen-Loeve transformation in order to understand jet flow and to make the information storage and management in computers easier.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.69-80
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• 1999

The purpose of this study is to propose an analytical model for the simulation of the hysteretic behavior of RC (reinforced concrete) beam-column subassemblages under various loading histories. The discrete line element with inelastic rotational springs is adopted to model the different locations of the plastic hinging zone. The hysteresis model can be adopted for a dynamic two-dimensional inelastic analysis of RC frame structures. From the analysis of test results it is found that the stiffness deterioration caused by inelastic loading can be simulated with a function of basic pinching coefficients, ductility ratio and yield strength ratio of members. A new strength degradation coefficient is proposed to simulate the inelastic behavior of members as a function of the transverse steel spacing and section aspect ratio. The energy dissipation capacities calculated using the proposed model show a good agreement with test results within errors of 27%.