• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.681-692
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• 2020

Conventional Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters (CPEH) have been extensively studied for maximizing their electrical output through material selection, geometric and structural optimization, and adoption of efficient interface circuits. In this paper, the performance of Stepped Piezoelectric Energy Harvester (SPEH) under harmonic base excitation is studied analytically, numerically and experimentally. The motivation is to compare the energy harvesting performance of CPEH and SPEHs with the same characteristics (resonant frequency). The results of this study challenge the notion of achieving higher voltage and power output through incorporation of geometric discontinuities such as step sections in the harvester beams. A CPEH consists of substrate material with a patch of piezoelectric material bonded over it and a tip mass at the free end to tune the resonant frequency. A SPEH is designed by introducing a step section near the root of substrate beam to induce higher dynamic strain for maximizing the electrical output. The incorporation of step section reduces the stiffness and consequently, a lower tip mass is used with SPEH to match the resonant frequency to that of CPEH. Moreover, the electromechanical coupling coefficient, forcing function and damping are significantly influenced because of the inclusion of step section, which consequently affects harvester's output. Three different configurations of SPEHs characterized by the same resonant frequency as that of CPEH are designed and analyzed using linear electromechanical model and their performances are compared. The variation of strain on the harvester beams is obtained using finite element analysis. The prototypes of CPEH and SPEHs are fabricated and experimentally tested. It is shown that the power output from SPEHs is lower than the CPEH. When the prototypes with resonant frequencies in the range of 56-56.5 Hz are tested at 1 m/s2, three SPEHs generate power output of 482 μW, 424 μW and 228 μW when compared with 674 μW from CPEH. It is concluded that the advantage of increasing dynamic strain using step section is negated by increase in damping and decrease in forcing function. However, SPEHs show slightly better performance in terms of specific power and thus making them suitable for practical scenarios where the ratio of power to system mass is critical.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.519-529
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• 2021

In coal mining activities, the abutment stress of the coal has to undergo cyclic loading and unloading, affecting the strength and seepage characteristics of coal; additionally, it can cause dynamic disasters, posing a major challenge for the safety of coal mine production. To improve the understanding of the dynamic disaster mechanism of gas outburst and rock burst coupling, triaxial devices are applied to axial pressure cyclic loading-unloading tests under different axial stress peaks and different pore pressures. The existing empirical formula is use to perform a non-linear regression fitting on the relationship between stress and permeability, and the damage rate of permeability is introduced to analyze the change in permeability. The results show that the permeability curve obtained had "memory", and the peak stress was lower than the conventional loading path. The permeability curve and the volume strain curve show a clear symmetrical relationship, being the former in the form of a negative power function. Owing to the influence of irreversible deformation, the permeability difference and the damage of permeability mainly occur in the initial stage of loading-unloading, and both decrease as the number of cycles of loading-unloading increase. At the end of the first cycle and the second cycle, the permeability decreased in the range of 5.777 - 8.421 % and 4.311-8.713 %, respectively. The permeability decreases with an increase in the axial stress peak, and the damage rate shows the opposite trend. Under the same conditions, the permeability of methane is always lower than that of helium, and it shows a V-shape change trend with increasing methane pressures, and the permeability of the specimen was 3 MPa > 1 MPa > 2 MPa.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.17-42
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• 2021

Articulated loading platforms (ALPs) belongs to a class of offshore structures known as compliant. ALP motions have time periods falling in the wind excitation frequency range due to their compliant behaviour. This paper deals with the dynamic behavior of a double hinged ALP subjected to low-frequency wind forces with random waves. Nonlinear effects due to variable submergence, fluctuating buoyancy, variable added mass, and hydrodynamic forces are considered in the analysis. The random sea state is characterized by the Pierson-Moskowitz (P-M) spectrum. The wave forces on the submerged elements of the platform's shaft are calculated using Morison's Equation with Airy's linear wave theory ignoring diffraction effects. The fluctuating wind load has been estimated using Ochi and Shin wind velocity spectrum for offshore structures. The nonlinear dynamic equation of motion is solved in the time domain by the Wilson-θ method. The wind-structure interactions, along with the effect of various other parameters on the platform response, are investigated. The effect of offset of aerodynamic center (A.C.) with the center of gravity (C.G.) of platform superstructure has also been investigated. The outcome of the analyses indicates that low-frequency wind forces affect the response of ALP to a large extent, which otherwise is not enhanced in the presence of only waves. The mean wind modifies the mean position of the platform surge response to the positive side, causing an offset. Various power spectral densities (PSDs) under high and moderate sea states show that apart from the significant peak occurring at the two natural frequencies, other prominent peaks also appear at very low frequencies showing the influence of wind on the response.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.620-625
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• 2005

This study is to investigate the correlation between pore structures of activated carbons and adsorption characteristics of acetone vapor using the dynamic adsorption method. The experimental results showed that the breakthrough time of ACT activated carbon made by Takeda was the longest, because ACT has more micropores below pore diametr $10{\AA}$ than the compared activated carbons. The equilibrium adsorption capacity had direct correlation to the breakthrough time. The relation between BET specific surface area and the equilibrium adsorption capacity was hard to say linear. Therefore, it was difficult to estimate the adsorption ability of activated carbons only by BET specific surface area. The correlation factor between the cumulative surface area and the equilibrium adsorption capacity decreased with enlarging the range of pore size, and there was the highest correlation factor in the range of below $10{\AA}$.

• Journal of Power System Engineering
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.69-75
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• 2014

The pressure and temperature characteristics of mixed refrigerant gases in bulb for thermostatic expansion valve were studied using R22 refrigerant and $N_2$ gases. The characteristics of mixed refrigerant gases were investigated according to pressure variation and the variation of composition ratio of R22 refrigerant and $N_2$ gases in the temperature range of -$15^{\circ}C$~$15^{\circ}C$. The Maximum operating pressure(MOP) of mixed refrigerant gases were showed a tendency to decrease with decreasing the mixing ratio of $N_2$ gas. The characteristics in the case of the mixing ratio of 90:1 for R22 refrigerant and $N_2$ gases were the same result as Reference refrigerant. In addition, the characteristics of the mixed refrigerant gases in the mixing ratio of 90:1 for R22 refrigerant and $N_2$ gases were showed almost linear in the measurement range of pressure-temperature, and the physical properties also were showed similar results with Reference refrigerant. It was able to confirm that a MOP on the thermostatic expansion valve for sensing bulb can be maintained by adjusting the mixing ratio of R22 refrigerant and $N_2$ gases.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.119-123
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• 1999

Background and Objectives : Conditions such as muscle atrophy, stretching of strap muscles, and continued craniofacial growth factors have been cited as contributing to the changes observed in the vocal tract structure and function in elderly speakers. The purpose of the present study is to compare F$_1$ and F$_2$ frequency levels in elderly and young adult male and female speakers producing a series of vowels ranging from high-front to low-back placement. Material and Methods : The subjects were two groups of young adults(10 males, 10 females, mean age 21 years old range 19-24 years) and two groups of elderly speakers(10 males, 10 females, mean age 67 years : range 60-84 years). Each subject participated in speech pathologist to be a speaker of unimpared standard Korean. The headphone was positioned 2 cm from the speakers lips. Each speaker sustained the five vowels for 5 s. Formant frequency measures were obtained from an analysis of linear predictive coding in CSL model 4300B(Kay co). Results : Repeated measure AVOVA procedures were completed on the $F_1$ and $F_2$ data for the male and female speakers. $F_2$ formant frequency levels were proven to be significantly lower fir elderly speakers. Conclusions : We presume $F_2$ vocal cavity(from the point of tongue constriction to lip) lengthening in elderly speakers. The research designed to observe dynamic speech production more directly will be needed.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.105-110
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• 2012

A europium (III)-sensitized, spectrofluorimetric (FL) method is presented for the determination of sparfloxacin (SPAR) using an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl benzene sulphonate (SDBS). The method is based on the strong fluorescence (FL) enhancement of SPAR after the addition of $Eu^{3+}$ ions as fluorescence probes. The experimental results indicated that the FL intensity of the SPAR-$Eu^{3+}$ system was enhanced markedly by SDBS. The maximum FL emission signal was obtained at about 615 nm when excited at 372 nm. The experimental conditions that affected the FL intensity of the SPAR-$Eu^{3+}$-SDBS system were optimized systematically. The enhanced FL intensity of the system exhibited a good linear relationship with the SPAR concentration over the range of $1.5{\times}10^{-9}-1.2{\times}10^{-7}mol\;L^{-1}$ with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9987. The limit of detection ($3{\delta}$) was $4.15{\times}10^{-10}mol\;L^{-1}$ with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.65%. This method was successfully applied for the determination of SPAR in pharmaceuticals, and human serum and urine samples with higher sensitivity, wide dynamic range and better stability. The possible interaction mechanism of the system is also discussed in detail by ultraviolet absorption spectra and FL spectra.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.157-162
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• 2011

In the present study, we developed a portable GC module for real-time, quantitative determinations of gas mixtures in air sample. Capillary or packed column was coiled together with a heater wire and thermocouple in a small case. Together with the small and light weight sensors and valves as well as the rechargeable carrier gas canister, which permits collection and separation of samples, this system can determine the components of complex mixtures of air contaminants at low concentrations with a duty cycle of 10 min. When measured the various samples with a FID and TCD, the system showed, for a capillary column, a good resolution (R=8.3), high sensitivity, reproducibility, and linear dynamic range greater than three orders of magnitude. These results indicate that the portable GC module is expected to be used for a wide range of applications, particularly for in situ environmental monitoring, chemical processes, and regulation of contaminant emission.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.247-255
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• 1985

This paper describes a new method for the design of variable structure model-following control systems(VSMFC). This design concept is developed using the theory of variable structure systems (VSS) and slide mode. The new results are presented on the sliding control methodology to achieve accurate tracking for a class of nonlinear, multi-input multi-output(MIMO), time varying systems in the presence of parameter variations. The design requires little computational effort. The dynamic response is insensitive to parameter variations. The feasibility and the advantages of the method are illustrated by applying it to a 1000 MWe boiling water reactor(BWR). The control is studied in the range of 85%∼90% of rated power for load-following control. A set of 12 nonlinear differential equations is used to simulate the total plant. A 6-th order linear model has been developed from these equations at 85% of rated power. The obtained controller is shown by simulations to be able to compensate for a plant parameter variation over a wide power range.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.425-436
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• 2017

Vibration control using a tuned mass damper (TMD) is an effective technique that has been verified using analytical methods and experiments. It has been applied in mechanical, automotive, and structural applications. However, the damping of a TMD cannot be adjusted in real time. An excessive mass damper stroke may be introduced when the mass damper is subjected to a seismic excitation whose frequency content is within its operation range. The semi-active tuned mass damper (SATMD) has been proposed to solve this problem. The parameters of an SATMD can be adjusted in real time based on the measured structural responses and an appropriate control law. In this study, a stiffness-controllable TMD, called a leverage-type stiffness-controllable mass damper (LSCMD), is proposed and fabricated to verify its feasibility. The LSCMD contains a simple leverage mechanism and its stiffness can be altered by adjusting the pivot position. To determine the pivot position of the LSCMD in real time, a discrete-time direct output-feedback active control law that considers delay time is implemented. Moreover, an identification test for the transfer function of the pivot driving and control systems is proposed. The identification results demonstrate the target displacement can be achieved by the pivot displacement in 0-2 Hz range and the control delay time is about 0.1 s. A shaking-table test has been conducted to verify the theory and feasibility of the LSCMD. The comparisons of experimental and theoretical results of the LSCMD system show good consistency. It is shown that dynamic behavior of the LSCMD can be simulated correctly by the theoretical model and that the stiffness can be properly adjusted by the pivot position. Comparisons of experimental results of the LSCMD and passive TMD show the LSCMD with less demand on the mass damper stroke than that for the passive TMD.