• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.12
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• pp.4514-4521
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• 2022

In this study, the effects of heat and radiation on the degradation behaviour of fluoroelastomer under simulated normal operation and a severe accident environment were investigated using sequential testing of gamma irradiation and thermal degradation. Tensile properties and Shore A hardness were measured, and thermogravimetric analysis was used to evaluate the degradation behaviour of fluoroelastomer. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the structural changes of the fluoroelastomer. Heat and radiation generated in nuclear power plant break and deform the chemical bonds, and fluoroelastomer exposed to these environments have decreased C-H and functional groups that contain oxygen and double bonds such as C-O, C=O and C=C were generated. These functional groups were formed by auto oxidation by reacting free radicals generated from the cleaved bond with oxygen in the atmosphere. In this auto oxidation reaction, crosslinks were generated where bonded to each other, and the mobility of molecules was decreased, and as a result, the fluoroelastomer was hardened. This hardening behaviour occurred more significantly in the severe accident environment than in the normal operation condition, and it was found that thermal stability decreased with the generation of unstable structures by crosslinking.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.419-428
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• 2023

Seawater has been used to cool devices in nuclear power plants. However, the pipes used to transport seawater are vulnerable to corrosion; hence, the inner side of pipelines is coated with an epoxy layer as prevention. Upon coating damage, the pipe becomes exposed, and corrosion progresses. The major cause is widely known as cavitation corrosion, causing the degradation of mechanical properties. In this study, corroded specimens were prepared using cavitation and immersion methods to clarify the degradation trend of mechanical properties with corrosion. Three different types of epoxy coatings were used, and accelerated cavitation procedures were composed of amplitudes of 15 ㎛, 50 ㎛, and 85 ㎛ for 2 h, 4 h, and 6 h. The immersion periods were 3 and 6 weeks. We conducted instrumented indentation tests on all degradation samples to measure mechanical properties. The results showed that higher cavitation amplitudes and longer cavitation or immersion times led to more degradation in the samples, which, in turn, decreased the yield strength. Of the three samples, the C coating had the highest resistance to cavitation and immersion degradation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 2002.10b
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• pp.219-220
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• 2002

To establish a thermodynamic basis for degradation, a hypothesis was made on the potential correlation between entropy and degradation for wear of machinery components. This paper reports an experimental study of wear of model machinery component pairs, on an accelerated testing basis. Measured were wear, friction, temperatures, and entropy flow. Results show a strong correlation between the referenced wear and the production of entropy flow. The hypothesis linking wear to entropy led to formulations consistent with the Archard/Holm wear law.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.109-116
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• 1971

The mechanical degradation of poly (${\alpha}$-methyl styrene) in several mixed solvents (toluene-n-butyl alcohol, toluene-sec-butyl alcohol, toluene-kerosene, toluene-methyl ethyl ketone), from $1^{\circ}C to $45^{\circ}C$, was studied using the capillary flow method. The velocity constant of scission reaction (k) and the limited degree of polymerization (g) were compared at the same value of [${\eta}$] at each temperatures. As results, mechanical degradation of polymer in dilute mixed solutions is affected by composition of solvents around the polymer chains.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.80-83
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• 2003

Generally, forging process has been known to enhance most of the mechanical properties by developing the continuous metal flow across the forged stocks. However, we have found out that forging of Al 6061 did not always give the enhancement of the mechanical properties but the degradation of the original characteristics, especailly for a extruded Al 6061. There are several candidates for the culprit of this unfavorable phenomenon. We have been trying to clear out the cause of the mechanical degradation of the forged a extruded Al 6061. One of the most plausible causes seems to be that the particles containing Mn and/or Cr is coarsened and redistributed preferencially onto grain boundaries due to a repetitive exposure in an elevated temperature condition. On the other hand, a continuously cast Al 6061 did not show any strength degradation after a hot forging under the same process condition with the extruded Al 6061.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.231-240
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• 2014

In the present research, fatigue behavior of chopped strand mat/epoxy composites has been studied with two different techniques. First, the normalized stiffness degradation approach as a well-known model for unidirectional and laminated composites was utilized to predict the fatigue behavior of chopped strand mat/epoxy composites. Then, the capability of the fatigue damage accumulation model for chopped strand mat/epoxy composites was investigated. A series of tests has been performed at different stress levels to evaluate both models with the obtained results. The results of evaluation indicate a better correlation of the normalized stiffness degradation technique with experimental results in comparison with the fatigue damage accumulation model.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.287-292
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• 2017

In the present research, an available flexural stiffness degradation model was modified and a new comprehensive model called "X-NFSD" was developed. The X-NFSD model is capable of predicting the flexural stiffness degradation of composite specimen at different states of stresses and at room temperature. The model was verified by means of different experimental data for chopped strand mat/epoxy composites under displacement controlled bending loading condition at different displacements and states of stresses. The obtained results provided by the present model are impressively in very good agreement with the experimental data and the mean value of error of 5.4% was achieved.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.1452-1460
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• 2001

A new method of parameter determination in the fatigue residual strength degradation model is proposed. The new method and minimization technique is compared experimentally to account for the effect of tension-compression fatigue loading of spheroidal graphite cast iron and graphite/epoxy laminate. It is shown that the correlation between the experimental results and the theoretical prediction on the fatigue life and residual strength distribution using the proposed method is very reasonable. Therefore, the proposed method is more adjustable in the determination of the parameter than minimization technique for the prediction of the fatigue characteristics.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.2913-2921
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• 1994

In SMA(shape memory alloy), the degradation by fatigue is one of the most important problems to be overcome, when SMA is used for robot-actuator material. The actuator is operated repeatitively for long time and its repeating operation develops the fatigue degradation of SMA. The fatigue degradation changes the transformation temperature and deformation behavior and results in inaccurate operation control of robot. Accordingly, the changing behavior of transformation temperature and deformation which results from repeating operation is to be investigated in advance and the scheme to resolve those problems have to be made for the design of actuator. In this study, the fatigue tests were carried out on SMA specimens prepared to have different condition of aging time and pre-strain with the direct-current heating-cooling method, which was a general method of operation in robot actuators. The behavior of transformation temperature and deformation were examined and analyzed in each specimen and the study was performed to establish the optimistic manufacturing condition of SMA against the fatigue degradation.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.311-318
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• 2016

This paper shows storage life estimation of next IR(infrared) flare material through accelerated degradation tests. Three temperature conditions for the accelerated degradation tests are 55, 65 and $75^{\circ}C$. Six performances of IR flare material are burning time, IR peak/continuous Intensity, total energy of near/mid-IR and color ratio, and they were measured after the tests. Storage life of the IR flare material was estimated through both analyzing the degradation data of those performances and applying distribution-based degradation models to the data. Over 30 years of storage life at $20^{\circ}C$ is estimated in terms of IR peak intensity with reliability 0.99 and confidence level 99 %. Additionally, 10 years of storage period at $21^{\circ}C$ would be equivalent to 68 days of accelerated test at $65^{\circ}C$ from the activation energy in Arrhenius model.