• Composites Research
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.52-57
• /
• 2015

Soft morphing robotics making use of smart material and based on biomimetic principles are capable of continuous locomotion in harmony with its environment. Since these robots do not use traditional mechanical components, they can be built to be light weight and capable of a diverse range of locomotion. This paper illustrates a flexible smart phone robot made of smart soft composite (SSC) with inchworm-like locomotion capable of two-way linear motion. Since rigid components are embedded within the robot, bending actuators with embedded rigid segments were investigated in order to obtain the maximum bending curvature. To verify the results, a simple mechanical model of this actuator was built and compared with experimental data. After that, the flexible robot was implemented as part of a smart phone robot where the rigid components of the phone were embedded within the matrix. Then, experiments were conducted to test the smart phone robot actuation force under different deflections to verify its load carrying capability. After that, the communication between the smart phone and robot controller was implemented and a corresponding phone application was developed. The locomotion of the smart phone robot actuated through an independent controller was also tested.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.10 no.6
• /
• pp.501-515
• /
• 2012

We design and test a shape memory alloy (SMA)-based actuation system that can be used to propel a fish robot. The actuator in the system is composed of a 0.1 mm diameter SMA wire, a 0.5 mm-thick glass/epoxy composite strip, and a fixture frame. The SMA wire is installed in a pre-bent composite strip that provides initial tension to the SMA wire. The actuator can produce a blocking force of about 200 gram force (gf) and displacement of 3.5 mm at the center of the glass/epoxy strip for an 8 V application. The bending motion of the actuator is converted into the tail-beat motion of a fish robot through a linkage system. The fish robot is evaluated by measuring the tail-beat angle, swimming speed, and thrust produced by the tail-beat motion. The tail-beat angle is about $20^{\circ}$, the maximum swimming speed is about 1.6 cm/s, and the measured average thrust is about 0.4 gf when the fish robot is operated at 0.9 Hz.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.311-322
• /
• 2020

This paper studies the influence of parameters of a novel SMA helical spring energy dissipation brace on the seismic resistance of a frame structure. The force-displacement relationship of the SMA springs is established mathematically based on a multilinear constitutive model of the SMA material. Four SMA helical springs are fabricated, and the force-displacement relationship curves of the SMA springs are obtained via tension tests. A numerical dynamic model of a two-floor frame with spring energy dissipation braces is constructed and evaluated via vibration table tests. Then, two spring parameters, namely, the ratio of the helical spring diameter to the wire diameter and the pre-stretch length, are selected to investigate their influences on the seismic responses of the frame structure. The simulation results demonstrate that the optimal ratio of the helical spring diameter to the wire diameter can be found to minimize the absolute acceleration and the relative displacement of the frame structure. Meanwhile, if the pre-stretch length is assigned a suitable value, excellent vibration reduction performance can be realized. Compared with the frame structure without braces, the frames with spring braces exhibit highly satisfactory seismic resistance performance under various earthquake waves. However, it is necessary to select an SMA spring with optimal parameters for realizing optimal vibration reduction performance.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
• /
• v.45 no.2
• /
• pp.154-162
• /
• 2017

CanSat Competition has been annually held in South Korea since 2012 to give students an opportunity for better understanding of system design and operation processes of satellite. SCSky CanSat(Smart Call from the Sky Can Satellite) proposed in this study is a name of CanSat that was participated in 2016 CanSat competition. Its main mission objective is to obtain flight imaging data of inside and outside the CanSat through the video call using on-board smart phone in the CanSat. To implement this mission, we developed a remote touch system using SMA(Shape Memory Alloy) wire. In addition, a wide scan camera mechanism using SMA spring was developed to obtain ground imaging data during the mission. This study introduced the mission of the SCSky CanSat, as well as the description of on-board payloads, system design results, and flight test results.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2008.06a
• /
• pp.236-236
• /
• 2008

(Bi,La)$Ti_3O_{12}$(BLT) thin film is one of the most attractive materials for ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM) applications due to its some excellent properties such as high fatigue endurance, low processing temperature, and large remanent polarization [1-2]. The authors firstly investigated and reported the damascene process of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) for BLT thin film capacitor on behalf of plasma etching process for fabrication of FRAM [3]. CMP process could prepare the BLT capacitors with the superior process efficiency to the plasma etching process without the well-known problems such as plasma damages and sloped sidewall, which was enough to apply to the fabrication of FRAM [2]. BLT-CMP characteristics showed the typical oxide-CMP characteristics which were related in both pressure and velocity according to Preston's equation and Hernandez's power law [2-4]. Good surface roughness was also obtained for the densification of multilevel memory structure by CMP process [3]. The well prepared BLT capacitors fabricated by CMP process should have the sufficient ferroelectric properties for FRAM; therefore, in this study the electrical properties of the BLT capacitor fabricated by CMP process were analyzed with the process parameters. Especially, the effects of CMP pressure, which had mainly affected the removal rate of BLT thin films [2], on the electrical properties were investigated. In order to check the influences of the pressure in eMP process on the ferroelectric properties of BLT thin films, the electrical test of the BLT capacitors was performed. The polarization-voltage (P-V) characteristics show a decreased the remanent polarization (Pr) value when CMP process was performed with the high pressure. The shape of the hysteresis loop is close to typical loop of BLT thin films in case of the specimen after CMP process with the pressures of 4.9 kPa; however, the shape of the hysteresis loop is not saturated due to high leakage current caused by structural and/or chemical damages in case of the specimen after CMP process with the pressures of 29.4 kPa. The leakage current density obtained with positive bias is one order lower than that with negative bias in case of 29.4 kPa, which was one or two order higher than in case of 4.9 kPa. The high pressure condition was not suitable for the damascene process of BLT thin films due to the defects in electrical properties although the better efficiency of process. by higher removal rate of BLT thin films was obtained with the high pressure of 29.4 kPa in the previous study [2].

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.81 no.6
• /
• pp.665-675
• /
• 2022

The safety problems of giant hydraulic structures such as dams caused by terrorist attacks, earthquakes, and wars often have an important impact on a country's economy and people's livelihood. For the national defense department, timely and effective assessment of damage to or impending damage to dams and other structures is an important issue related to the safety of people's lives and property. In the field of damage assessment and vulnerability analysis, it is usually necessary to give the damage assessment results within a few minutes to determine the physical damage (crack length, crater size, etc.) and functional damage (decreased power generation capacity, dam stability descent, etc.), so that other defense and security departments can take corresponding measures to control potential other hazards. Although traditional numerical calculation methods can accurately calculate the crack length and crater size under certain combat conditions, it usually takes a long time and is not suitable for rapid damage assessment. In order to solve similar problems, this article combines simulation calculation methods with machine learning technology interdisciplinary. First, the common concrete gravity dam shape was selected as the simulation calculation object, and XFEM (Extended Finite Element Method) was used to simulate and calculate 19 cracks with different initial positions. Then, an LSTM (Long-Short Term Memory) machine learning model was established. 15 crack paths were selected as the training set and others were set for test. At last, the LSTM model was trained by the training set, and the prediction results on the crack path were compared with the test set. The results show that this method can be used to predict the crack propagation path rapidly and accurately. In general, this article explores the application of machine learning related technologies in the field of mechanics. It has broad application prospects in the fields of damage assessment and vulnerability analysis.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.66-70
• /
• 2012

Ti-Ni alloys are widely used in numerous biomedical applications (e.g., orthodontics, cardiovascular science, orthopaedics) due to their distinctive thermomechanical and mechanical properties, such as the shape memory effect, superelasticity and low elastic modulus. In order to increase the biocompatibility of Ti-Ni alloys, many surface modification techniques, such as the sol-gel technique, plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII), laser surface melting, plasma spraying, and chemical vapor deposition, have been employed. In this study, a Ti-49.5Ni (at%) alloy was electrochemically etched in 1M $H_2SO_4$+ X (1.5, 2.0, 2.5) wt% HF electrolytes to modify the surface morphology. The morphology, element distribution, crystal structure, roughness and energy of the surface were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive Xray spectrometry (EDS), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle analysis. Micro-sized pores were formed on the Ti-49.5Ni (at%) alloy surface by electrochemical etching with 1M $H_2SO_4$+ X (1.5, 2.0, 2.5) wt% HF. The volume fractions of the pores were increased by increasing the concentration of the HF electrolytes. Depending on the HF concentration, different pore sizes, heights, surface roughness levels, and surface energy levels were obtained. To investigate the osteoblast adhesion of the electrochemically etched Ti-49.5Ni (at%) alloy, a MTT test was performed. The degree of osteoblast adhesion was increased at a high concentration of HF-treated surface structures.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
• /
• 2018.06a
• /
• pp.132-132
• /
• 2018

NiTi 형상 기억 합금은 형상기억 효과 (Shape memory effect) 또는 초탄성 효과 (superelasticity effect)를 나타낸다고 알려져 있다. 대표적으로 Ni:Ti 조성비가 1:1을 갖는 NiTi(니티놀) 합금은 형상기억 및 초탄성 효과가 우수하여 기계 가공 공정뿐만 아니라 우수한 내마모성을 요구하는 공구에 사용하기 적합하다. 하지만 NiTi 박막은 합금과 같은 Damping capacity를 가지고 있지만 비교적 낮은 물리적 특성을 가지고 있다. 본 연구에서는 NiTi 박막의 낮은 물리적 특성을 향상시키기 위하여 TiN과 NiTi의 2층형 박막을 제조하고 각 층의 두께 변화를 조절하여 특성 향상에 대한 기초연구를 진행했다. 타겟은 NiTi (Ni:Ti=48.2:51.8 at.%) 합금 타겟과 Ti 타겟을 사용하였고, 시편과 타겟 간의 거리는 약 10cm 이며, 시편은 기초분석을 위한 SUS304, 물리적 특성 평가를 위한 초경 을 사용하였다. 초경은 실제 공구에서 사용하고 있는 Co함량이 10% 함유된 시편은 선정했다. 시편 전처리는 알코올과 아세톤으로 세척을 실시한 후 진공챔버에 장착하고 ${\sim}10^{-5}Torr$ 까지 진공배기를 실시하였다. 기판 정청은 글로우 방전 방식으로 약 800 V 전압에서 30분간 실시했다. 공정 가스는 Ar와 $N_2$ 혼합가스를 사용하였으며, UBM(Un-Balanced Magnetron) 스퍼터링 소스를 이용하여 2층형 박막을 제조했다. TiN과 NiTi 층의 두께 비율을 0.5, 1 그리고 2 로 변화시켜 코팅했으며, 박막의 총 두께는 약 ${\sim}3{\mu}m$ 이다. 기초분석은 FE-SEM을 통해 두께와 박막 비율을 확인 및 XRD 분석을 통해 박막 정성분성을 실시했다. 2층형 박막의 물리적 특성은 Nanoindentation test, AFM 및 ball on disc를 이용하여 평가했으며, 그 결과 두께 비율 변화에 따라 물리적 특성 변화가 나타남을 확인했다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2006.06a
• /
• pp.169-170
• /
• 2006

In this study, ultra thin films of ferroelectric vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene (VF2-TrFE) copolymer were fabricated on degenerated Si (n+, $0.002\;{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$) using by spin coating method. A 1~5 wt% diluted solution of purified vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene (VF2:TrFE=70:30) in a dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent were prepared and deposited on silicon wafers at a spin rate of 2000~5000rpm for 30 seconds. After annealing in a vacuum ambient at $200^{\circ}C$ for 60 min, upper gold electrodes were deposited by vacuum evaporation for electrical measurement. X-ray diffraction results showed that the VF2-TrFE films on Si substrates had $\beta$-phase of copolymer structures. The capacitance on $n^+$-Si(100) wafer showed hysteresis behavior like a butterfly shape and this result indicates clearly that the dielectric films have ferroelectric properties. The typical measured remnant polarization (2Pr) and coercive filed (EC) values measured using a computer controlled a RT-66A standardized ferroelectric test system (Radiant Technologies) were about $0.54\;C/cm^2$ and 172 kV/cm, respectively, in an applied electric field of ${\pm}0.75\;MV/cm$.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.89-100
• /
• 2023

This paper conducts a parametric study of a new tuned mass damper with pre-strained superelastic SMA helical springs (SMAS-TMD) on the vibration reduction effect. First, a force-displacement relation model of superelastic SMA helical spring is presented based on the multilinear constitutive model of SMA material, and the tension tests of the six SMA springs fabricated are implemented to validate the mechanical model. Then, a dynamic model of a single floor steel frame with the SMAS-TMD damper is set up to simulate the seismic responses of the frame, which are testified by the shaking table tests. The wire diameter, initial coil diameter, number of coils and pre-strain length of SMA springs are extracted to investigate their influences on the seismic response reduction of the frame. The numerical and experimental results show that, under different earthquakes, when the wire diameter, initial coil diameter and number of coils are set to the appropriate values so that the initial elastic stiffness of the SMA spring is between 0.37 and 0.58 times of classic TMD stiffness, the maximum reduction ratios of the proposed damper can reach 40% as the mass ratio is 2.34%. Meanwhile, when the pre-strain length of SMA spring is in a suitable range, the SMAS-TMD damper can also achieve very good vibration reduction performance. The vibration reduction performance of the SMAS-TMD damper is generally equal to or better than that of the classic optimal TMD, and the proposed damper effectively suppresses the detuning phenomena that often occurs in the classic TMD.