• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.761-777
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• 2021

This study presents a numerical investigation on the sensitivity of electromechanical (EM) impedance responses to inner damaged concrete of a prestressed anchorage zone. Firstly, the Ottosen yield criterion is selected to simulate the plasticity behavior of the concrete anchorage zone under the compressive loading. Secondly, several overloading cases are selected to analyze inner damage formations in the concrete of the anchorage zone. Using a finite element (FE) model of the anchorage zone, the relationship between applied forces and stresses is analyzed to illustrate inner plasticity regions in concrete induced by the overloading. Thirdly, EM impedance responses of surface-mounted PZT (lead-zirconate-titanate) sensors are numerically acquired before and after concrete damage occurrence in the anchorage zone. The variation of impedance responses is estimated using the RMSD (root-mean-square-deviation) damage metric to quantify the sensitivity of the signals to inner damaged concrete. Lastly, a novel PZT skin, which can measure impedance signatures in predetermined frequency ranges, is designed for the anchorage zone to sensitively monitor the EM impedance signals of the inner damaged concrete. The feasibility of the proposed method is numerically evaluated for a series of damage cases of the anchorage zone. The results reveal that the proposed impedance-based method is promising for monitoring inner damaged concrete in anchorage zones.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.589-598
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• 2022

Timber structures are susceptible to structural damages caused by variations in moisture content (MC), inducing severe durability deterioration and safety issues. Therefore, it is of great significance to detect MC levels in timber structures. Compared to current methods for timber MC detection, which are time-consuming and require bulky equipment deployment, Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT)-enabled stress wave sensing combined with statistic machine learning classification proposed in this paper show the advantage of the portable device and ease of operation. First, stress wave signals from different MC cases are excited and received by PZT sensors through active sensing. Subsequently, two non-baseline features are extracted from these stress wave signals. Finally, these features are fed to a statistic machine learning classifier (i.e., naïve Bayesian classification) to achieve MC detection of timber structures. Numerical simulations validate the feasibility of PZT-enabled sensing to perceive MC variations. Tests referring to five MC cases are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Results present high accuracy for timber MC detection, showing a great potential to conduct rapid and long-term monitoring of the MC level of timber structures in future field applications.

• Proceedings of the Korea Association of Crystal Growth Conference
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• 1998.06a
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• pp.57-60
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• 1998

Lean zirconate titanate (PZT) is an attractive material for the memory device applications. We have investigated Pt and{{{{ { RuO}_{2 } }}}} as a botton electrode for a device application of PZT thin film. The bottom electrodes were prepared by using an RF magnetron sputtering method. The substrate temperature influenced the resistivity of Pt and {{{{ { RuO}_{2 } }}}} a s well as the film crystal structure. XRD examination shows that a preferred(111) orientations for the substrate temperature of 30$0^{\circ}C$. From the XRD and AFM results, we recommend the substrate temperature of 30$0^{\circ}C$ for the bottom electrode growth. We investigated and anneal temperature effect because Perovskite PZT structure is recommended for the memory device applications and the structural transformation is occurred only after and elevated heat treatment. As post anneal temperature was increased from RT to $700^{\circ}C$, the resistivity of Rt and {{{{ { RuO}_{2 } }}}} w as decreased. Surface morphology was observed by AFM as a function of post anneal temperature.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.385-392
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• 2023

A solution combustion process for the synthesis of hollandite (BaAl₂Ti₆O₁₆) powders is described. SYNROC (synthetic rock) consists of four main titanate phases: perovskite, zirconolite, hollandite and rutile. Hollandite is one of the crystalline host matrices used for the disposal of high-level radioactive wastes because it immobilizes Sr and Lns elements by forming solid solutions. The solution combustion synthesis, which is a self-sustaining oxi-reduction reaction between a nitrate and organic fuel, generates an exothermic reaction and that heat converts the precursors into their corresponding oxide products in air. The process has high energy efficiency, fast heating rates, short reaction times, and high compositional homogeneity. To confirm the combustion synthesis reaction, FT-IR analysis was conducted using glycine with a carboxyl group and an amine as fuel to observe its bonding with metal element in the nitrate. TG-DTA, X-ray diffraction analysis, SEM and EDS were performed to confirm the formed phases and morphology. Powders with an uncontrolled shape were obtained through a general oxide-route process, confirming hollandite powders with micro-sized soft agglomerates consisting of nano-sized primary particles can be prepared using these methods.

• Korean Journal of Crystallography
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.128-137
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• 2005

We report on the phase transitions of the perovskite nanostructures made by sol-gel template synthesis. The lead titanate ($PbTiO_{3}$) nanostructures were prepared with a chelate sol-gel of titanium tetrabutoxide ($Ti(O^{i}Pr){4}$) and lead acetate ($Pb(OAc)_{2}-3H_{2}O$). $Whatman^{\circledr}$ anodisc membranes (with about 200 nm pore size) served as the template. The template was dipped into the sol, allowed to air dry, and then calcined at $650^{\circ}C$. We have characterized the temperatures of the phase transitions in the $PbTiO_{3}$ nano-structures using DSC, DTA, and second harmonic generation (SHG).

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.55-71
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• 2013

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is vital for detecting the onset of damage and for preventing catastrophic failure of civil infrastructure systems. In particular, piezoelectric transducers have the ability to excite and actively interrogate structures (e.g., using surface waves) while measuring their response for sensing and damage detection. In fact, piezoelectric transducers such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) have been used for various laboratory/field tests and possess significant advantages as compared to visual inspection and vibration-based methods, to name a few. However, PZTs are inherently brittle, and PVDF films do not possess high piezoelectricity, thereby limiting each of these devices to certain specific applications. The objective of this study is to design, characterize, and validate piezoelectric nanocomposites consisting of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles assembled in a PVDF copolymer matrix for sensing and SHM applications. These films provide greater mechanical flexibility as compared to PZTs, yet possess enhanced piezoelectricity as compared to pristine PVDF copolymers. This study started with spin coating dispersed ZnO- and PVDF-TrFE-based solutions to fabricate the piezoelectric nanocomposites. The concentration of ZnO nanoparticles was varied from 0 to 20 wt.% (in 5 % increments) to determine their influence on bulk film piezoelectricity. Second, their electric polarization responses were obtained for quantifying thin film remnant polarization, which is directly correlated to piezoelectricity. Based on these results, the films were poled (at 50 $MV-m^{-1}$) to permanently align their electrical domains and to enhance their bulk film piezoelectricity. Then, a series of hammer impact tests were conducted, and the voltage generated by poled ZnO-based thin films was compared to commercially poled PVDF copolymer thin films. The hammer impact tests showed comparable results between the prototype and commercial samples, and increasing ZnO content provided enhanced piezoelectric performance. Lastly, the films were further validated for sensing using different energy levels of hammer impact, different distances between the impact locations and the film electrodes, and cantilever free vibration testing for dynamic strain sensing.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.658-663
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• 2012

The electrical properties of a laminated SMD type PTC thermistor for microcircuit protection were investigated as a function of polymer blowing agent addition. Green ceramics for multilayered $BaTiO_3$-based PTCRs were formed by doctor blade method of barium titanate powders; we successfully laminated the sintered ceramic chips to obtain 10 layer chip PTCRs with PTC effect. The sintered density increases with increasing sintering temperature. The electrical properties of the sintered samples were strongly dependent on the calcination and addition of a polymer blowing agent. When $BaTiO_3$ powders containing 0.2 mol% of $Y_2O_3$ were calcined at $1000^{\circ}C$ for 2 hrs, the resistivity jump was of 1-2 orders of magnitude. The resistivity at room temperature increases according to the polymer blowing agent addition. Also, the sample using the calcined powder showed a lower resistivity than that of the sample prepared using powders without calcinations. With an increase in the OBSH, the magnitude of the resistivity jumped as a function of the temperature increase. The resistivity of the sintered bodies after the addition of 0.5 wt% polymer blowing agent at $1290^{\circ}C$ for 2 h was shown to be about $8.5{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$; the jump order of the sintered bodies was shown to be on the order of $10^2$.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.183-188
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• 2020

Lead zinc niobate (PZN)-added lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thick films with thickness of 5~10 ㎛ were fabricated on silicon and sapphire substrates using aerosol deposition method. The contents of PZN were varied from 0 %, 20 % and to 40 %. The PZN-added PZT film showed poorer electrical properties than pure PZT film when the films were coated on silicon substrate and annealed at 700℃. On the other hand, the PZN-added PZT film showed higher remanent polarization and dielectric constant values than pure PZT film when the films were coated on sapphire and annealed at 900℃. The ferroelectric and dielectric characteristics of 20 % PZN-added PZT films annealed at 900℃ were compared with the result values obtained from bulk ceramic specimen with same composition sintered at 1200℃. As annealing temperature increased, dielectric constant increased. These came from enhanced crystallization and grain growth by post heat treatment.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.29-44
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• 2020

The effectiveness and the sensitivity of a Wireless impedance/Admittance Monitoring System (WiAMS) for the prompt damage diagnosis of two single-storey single-span Reinforced Concrete (RC) frames under cyclic loading is experimentally investigated. The geometrical and the reinforcement characteristics of the RC structural members of the frames represent typical old RC frame structure without consideration of seismic design criteria. The columns of the frames are vulnerable to shear failure under lateral load due to their low height-to-depth ratio and insufficient transverse reinforcement. The proposed Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system comprises of specially manufactured autonomous portable devices that acquire the in-situ voltage frequency responses of a network of twenty piezoelectric transducers mounted to the RC frames. Measurements of external and internal small-sized piezoelectric patches are utilized for damage localization and assessment at various and increased damage levels as the magnitude of the imposed lateral cycle deformations increases. A bare RC frame and a strengthened one using a pair of steel crossed tension-ties (X-bracing) have been tested in order to check the sensitivity of the developed WiAMS in different structural conditions since crack propagation, damage locations and failure mode of the examined frames vary. Indeed, the imposed loading caused brittle shear failure to the column of the bare frame and the formation of plastic hinges at the beam ends of the X-braced frame. Test results highlighted the ability of the proposed SHM to identify incipient damages due to concrete cracking and steel yielding since promising early indication of the forthcoming critical failures before any visible sign has been obtained.

• Biomaterials and Biomechanics in Bioengineering
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.51-62
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• 2014

The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the apatite-formation abilities of low-modulus Ti-7.5Mo substrates treated with NaOH aqueous solutions and subsequent ethyl alcohol aging before soaking them in simulated body fluid. Specimens of Ti-7.5Mo were initially treated with 5 M NaOH at $60^{\circ}C$ for 24 h, resulting in the formation of a porous network structure composed of sodium hydrogen titanate. Afterwards, the specimens were aged in ethyl alcohol at $60^{\circ}C$ for 5 or 10 min, and subsequently immersed in simulated body fluid at $37^{\circ}C$ for 3, 7 and 14 days. Ethyl alcohol aging significantly increased the apatite-forming abilities of Ti-7.5Mo. The amount of apatite deposited on the Ti-7.5Mo after NaOH treatment and subsequent ethyl alcohol aging was much greater, especially after the Ti-7.5Mo specimens were aged for 5 min. Due to its excellent combination of bioactivity, low elastic modulus and low processing costs, the Ti-7.5Mo treated with NaOH aqueous solutions and subsequently aged in ethyl alcohol has promising heavy load-bearing applications.