• Advances in materials Research
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.211-220
• /
• 2024

Polylactic acid or polylactide (PLA) is a biodegradable thermoplastic that can be produced from renewable material to create various components for industrial purposes. In 3D printing technology, PLA is used due to its good mechanical, electrical, printing properties, environmentally friendly and non-toxic properties. However, the physical properties and excellent electrical insulation properties of PLA have limited its application. In this study, with the carbon black (CB) as filler added into PLA, the lattice spacing and morphology were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. The physical properties of PLA-carbon composite were evaluated by using tensile test, shore D hardness test and density and voids measurement. Impedance test was conducted to investigate the electrical properties of PLA-Carbon composites. The results demonstrate that the inclusion of carbon black as filler enhances the physical properties of the PLA-carbon composites, including tensile properties, hardness, and density. The addition of carbon black also leads to improved electrical conductivity of the composites. Better enhancement toward the electrical properties of PLA-carbon composites is observed with 1wt% of carbon black in N774 grade. The N550 grade with 2wt% of carbon black shows better improvement in the physical properties of PLA-carbon composites, achieving 10.686 MPa in tensile testing, 43.330 in shore D hardness test, and a density of 1.200 g/cm3 in density measurement. The findings suggest that PLA-carbon composites have the potential for enhanced performance in various industrial applications, particularly in sectors requiring improved physical and electrical properties.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.297-308
• /
• 2024

This study presents a novel approach for evaluating fire-induced damage depth in concrete. The methodology leverages the principle that exposure to high temperatures causes internal expansion within concrete, leading to increased voids and microcracks in the damaged zones. This heightened porosity results in greater absorption rates compared to undamaged areas. By immersing fire-damaged concrete samples in water and subsequently monitoring the drying process, the depth of damage can be assessed. Differences in drying rates and color variations between damaged and undamaged areas serve as visual indicators for determining the extent of the damage. Experimental results from this water immersion method revealed damage depths of 38.7mm and 37.5mm for two different concrete mixtures. These measurements notably surpass the damage depths estimated using traditional phenolphthalein-based methods. This discrepancy suggests that utilizing the absorption rate principle, which is directly linked to the physical changes caused by thermal expansion, offers a more accurate and sensitive assessment of fire damage depth compared to methods relying solely on the presence of Portlandite for colorimetric indication.

• Journal of Powder Materials
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.220-225
• /
• 2024

Molten salt reactors represent a promising advancement in nuclear technology due to their potential for enhanced safety, higher efficiency, and reduced nuclear waste. However, the development of structural materials that can survive under severe corrosion environments is crucial. In the present work, pure Ni was deposited on the surface of 316H stainless steel using a directed energy deposition (DED) process. This study aimed to fabricate pure Ni alloy layers on an STS316H alloy substrate. It was observed that low laser power during the deposition of pure Ni on the STS316H substrate could induce stacking defects such as surface irregularities and internal voids, which were confirmed through photographic and SEM analyses. Additionally, the diffusion of Fe and Cr elements from the STS316H substrate into the Ni layers was observed to decrease with increasing Ni deposition height. Analysis of the composition of Cr and Fe components within the Ni deposition structures allows for the prediction of properties such as the corrosion resistance of Ni.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.71-83
• /
• 2008

In this paper, the basic principle, the application and the limitation of Infrared thermography technique to detect defects in different kinds of concrete structures are reviewed. Considered are voids beneath the concrete surface with experiments, delamination between concrete surface and fiber reinforced polymer sheet, the deterioration of steel bars in reinforced concrete, surface defects in historical buildings, pavements, bridges, and railway track graves. As a result, we conclude that infrared thermography methods are useful for fast detecting defects; however, they are influenced by environmental factors, specially temperature. Therefore it is recommended to use the infrared thermography technique with other NDT equipments to expect better result.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.213-230
• /
• 2024

The use of waste tires and industrial wastes such as fly ash (FA) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) in concrete is an important issue in terms of sustainability. In this study, the effect of parameters affecting the physical, mechanical and microstructural properties of FA/GGBS-based geopolymer concretes with waste rubber fiber was investigated. For this purpose, the effects of rubber fiber percentage (0.6%, 0.9%, 1.2%), binder (75FA25GGBS, 50FA50GGBS, 25FA75GGBS) and curing temperature (75 ℃, 90 ℃ and 105 ℃) were investigated. The Taguchi-Grey Relational Analysis (TGRA) method was used to obtain optimum parameter levels of rubber fiber geopolymer concrete (RFGC). The slump, fresh and hardened density, compressive strength, flexural strength, static and dynamic modulus of elasticity, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) tests and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were performed on the produced concretes. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) method was used to statistically determine the effects of the parameters on the experimental results. A confirmation test was performed to test the accuracy of the optimum values found by the TGRA method. With the increase of GGBS percentage, the compressive strength of RFGC increased up to 196%. The increase in rubber fiber percentage and curing temperature adversely affected the mechanical properties of RFGC. As a result of TGRA, the optimum value was found to be A1B3C1. ANOVA results showed that the most effective parameter on the experimental results was the binder with 99% contribution percentage. It is understood from the SEM images that the optimum concrete had a denser microstructure and less capillary cracks and voids. For this study, the use of the TGRA method in multiple optimization has proven to provide very useful and reliable results. In cases where many factors are effective on its strength and durability, such as geopolymer concrete, using the TGRA method allows for finding the optimum value of the parameters by saving both time and cost.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.44 no.2
• /
• pp.141-147
• /
• 2024

In this study, micro CT images were used to confirm the tensile fracture strength according to the pore distribution characteristics of 3D printed concrete. Unlike general specimens, concrete structures printed by 3D printing techniques have the direction of pores (voids) depending on the stacking direction and the presence of filaments contact surfaces. Accordingly, the pore distribution of 3D printed concrete specimens was analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods, and the tensile strength by direction was analyzed through a finite element technique. It was confirmed that the pores inside the 3D printed specimen had directionality, resulting in their anisotropic behavior. This study aims to analyze the characteristics of 3D concrete printing specimen and correlate them with simulation-based mechanical properties to improve performance of 3D printed material and structure.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
• /
• v.10 no.6
• /
• pp.95-104
• /
• 2006

The presence of cavitations under pavements or behind tunnel linings of concrete is likely to result in collapse. One method of detecting such voids by non-destructive means is low frequency type radar(GPR). By the way, the size and thickness of small cavitation can't be detected by the present radar technology with low frequency and low resolution when it apply to civil structures like that. To overcome these problems and limitations, this study aims to develope and propose a new analysis method for estimating the depth, cross-sectional size and thickness of cavitations using low frequency radar. A new proposed method is based on the experiments that are carried out for analyzing the correlation between the measurement values(the amplitudes of radar return) of low frequency radar and various type of cavitations. In this process, the threshold value for radar image processing which aims to represent only cavitations to be fitted size can be obtained. As the results, it is clarified that a proposed method has a possibility of estimating cavitation depth, size and thickness with good accuracy in laboratory scale.

• Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• /
• v.496 no.4
• /
• pp.4787-4821
• /
• 2020

The merging rate of cosmic structures is computed, relying on the ansatz that they can be predicted in the initial linear density field from the coalescence of critical points with increasing smoothing scale, used here as a proxy for cosmic time. Beyond the mergers of peaks with saddle points (a proxy for halo mergers), we consider the coalescence and nucleation of all sets of critical points, including wall-saddle to filament-saddle and wall-saddle to minima (a proxy for filament and void mergers, respectively), as they impact the geometry of galactic infall, and in particular filament disconnection. Analytical predictions of the one-point statistics are validated against multiscale measurements in 2D and 3D realizations of Gaussian random fields (the corresponding code being available upon request) and compared qualitatively to cosmological N-body simulations at early times (z ≥ 10) and large scales (≥5 Mpc h^-1). The rate of filament coalescence is compared to the merger rate of haloes and the two-point clustering of these events is computed, along with their cross-correlations with critical points. These correlations are qualitatively consistent with the preservation of the connectivity of dark matter haloes, and the impact of the large-scale structures on assembly bias. The destruction rate of haloes and voids as a function of mass and redshift is quantified down to z = 0 for a Lambda cold dark matter cosmology. The one-point statistics in higher dimensions are also presented, together with consistency relations between critical point and critical event counts.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.57 no.4
• /
• pp.371-386
• /
• 2024

This paper presents analytical insights regarding into the occurrence of gold within organic matter, which is hosted by solid bitumen and closely associated with uranium ores in the Late Permian Kővágószőllős Sandstone Formation in Western Mecsek, South-West Hungary. The study utilizes a range of analytical techniques, including X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF) for comprehensive mineralogical and elemental analysis; organic petrography and electron microprobe analysis for characterizing organic matter; and an organic elemental analyzer for identifying organic compounds. A three-step sequential extraction method was used to liberate gold from organic matter and sulfide minerals, employing KOH, HCl, and aqua regia, followed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) to quantify gold contents. The organic matter is identified as comprising two vitrinite types (telinite V1 and reworked V2) and three solid bitumen forms: nonfluorescing (B1) and fluorescing (B2) fillings within the V1, as well as homogenous pyrobitumen (PB) occupying narrow cracks and voids within globular quartz. Despite the samples exhibiting low total organic carbon content (<1 wt%), they display high sulfur content (up to 6 wt%) and the sequentially extracted noble metal content from the organic matter is found to total 7.45 ppm gold. The research findings suggest that organic matter plays crucial roles in ore mineralization processes. Organic matter acts as an active component in the migration of gold, uranium, and hydrocarbons within sulfur-rich hydrothermal fluids. Additionally, organic matter contributes to the entrapment and enrichment of gold in hetero-atomic organic fractions, forming metal-organic compounds. Moreover, uranium inclusions are observed as oxide/phosphate minerals within solid bitumen and associated vitrinite particles. These insights into the occurrence and distribution of gold within organic matter highlight substantial exploration potential, guiding additional research activities focused on organic matter within the Kővágószőllős Sandstone Formation at the Western Mecsek deposit.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.56 no.10
• /
• pp.4134-4140
• /
• 2024

Source term investigation is a critically important aspect of reactor decommissioning, particularly as the range of nuclides under consideration expands beyond the capabilities of existing analysis methods. In this study, we try to propose a methodology to indirectly determine the radioactivity of long-lived nuclides which are non-γ or low energy in various nuclear waste materials by measuring the radioactivity of ⁶⁰Co. The critical point of this method is to establish relationship between some easy to measure (ETM) key nuclides, such as certain γ emitters (like ⁶⁰Co), and the difficult to measure (DTM) nuclides to derive information for the DTM nuclides of interest. To begin, we calculate nuclide bulk densities of ⁵⁵Fe, ⁶⁰Co, ⁶³Ni and ¹⁵²Eu in nuclear waste materials. By constructing inversion matrices and analyzing the intensity matrices of characteristic γ lines emitted by ⁶⁰Co, we can extract the radioactivity of non-γ radionuclides (⁵⁵Fe, ⁶³Ni, and ¹⁵²Eu) present in the nuclear waste materials that are contained within a specific container. Furthermore, our methodology accounts for the influence of voids within the container, thereby ensuring the reliability and validity of the obtained results. This innovative approach offers a promising avenue for efficiently sorting nuclear waste.