• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.60 no.3
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• pp.327-333
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• 2022

In this study, silicon/carbon nanotube/carbon (Si/CNT/C) composites for anode were prepared to improve the volume expansion of silicon used as a high-capacity anode material. Si/CNT were prepared by electrostatic attraction of the positively charged Si and negatively charged CNT and then hydrothermal synthesis was performed to obtain the spherical Si/CNT/C composites. Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), polyacrylic acid (PAA), and styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) were used as binders for electrode preparation, and coin cell was assembled using 1.0 M LiPF₆ (EC:DMC:EMC = 1:1:1 vol%) electrolyte and fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) additive. The physical properties of Si/CNT/C anode materials were analyzed using SEM, EDS, XRD and TGA, and the electrochemical performances of lithium-ion batteries were investigated by charge-discharge cycle, rate performance, dQ/dV and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests. Also, it was confirmed that both capacity and rate performance were significantly improved using the PAA/SBR binder and 10 wt% FEC-added electrolyte. It is found that Si/CNT/C have the reversible capacity of 914 mAh/g, the capacity retention ratio of 83% during 50 cycles and the rate performance of 70% in 2 C/0.1 C.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.44-52
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• 2022

Epoxy resin has the disadvantage of being easily destroyed by instantaneous impact due to its high crosslinking density despite its high glass transition temperature (T_g) and excellent properties. To compensate for this, in this study, polyol was synthesized by ring opening polymerization of propylene glycol (PPG) diamine, Jeffamine D 2000 and propylene carbonate, and urethane modified epoxy was synthesized using this. The properties of the synthesized urethane modified epoxy were confirmed by FT-IR, H-NMR. To confirm the degree of improvement in impact resistance as an adhesive, a urethane modified epoxy adhesive was prepared by mixing a digylcidyl ether bisphenol A (DGEBA) with curing agent and curing accelerator. Properties test of urethane modified epoxy were shear strength, tensile strength and impact strength. As a result, excellent results were obtained in all test when the ratio of DGEBA : urethane modified epoxy was 8:2.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.215-226
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• 2022

Significant efforts have been devoted to developing high-performance composite materials by emulating the structure of biological creatures with superior mechanical characteristics. Nacre has been one of the most sought-after natural structures due to its exceptional fracture toughness compared with the constituent materials. However, the effect of manipulating the nacre-like geometry on the impact performance has not been fully investigated thus far. In this study, composites of randomly manipulated nacreous geometry are numerically developed and the impact performance is analyzed. We develop an algorithm by which the planar area of platelets in the nacre-like design is randomly resized. Thereafter, the numerical models of nonuniform nacre-patterned multi-layer structures are developed and the drop-weight impact simulation is performed. The impact behaviors of the model are evaluated by using the ratio of absorbed energy, the von Mises stress distribution, and the impact force-time curve. Therefore, the effect of the geometric irregularity on the nacre-patterned design is elucidated. This insight can be efficiently utilized in establishing the optimum design of the nacre-patterned structure.

• Journal of Korean Society of Disaster and Security
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.67-77
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• 2022

In South Korea, U-type girder development was attempted as a means to increase the length of I-type girder, but due to the large self-weight according to the post-tension method, the application of rail bridges of 30m or less is typical. There are not many examples of application of pre-tension type girder. This study does not limit the post-tension method, but applies the pre-tension method to induce a reduction in self-weight and materials used due to the reduction of the cross-section. In addition, we intend to apply the on-site pre-tensioning method using the internal reaction arm of the U-type girder. The prestressed concrete U-type girder bridge is composed of a concrete deck slab and a composite section. Compared to the PSC I-type, which is an open cross-section because the cross section is closed, structural performance such as resistance and rigidity is improved, the safety of construction is increased during the manufacturing and erection stage, and the height ratio is reduced due to the reduction of its own weight. Therefore, it is possible to secure the aesthetic scenery and economical of the bridge. As a result, it is expected that efficient construction will be possible with high-quality factory-manufactured members and cast-in-place members. In this paper, the introduction of the pre-tension method on-site and the analytical performance verification of the anchoring block for tension are included.

• Composites Research
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.20-27
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• 2006

Self-sensing and interfacial evaluation of Ni nanowire/polymer composites were investigated using electro-macromechanical technique, which can be used fur a feasible sensing measurement on tensile and compressive loading/consequent unloading, temperature, and humidity. Mechanical properties of Ni nanowire with different aspect ratio and adding contents in either epoxy or silicone composites were measured indirectly using electro-pullout test under uniform and non-uniform cyclic loadings. Comparing apparent modulus with the conventional mechanical tensile modulus of Ni nanowire/epoxy composites, the trends were consistent with each other. Ni nanowire/epoxy composites showed the sensing response on humidity and temperature. Self-sensing on applied tensile and compressive loading/unloading was also responded for Ni nanowire/silicone composites via electrical contact resistivity showing the opposite trend between tension and compression. It can be due to the different electrically-interconnecting mechanisms of dispersed Ni nanowires embedded in silicone matrix.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.91-102
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• 2023

To study the evaluation standard and control limit of mortar filling layer void length, in this paper, the train sub-model was developed by MATLAB and the track-bridge sub-model considering the mortar filling layer void was established by ANSYS. The two sub-models were assembled into a train-track-bridge coupling dynamic model through the wheel-rail contact relationship, and the validity was corroborated by the coupling dynamic model with the literature model. Considering the randomness of fastening stiffness, mortar elastic modulus, length of mortar filling layer void, and pier settlement, the test points were designed by the Box-Behnken method based on Design-Expert software. The coupled dynamic model was calculated, and the support vector regression (SVR) nonlinear mapping model of the wheel-rail system was established. The learning, prediction, and verification were carried out. Finally, the reliable probability of the amplification coefficient distribution of the response index of the train and structure in different ranges was obtained based on the SVR nonlinear mapping model and Latin hypercube sampling method. The limit of the length of the mortar filling layer void was, thus, obtained. The results show that the SVR nonlinear mapping model developed in this paper has a high fitting accuracy of 0.993, and the computational efficiency is significantly improved by 99.86%. It can be used to calculate the dynamic response of the wheel-rail system. The length of the mortar filling layer void significantly affects the wheel-rail vertical force, wheel weight load reduction ratio, rail vertical displacement, and track plate vertical displacement. The dynamic response of the track structure has a more significant effect on the limit value of the length of the mortar filling layer void than the dynamic response of the vehicle, and the rail vertical displacement is the most obvious. At 250 km/h - 350 km/h train running speed, the limit values of grade I, II, and III of the lengths of the mortar filling layer void are 3.932 m, 4.337 m, and 4.766 m, respectively. The results can provide some reference for the long-term service performance reliability of the ballastless track-bridge system of HRS.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.30 no.1A
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• pp.53-59
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• 2010

Recently, NDTs (Non-Destructive Techniques) using infrared camera are widely studied for detection of damage and void in RC (reinforced concrete) structures and they are also considered as an effective techniques for maintenance of infrastructures. The temperature on concrete surface depends on material and thermal properties such as specific heat, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusion coefficient. Different porosity on cement mortar due to different mixture proportions can show different heat behavior in cooling stage. The porosity can affect physical and durability properties like strength and chloride diffusion coefficient as well. In this paper, active thermography which uses flash for heat induction is utilized and thermal characteristics on surface are evaluated. Samples of cement mortar with W/C (water to cement ratio) of 0.55 and 0.65 are prepared and physical properties like porosity, compressive strength, and chloride diffusion coefficient are evaluated. Then infrared thermography technique is carried out in a constant room condition (temperature $20{\sim}22^{\circ}C$ and relative humidity 55-60%). The mortar samples with higher porosity shows higher residual temperature at the cooling stage and also shows reduced critical time which shows constant temperature due to back wall effect. Furthermore, simple equation for critical time of back wall effect is suggested with porosity and experimental constants. These characteristics indicate the applicability of infrared thermography as an NDT for quality assessment of cement based composite like concrete. Physical properties and thermal behavior in cement mortar with different porosity are analyzed in discussed in this paper.

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.349-354
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• 2023

Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) is a conjugated polymer that is highly soluble in organic solvents and is readily available. However, its electrical properties as an active channel in electronic devices are not enough for practical applications, necessitating further improvement in the properties. In this study, we demonstrate that the blending of two P3HT polymers (i.e., regio-regular (RR) P3HT and regio-random (RRa) P3HT) with different regioregularities can significantly improve charge transport characteristics of the blend films. The morphological and electrical properties of the blend films were systematically investigated by varying the ratio between two P3HT polymers. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy (UV-vis) were employed to evaluate the morphological and optoelectronic properties of the blend films. The crystallinity of the blend films increased with increasing the content of RRa-P3HT to 20 wt% and gradually decreased as the content increased to 80%. Consistently, the highest charge carrier mobility was obtained from the blend films containing 20 wt% RRa-P3HT, which value was measured to be 0.029 cm²/V·s. The values gradually decreased to 0.0007 cm²/V·s with increasing the content of RRa-P3HT to 80 wt%.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.1007-1017
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• 2020

Objective: The purpose of our study was to investigate the predictive abilities of clinical and computed tomography (CT) features for outcome prediction in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Materials and Methods: The clinical and CT data of 238 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in our two hospitals were retrospectively analyzed. One hundred sixty-six patients (103 males; age 43.8 ± 12.3 years) were allocated in the training cohort and 72 patients (38 males; age 45.1 ± 15.8 years) from another independent hospital were assigned in the validation cohort. The primary composite endpoint was admission to an intensive care unit, use of mechanical ventilation, or death. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses were performed to identify independent predictors. A nomogram was constructed based on the combination of clinical and CT features, and its prognostic performance was externally tested in the validation group. The predictive value of the combined model was compared with models built on the clinical and radiological attributes alone. Results: Overall, 35 infected patients (21.1%) in the training cohort and 10 patients (13.9%) in the validation cohort experienced adverse outcomes. Underlying comorbidity (hazard ratio [HR], 3.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.67-6.71; p < 0.001), lymphocyte count (HR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.04-0.38; p < 0.001) and crazy-paving sign (HR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.03-4.48; p = 0.042) were the independent factors. The nomogram displayed a concordance index (C-index) of 0.82 (95% CI, 0.76-0.88), and its prognostic value was confirmed in the validation cohort with a C-index of 0.89 (95% CI, 0.82-0.96). The combined model provided the best performance over the clinical or radiological model (p < 0.050). Conclusion: Underlying comorbidity, lymphocyte count and crazy-paving sign were independent predictors of adverse outcomes. The prognostic nomogram based on the combination of clinical and CT features could be a useful tool for predicting adverse outcomes of patients with COVID-19.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.324-333
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• 2021

Objective: The clinical course of an individual patient with heart failure is unpredictable with left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) only. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived myocardial fibrosis extent and to determine the cutoff value for event-free survival in patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) who had severely reduced LVEF. Materials and Methods: Our prospective cohort study included 78 NICM patients with significantly reduced LV systolic function (LVEF < 35%). CMR images were analyzed for the presence and extent of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), defined as a composite of cardiac death, heart transplantation, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator discharge for major arrhythmia, and hospitalization for congestive heart failure within 5 years after enrollment. Results: A total of 80.8% (n = 63) of enrolled patients had LGE, with the median LVEF of 25.4% (19.8-32.4%). The extent of myocardial scarring was significantly higher in patients who experienced MACE than in those without any cardiac events (22.0 [5.5-46.1] %LV vs. 6.7 [0-17.1] %LV, respectively, p = 0.008). During follow-up, 51.4% of patients with LGE ≥ 12.0 %LV experienced MACE, along with 20.9% of those with LGE ≤ 12.0 %LV (log-rank p = 0.001). According to multivariate analysis, LGE extent more than 12.0 %LV was independently associated with MACE (adjusted hazard ratio, 6.71; 95% confidence interval, 2.54-17.74; p < 0.001). Conclusion: In NICM patients with significantly reduced LV systolic function, the extent of LGE is a strong predictor for long-term adverse cardiac outcomes. Event-free survival was well discriminated with an LGE cutoff value of 12.0 %LV in these patients.