• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.96-101
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• 2001

The development of a new experimental method is required to easily observe the growth behavior of fatigue cracks. To satisfy the requirement, an image processing technique was introduced to fatigue testing. The length of surface fatigue crack could be successfully measured by the image processing system. At first, the image data of cracks were stored into the computer while the cyclic loading was interrupted. After testing, crack length was determined using image processing software which was developed by ourselves. Block matching method was applied to the detection of surface fatigue cracks. By comparing the data measured by image processing system with the data measured by manual measurement with a microscope, the effectiveness of the image processing system was established. If the proposed method is used to monitor and observe the crack growth behavior automatically, the time and efforts for fatigue test could be dramatically reduced.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society For Composite Materials Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.250-253
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• 2001

Recently, based on the smart structure concept, optical fiber sensors have been increasingly applied to monitor the various engineering and civil structural components. Repairs based on adhesively bonded fiber reinforce composite patches are more structurally efficient and much less damaging to the parent structure than standard repairs based on mechanically fastened metallic patches. As a result of the high reinforcing efficiency of bonded patches fatigue cracks can be successfully repaired. However, when such repairs are applied to primary structures, it is needed to demonstrate that its loss can be immediately detected. This approach is based on the "smart patch" concept in which the patch system monitors its own health. The objective of this study is to evaluate the potentiality of application of transmission-type extrinsic Fabry-Perot optical fiber sensor (TEFPI) to the monitoring of crack growth behavior of composite patch repaired structures. The sensing system of TEFPI and the data reduction principle for the detection of crack detection are presented. Finally, experimental results from the tests of center-cracked-tension aluminum specimens repaired with bonded composite patch is presented and discussed.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.569-584
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• 2016

This paper presents a method for stochastic modelling of fatigue crack growth and optimising inspection and maintenance strategy for the structural members of steel bridges. The fatigue crack evolution is considered as a stochastic process with uncertainties, and the Gamma process is adopted to simulate the propagation of fatigue crack in steel bridge members. From the stochastic modelling for fatigue crack growth, the probability of failure caused by fatigue is predicted over the service life of steel bridge members. The remaining fatigue life of steel bridge members is determined by comparing the fatigue crack length with its predetermined threshold. Furthermore, the probability of detection is adopted to consider the uncertainties in detecting fatigue crack by using existing damage detection techniques. A multi-objective optimisation problem is proposed and solved by a genetic algorithm to determine the optimised inspection and maintenance strategy for the fatigue affected steel bridge members. The optimised strategy is achieved by minimizing the life-cycle cost, including the inspection, maintenance and failure costs, and maximizing the service life after necessary intervention. The number of intervention during the service life is also taken into account to investigate the relationship between the service life and the cost for maintenance. The results from numerical examples show that the proposed method can provide a useful approach for cost-effective inspection and maintenance strategy for fatigue affected steel bridges.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.101-113
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• 2006

Structural health monitoring results obtained with the electro-mechanical (E/M) impedance techniqueand Lamb wave transmission methods during fatigue crack propagation of an Arcan specimen instrumented with piezoelectric wafer active sensors (PWAS) are presented. The specimen was subjected in mixed-mode fatigue loading and a crack was propagated in stages. At each stage, an image of the crack and the location of the crack tip were recorded and the PWAS readings were taken. Hence, the crack-growth in the specimen could be correlated with the PWAS readings. The E/M impedance signature was recorded in the 100 - 500 kHz frequency range. The Lamb-wave transmission method used the pitch-catch approach with a 3-count sine tone burst of 474 kHz transmitted and received between various PWAS pairs. Fatigue loading was applied to initiate and propagate the crack damage of controlled magnitude. As damage progressed, the E/M impedance signatures and the waveforms received by receivers were recorded at predetermined intervals and compared. Data analysis indicated that both the E/M impedance signatures and the Lamb-wave transmission signatures are modified by the crack progression. Damage index values were observed to increase as the crack damage increases. These experiments demonstrated that the use of PWAS in conjunction with the E/M impedance and the Lamb-wave transmission is a potentially powerful tool for crack damage detection and monitoring in structural elements.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.67-72
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• 2000

Demand for now nondestructive evaluation are growing to detect fatigue crack growth behavior to predict long term performance of materials and structure in aggressive environments especially when they are In non-visible area. Acoustic emission technique is well suited to these problems and has drawn a keen interests because of its dynamic detection ability, extreme sensitivity and location of growing defects. In this study, we analysed acoustic emission signals obtained in fatigue and tensile test of high strength fire resistance steel for frame structure with time-frequency analysis methods. The main frequency range is different in the noise and the fatigue crack propagation. It could be classified that it were also generated by composite fracture mechanics of cleavage, dimple, inclusion separation etc.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.239-244
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• 2011

In this paper, we analyzed the electrical characteristics with crack pattern in crystalline solar cell. crystalline solar cells with a thin substrate, even small shocks can be easily damaged. Before the module goes through many processes, because the solar cells are at risk of a crack. That occurred early in the PV module micro-crack is not easily detection by eye test or output test. Because the EL (Electroluminescence) device has been detected using. PV module is made by laminated of a variety of materials. By different properties of each material will affect the crack. For this reason, the crack will grow and affect the output. And We analyzed the three crack patterns in crystalline solar cell. A growth of cracks on crystalline solar cell was interpreted by analysing generated cracks on the PV modules. Based on this interpretation, an electrical output value was calculated by mathematical modeling on electrical output characteristic with each crack patterns.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.24 no.4 s.175
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• pp.1001-1006
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• 2000

To verify the existing theory, non-propagating crack(NPC) does not exist in Ti which fulfills the good conditions for being of NPC, NPC detection in Ti was tried out. Also, the conception of fatigue limit in Ti and a main cause for NPC being were inquired. NPC was detected in both sharp notch root ( $\rho$=0.02mm) and micro pit (diameter = 0.25mm) which held fast to the end under stressing of fatigue limit. Therefore, the existing theory was identified as mistake. But, NPC can not be detected in smooth specimen. This fact would be due to the presumption that NPC is very small or crack does not initiate in smooth specimen. Anyway, the fatigue limit of Ti does not correspond to critical stress of crack initiation but correspond to critical stress of NPC growth. Measurement on the COD of NPC in Ti showed that the crack tip was closed even under the peak stress level at fatigue limit. But, after stress relieving annealing crack tip was opened. Consequently, compressive residual stress which is induced around the crack tip is considered to be the factor causing the NPC being.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2011.04a
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• pp.415-418
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• 2011

Thermal fatigue is one of the life-limiting damage mechanisms in the nuclear power plant conditions. The turbulent mixing of fluids of different temperatures induces rapid temperature changes to the pipe wall. The successive thermal transients cause varying cyclic thermal stresses. These cyclic thermal stresses cause fatigue crack nucleation and growth similar to the cyclic mechanical stresses. The aim of this study was to fulfil the need by developing an real crack manufacturing method, which would produce realistic cracks. The test material was austenitic STS 304, which is used as pipelines in the reactor coolant system of a nuclear power plants. In order to fabricate thermal fatigue crack similar to realistic crack, successive thermal transients were applied to the specimen. Thermal transient cycles were combined with heating (60sec) and cooling cycle (30sec). And, In order to identify ultrasonic characteristic, it was performed the ultrasonic reflection measuring method for the fabricated specimen. From the results of ultrasonic reflection measuring testing, it was conformed that A-scan results(average 83% of real crack depth) for the TFC reference specimen was more enhanced NDT reliability than results(average 38% of real crack depth) for the EDM notch reference specimen.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2022.04a
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• pp.103-104
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• 2022

Cracks may occur in reinforced concrete (RC) structures due to various physical and chemical factors, and the growth of cracks causes deterioration of the structure's performance. It is important to prevent the expansion of cracks through periodic diagnosis of cracks in structures. In order to enable free crack exploration even in a narrow space, a construction robot using a Mecanum wheel that can move up, down, left and right and rotate in place was designed. High-quality crack images were periodically collected through the camera, and the image fragments stored during the exploration were combined into a single photo after the exploration was completed. The robot detected cracks with a width of 0.2 mm or more on the concrete probe surface with an accuracy of about 90% or more.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.97-119
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• 2013

This paper presents numerical and experimental results on the use of guided waves for structural health monitoring (SHM) of crack growth during a fatigue test in a thick steel plate used for civil engineering application. Numerical simulation, analytical modeling, and experimental tests are used to prove that piezoelectric wafer active sensor (PWAS) can perform active SHM using guided wave pitch-catch method and passive SHM using acoustic emission (AE). AE simulation was performed with the multi-physic FEM (MP-FEM) approach. The MP-FEM approach permits that the output variables to be expressed directly in electric terms while the two-ways electromechanical conversion is done internally in the MP-FEM formulation. The AE event was simulated as a pulse of defined duration and amplitude. The electrical signal measured at a PWAS receiver was simulated. Experimental tests were performed with PWAS transducers acting as passive receivers of AE signals. An AE source was simulated using 0.5-mm pencil lead breaks. The PWAS transducers were able to pick up AE signal with good strength. Subsequently, PWAS transducers and traditional AE transducer were applied to a 12.7-mm CT specimen subjected to accelerated fatigue testing. Active sensing in pitch catch mode on the CT specimen was applied between the PWAS transducers pairs. Damage indexes were calculated and correlated with actual crack growth. The paper finishes with conclusions and suggestions for further work.