• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.35-50
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• 2013

Rapid and effective repair methods are desired to enable quick reopening of damaged bridges after an earthquake occurs, especially for those bridges that are critical for emergency response and other essential functions. This paper presents results of tests conducted as a proof-of-concept in the effectiveness of a proposed method using externally bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites to rapidly repair severely damaged RC columns with different damage conditions. The experimental work included five large-scale severely damaged square RC columns with the same geometry and material properties but with different damage conditions due to different loading combinations of bending, shear, and torsion in the previous tests. Over a three-day period, each column was repaired and retested under the same loading combination as the corresponding original column. Quickset repair mortar was used to replace the removed loose concrete. Without any treatment to damaged reinforcing bars, longitudinal and transverse CFRP sheets were externally bonded to the prepared surface to restore the column strength. Measured data were analyzed to investigate the performance of the repaired columns compared to the corresponding original column responses. It was concluded that the technique can be successful for severely damaged columns with damage to the concrete and transverse reinforcement. For severely damaged columns with damaged longitudinal reinforcement, the technique was found to be successful if the damaged longitudinal reinforcement is able to provide tensile resistance, or if the damage is located at a section where longitudinal CFRP strength can be developed.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.461-466
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• 2013

Advanced fiber-reinforced laminated composites are widely used in various fields of engineering to reduce weight. The material property of each ply is well known; specifically, it is known that ply is less reliable than metallic materials and very sensitive to the loading direction. Therefore, it is important to consider this uncertainty in the design of laminated composites. In this study, reliability analysis is conducted using COMSOL and MATLAB interactions for a laminated composite plate for the case in which the tip deflection is the design requirement and the material property is a random variable. Furthermore, the efficiency and accuracy of the approximation method is identified, and a probabilistic sensitivity analysis is conducted. As a result, we can prove the applicability of the advanced design method for the stabilizer of an underwater vehicle.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.823-833
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• 2012

An experimental method was suggested for obtaining fracture toughness ($K_{Ic}$) and the tensile strength (${\sigma}_t$) of chopped strand glass fiber reinforced polymer concretes (PC). Semi-circular bend (SCB) specimens subjected to three-point bending were used for conducting the experiments on the PC material. While the edge cracked SCB specimen could be used to evaluate fracture toughness, the tensile strength was obtained from the un-cracked SCB specimen. The experiments showed the practical applicability of both cracked and un-cracked SCB specimens for using as suitable techniques for measuring $K_{Ic}$ and ${\sigma}_t$ in polymer concretes. In comparison with the conventional rectangular bend beam specimen, the suggested SCB samples need significantly less material due to its smaller size. Furthermore, the average values of ${\sigma}_t$ and $K_{Ic}$ of tested PC were approximately 3.5 to 4.5 times the corresponding values obtained for conventional concrete showing the improved strength properties of PC relative to the conventional concretes.

• Composites Research
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.161-166
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• 2016

Carbon nanotube buckypaper (CNTs-BP)/thermoplastic polyurethane (PU) elastomer composites were successfully fabricated. The CNTs-BP/PU nanocomposites exhibited simultaneous improvements in both tensile modulus and strength by 1360 and 430%, respectively, as compared to pure PU. Possible reinforcing mechanisms were evidenced by SEM analyses and tensile tests. The CNTs-BP/PU nanocomposites can be potentially used as an inter-reinforcing agent in ultra-lightweight, high-strength aircraft, carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, etc.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.162-168
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• 2009

As a preliminary study of optimum composite properties under cryogenic temperature, the comparison of interfacial properties of carbon or glass fibers reinforced epoxy composites was evaluated at ambient and intermediate low temperature, i.e., 25 and $-10^{\circ}C$ by using micromechanical techniques. Under tensile and compressive loading conditions, their mechanical modulus at low temperature was higher than that atambient temperature. Interfacial shear strength (IFSS) at ambient and low temperatures was compared to each other, depending on epoxy matrix toughness and apparent modulus at the interface. The IFSS was much higher at low temperature than that at room temperature because of the increased epoxy matrix modulus. Statistical distributions of tensile strengths of glass and carbon fibers were evaluated for different temperature ranges, which is dependent upon fiber's inherent flaws and rigidity.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.364-371
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• 2013

The sintering behavior of monolithic SiC is examined using the binary sintering additive of $Al_2O_3$-rare earth oxide ($RE_2O_3$, where RE = Sc, Nd, Dy, Ho, or Yb). Through hot pressing at 20 MPa and $1750^{\circ}C$ for 1 h in an Ar atmosphere for 52 nm fine ${\beta}$-SiC powder added with 5 wt% sintering additive, a SiC density of > 97% is achieved, which indicates the effectiveness of $Al_2O_3-RE_2O_3$ system as a sintering of additive for SiC. Based on this result, 7 wt% of $Al_2O_3-Sc_2O_3$ is tested as an additive system for the fabrication of a continuous SiC fiber-reinforced SiC-matrix composite ($SiC_f$/SiC). Electrophoretic deposition combined with the application of ultrasonic pulses is used to efficiently infiltrate the matrix phase into the voids of $Tyranno^{TM}$-SA3 fabric. After hot pressing, a composite density of > 97% is obtained, along with a maximum flexural strength of 443 MPa.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.272-278
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• 1995

In this paper to investigate mode I and mode II critical energy release rates, G sub(IC) and G sub(IIC), three prepregs which are domestic products are used. Those are used for the unidirectional composites, but only one is used for the cross-ply laminate composites which is molded [0/90] sub(6s), [0/45] sub(6s) and [0/45/90] sub(6s). The value of G sub(IC) is almost same when modified three calculating methods are applied. The highest value of G sub(IC) at crack initiation is obtained at the [0/90] sub(6s) interlaminar and the lowest one is at the [0/45/90] sub(6s) interlaminar.

• Composites Research
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.401-407
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• 2020

At the engineering and industrial areas, the lightweight composite material has been substituted with the metals, such as steel at the structural parts. This composite material has been applied by the adhesive bonding method, as well as the joint methods with rivets, welds or bolts and nuts. The study on the strength characteristics of adhesive interface is necessarily required in order to apply the method to composite materials. CFRP specimens as the fiber reinforced plastic composites were manufactured easily and this study was carried out. The static experiments were performed under the loading conditions of in-plane and out-plane shears with the inhomogeneous composite TDCB specimens with CFRP, aluminum (Al6061), and aluminum foam (Al-foam). Through the result of this study, the durability on the inhomogeneous composite structure with adhesive interface was investigated by examining the fracture characteristic and the point in time.

• Composites Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.223-229
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• 2013

Hybrid composite strut tower was designed to prevent permanent deformation of upper mount by the impact from the uneven road. When exceeding energy absorption capacity of tire and suspension systems, residual impact is delivered to upper mount. Especially, in case of using high-rigidity suspension system for high driving performance, the conventional strut tower can be easily deformed due to reduction of energy absorption capacity of suspension systems. In this study, optimal design of hybrid composite strut tower which made of back-up metal and carbon fiber reinforced composite was suggested by using finite element analysis, and low velocity impact test was performed to investigate their dynamic characteristics. Also, 3D measuring and ultra c-scanning methods were carried out to diagnose damages in the strut towers.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.73 no.3
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• pp.353-365
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• 2020

In the previous studies, the authors proposed the use of laminated veneer lumber - carbon fiber reinforced polymer (LVL-CFRP) composite beams for structural application. Bond strength of the LVL-to-CFRP interface and flexural strengthening schemes to increase the bending capacity subjected to positive and negative moment were discussed in the previous works. In this article, theoretical models are proposed to predict the moment capacity when the LVL-CFRP beams are subjected to negative moment. Two common failure modes - CFRP fracture and debonding of CFRP are considered. The non-linear model proposed for positive moment is modified for negative moment to determine the section moment capacity. For the debonding based failure, previously developed bond strength model for CFRP-to-LVL interface is implemented. The theoretical models are validated against the experimental results and then use to determine the moment-rotation behaviour and rotational rigidity to compare the efficacy of various strengthening techniques. It is found that combined use of bi- and uni-directional CFRP U-wrap at the joint performs well in terms of both moment capacity and rotational rigidity.