• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.42-56
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• 2023

In deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW), the natural barrier must physically support the disposal facility and delay the movement of radionuclides for at least hundreds of thousands of years. To evaluate the long-term geological evolution of the natural barriers, it is essential to analyze the long-term behavior of rock joints, including the frictional healing behavior. This study aimed to experimentally analyze the frictional healing behavior of rock joints under hydro-mechanical (H-M) conditions through the slide-hold-slide (SHS) test. The SHS tests were performed under mechanical and H-M conditions for joint specimens of different roughness. In the H-M conditions, the frictional healing rate tended to increase, which was more evident in the specimens with large roughness. In addition, it was confirmed that the effect of the hydro-mechanical conditions was more significant when the effective normal stress acting on the joint surface was small. These results are expected to be used as fundamental data to understand the frictional healing behavior of rock joints in the natural barriers.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.198-204
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• 2003

The bone fracture healing is simulated by using one of the complex system rules, named cellular automata method. It is assumed that each cell has property of Bone, Cartilage or Fibrous connective tissue. Nine local rules are adopted to change the property of each cell against the mechanical stimulus, which consists of the strain energy density, and the existence of bone in the surroundings. Two dimensional sheep metatarsal model is considered and the bone fracture healing is simulated. The simulation results agree well with those obtained by using fuzzy logic model and experimental data. The cellular automata method found to be one of the simulation methods to express the bone fracture healing. The cellular automata method is expected to be effective in representing biological phenomenon.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.71-75
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• 2008

This paper illustrates haw $Y_2O_3$ contributes to crack-healing strengths as a function of crack-healing temperature and the additive amount. In investigating mechanical properties, the indentation fracture method is very simple and useful, but careful attention must be paid to the statistical data processing because data may be scattered excessively, especially for brittle materials. To estimate accurate AE signal properties we applied the useful time-frequency method with a discrete wavelet analysis algorithm. In experiments, three kinds of specimens were prepared. After the specimens were indented by a Vickers indentor, they were heat-treated and crack-healed to evaluate bending strength and the AE signal. With higher amounts of the additive powder, as 1, 3, or 5% wt. of $Y_2O_3$, the concentrative tendency of dominant frequency trended toward lower frequency groups. The $Al_2O_3$ ceramic with 3% wt. of $Y_2O_3$ was judged most suitable because it demonstrated superior crack-healing ability and relative concentration on the highest frequency group.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1108-1114
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• 2007

The low kinds of $Al_2O_3$ composite ceramics were prepared using a mixture of 85 wt.% $Al_2O_3$ (mean size $0.5\;{\mu}m$), 15 wt.% SiC Powder with $Y_2O_3$, as an additive powder (0, 1, 3 and 5 wt.%). The crack-healing strengths were studied as functions of crack-healing temperature and amount of $Y_2O_3$. The in-situ crack-healing behavior was observed at 1,573 K for 1 h in the air. The heat treated specimen with 3 wt.% of $Y_2O_3$ showed better crack-healing ability than specimen with 1 or 5 wt.% of $Y_2O_3$. In case of specimen with 3 wt.% of $Y_2O_3$, the bending strength of the crack-healed specimen at 1,473 K was recovered to the bending strength of smooth specimen treated at 1573 K. The heat-resistance limit temperature of $Al_2O_3$ composite ceramics was 1,073 K, 1,373 K, 873 K for the specimen with 1, 3, 5 wt.% of $Y_2O_3$.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.310-318
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• 2006

In this study, we investigate the feasibility of in-situ crack propagation by using a double cleavage drilled compression (DCDC) specimen showing a slow crack velocity down to 0.03 mm/s under 0.01 mm/s of displacement control. Finite element analysis predicted that the DCDC specimens would show at least 4.3 fold delayed crack initiation time than conventional tensile fracture specimens under a constant loading speed. Using DCDC specimens, we were able to observe the in-situ crack propagation process in a particle reinforced transparent polymer composite. Our results confirmed that the DCDC specimen would be a good candidate for the in-situ observation of the behavior of particle reinforced composites with slow crack velocity, such as the self-healing process of micro-particle reinforced composites.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.10-17
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• 2020

The curvature of wound boundaries has been identified as a key modulator that determines a type of force responsible for cell migration. While several studies report how certain curvatures of the boundary correlate with the rate at which the wound closes, it remains unclear how these curvatures are spatiotemporally formed to regulate the healing process. We investigated the dynamic changes in the boundary curvatures by visualizing cell migration patterns. Locally, cells at the convex boundary continuously move forward with transmitting kinetic responses behind to the cells away from the boundary, and cells at the concave boundary exhibit dramatic contracting motion, like a purse-string, when they accumulate enough negative curvatures to gain the thrust toward the void. Globally, the dynamics of boundary geometries are controlled by the diffusive flow of cells driven by the density gradient between the wound area and the cell layer.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.561-568
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• 2022

In this study, the mechanical properties and self-healing performance of cement mortar containing clinker binder, calcium sulfoaluminate(CSA), and sodium sulfate(Na₂SO₄) were evaluated. The mechanical properties of cement mortar were investigated by measuring compressive strength and flexural strength, and the healing performance was evaluated through hydrostatic water permeability test and gas diffusion test. In addition, the healing products precipitated in the cracks were visually observed through an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope(SEM). As a result, the incorporation of the clinker binder-based inorganic additives improved the initial and 28-day strength by about 20 %. Depending on the healing performance evaluation method, there was a difference in the healing rate, and the healing rate showed a tendency to be underestimated. Nevertheless, CaCO₃ was precipitated as the main healing product inside the 0.3 mm crack when the inorganic additives were mixed with cement mortar, improving the self-healing performance.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.593-606
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• 2015

This paper presents a novel concept of healing some of the damages in wind turbine blades (WTBs) such as cracks and delamination. This is achieved through an inherent functioning autonomous repairing system. Such wind turbine blades have the benefit of reduced maintenance cost and increased operational period. Previous techniques of developing autonomous healing systems uses hollow glass fibres (HGFs) to deliver repairing fluids to damaged sites. HGFs have been reported with some limitations like, failure to fracture, which undermines their further usage. The self-healing technique described in this paper represents an advancement in the engineering of the delivery mechanism of a self-healing system. It is analogous to the HGF system but without the HGFs, which are replaced by multiple hollow channels created within the composite, inherently in the FRP matrix at fabrication. An in-house fabricated NACA 4412 WTB incorporating this array of network hollow channels was damaged in flexure and then autonomously repaired using the vascular channels. The blade was re-tested under flexure to ascertain the efficiency of the recovered mechanical properties.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2024

Silk sericin, a natural protein from silkworm cocoons, is emerging as a multifunctional biomaterial in biomedicine, particularly in tissue engineering and wound healing. Recent studies have highlighted its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and potential for chemical modification, which allows it to be incorporated into various scaffold architectures. This review article synthesizes current research, including the development of sericin-based hydrogel scaffolds for tissue engineering and sericin's role in enhancing wound healing. Key findings demonstrate sericin's ability to refine scaffold porosity and mechanical strength, expedite tissue healing, and reduce bacterial load in wounds. The integration of sericin into novel bioactive dressings and its use in peripheral nerve injury repair are also discussed, showcasing its adaptability and efficacy. The convergence of these studies illustrates the broad applications of sericin, from scaffold design to clinical interventions, making it a promising material in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, with the potential to improve patient outcomes significantly.

• Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.721-733
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• 2018

BACKGROUND: Because three-dimensional (3D) models more closely mimic native tissues, one of the goals of 3D in vitro tissue models is to aid in the development and toxicity screening of new drug therapies. In this study, a 3D skin wound healing model comprising of a collagen type I construct with fibrin-filled defects was developed. METHODS: Optical imaging was used to measure keratinocyte migration in the presence of fibroblasts over 7 days onto the fibrin-filled defects. Additionally, cell viability and growth of fibroblasts and keratinocytes was measured using the $alamarBlue^{(R)}$ assay and changes in the mechanical stiffness of the 3D construct was monitored using compressive indentation testing. RESULTS: Keratinocyte migration rate was significantly increased in the presence of fibroblasts with the cells reaching the center of the defect as early as day 3 in the co-culture constructs compared to day 7 for the control keratinocyte monoculture constructs. Additionally, constructs with the greatest rate of keratinocyte migration had reduced cell growth. When fibroblasts were cultured alone in the wound healing construct, there was a 1.3 to 3.4-fold increase in cell growth and a 1.2 to 1.4-fold increase in cell growth for keratinocyte monocultures. However, co-culture constructs exhibited no significant growth over 7 days. Finally, mechanical testing showed that fibroblasts and keratinocytes had varying effects on matrix stiffness with fibroblasts degrading the constructs while keratinocytes increased the construct's stiffness. CONCLUSION: This 3D in vitro wound healing model is a step towards developing a mimetic construct that recapitulates the complex microenvironment of healing wounds and could aid in the early studies of novel therapeutics that promote migration and proliferation of epithelial cells.