• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.41-51
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• 2022

Cables are critical components of cable-stayed bridges. A structural health monitoring system provides real-time cable tension recording for cable health monitoring. However, the measurement data involve multiple sources of variability, i.e., varying environmental and operational factors, which increase the complexity of cable condition monitoring. In this study, a one-class classification method is developed for cable condition assessment using Bayesian factor analysis (FA). The single-peaked vehicle-induced cable tension is assumed to be relevant to vehicle positions and weights. The Bayesian FA is adopted to establish the correlation model between cable tensions and vehicles. Vehicle weights are assumed to be latent variables and the influences of different transverse positions are quantified by coefficient parameters. The Bayesian theorem is employed to estimate the parameters and variables automatically, and the damage index is defined on the basis of the well-trained model. The proposed method is applied to one cable-stayed bridge for cable damage detection. Significant deviations of the damage indices of Cable SJS11 were observed, indicating a damaged condition in 2011. This study develops a novel method to evaluate the health condition of individual cable using the FA in the Bayesian framework. Only vehicle-induced cable tensions are used and there is no need to monitor the vehicles. The entire process, including the data pre-processing, model training and damage index calculation of one cable, takes only 35 s, which is highly efficient.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.261-272
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• 2021

This study investigates the structural characteristics of oil-free, gas beam foil journal bearings (GBFJBs) for use in high speed motors. Mathematical modeling was carried out, and reaction force modeling for static load was performed to predict the structural characteristics of the GBFJB. Mathematical modeling and reaction force modeling for static load are performed to predict the structural characteristics of GBFJBs. The reaction force of the test bearing against static loads was measured during experiments and compared with the predicted results. The measured experimental data reveal the nonlinear stiffness characteristics of the GBFJB against varying displacement and agree well with the predictions. Dynamic load tests using an exciter allow to identify the vibration characteristics of the GBFJB. Test results show that the vibration displacement, dynamic force, and acceleration measured on the test bearing are most dominant at the applied dynamic load (synchronization) frequency. Futhermore, the test results show that the hysteresis area recorded during the dynamic tests increases with the excitation amplitude and frequency, and that the beam stick phenomena occurr at high excitation frequencies. The single degree of freedom (DOF) vibration model aids to identify the stiffness and damping coefficient of the GBFJB, which decrease as the excitation frequency increases.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.505-518
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• 2022

This study introduces soil resistance multipliers at locations encompassed by the zone of influence of the helix plate to consider the added lateral resistance provided to the helical pile. The zone of influence of a helix plate is a function of its diameter and serves as a boundary condition for the modified soil resistance springs. The concept is based on implementing p-multipliers as a reduction factor for piles in group action. The application of modified p-y springs in the analysis of helical piles allows for better characterization and understanding of the lateral behavior of helical piles, which will help further the development of design methods. To execute the proposed method, a finite difference program, HPCap (Helical Pile Capacity), was developed by the authors using Matlab. The program computes the deflection, shear force, bending moment, and soil resistance of the helical pile and allows the user to freely input the value of the zone of influence and Ω (a coefficient that affects the value of the p-multiplier). Results from ten full-scale lateral load tests on helical piles embedded at depths of 3.0 m with varying shaft diameters, shaft thicknesses, and helix configurations were analyzed to determine the zone of influence and the magnitude of the p-multipliers. The analysis determined that the value of the p-multipliers is influenced by the ratio between the pile embedment length and the shaft diameter (D_p), the effective helix diameter (D_h-D_p), and the zone of influence. Furthermore, the zone of influence is recommended to be 1.75 times the helix diameter (D_h). Using the numerical analysis method presented in this study, the predicted deflections of the various helical pile cases showed good agreement with the observed field test results.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.1C
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• pp.9-17
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• 2008

In this research, an analytical solution for the coefficient of permeability of soils during consolidation is suggested. The pore pressure and the flow rate measurements at different locations during consolidation are utilized. The void ratio and volume compressibility of soils under consolidation are also estimated. A large consolidation testing device, possible in both vertical and radial drainage is designed and manufactured. And consolidation test with kaolinite soils were performed under radially inward drainage direction. Pore pressures in varying radial distances and flow rate with time were measured as well as vertical deformations. From the test results, the changes of permeability, volume compressibility and void ratio under consolidation and their spatial variations are estimated. Thus the proposed solution is verified by comparing with the experimentally estimated test results. In addition, it is confirmed that permeability, void ratio and volume compressibility decrease as consolidation and loading steps progress. Also, these soil characteristics increase with radial distant from drainage boundary, where lowest values observed, and slightly decrease as approaching undrained boundary.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.19-25
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• 2023

With an attempt to investigate the correlation between the internal pressure distribution of slit nozzle and the thickness uniformity of slot-coated thin films, we have performed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of slit nozzles and slot coating of high-viscosity (4,800 cPs) polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using a gantry slot-die coater. We have calculated the coefficient of variation (CV) to quantify the pressure and velocity distributions inside the slit nozzle and the thickness non-uniformity of slot-coated PDMS films. The pressure distribution inside the cavity and the velocity distribution at the outlet are analyzed by varying the shim thickness and flow rate. We have shown that the cavity pressure uniformity and film thickness uniformity are enhanced by reducing the shim thickness. It is addressed that the CV value of the cavity pressure that can ensure the thickness non-uniformity of less than 5% is equal to and less than 1%, which is achievable with the shim thickness of 150 ㎛. It is also found that as the flow rate increases, the average cavity pressure is increased with the CV value of the pressure unchanged and the maximum coating speed is increased. As the shim thickness is reduced, however, the maximum coating speed and flow rate decrease. The highly uniform PDMS films shows the tensile strain as high as 180%, which can be used as a stretchable substrate.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.307-323
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• 2023

In this research, the study of the thermoelastic flexural analysis of silicon carbide/Aluminum graded (FG) sandwich 2D uniform structure (plate) under harmonic sinusoidal temperature load over time is presented. The plate is modeled using a simple two dimensional integral shear deformation plate theory. The current formulation contains an integral terms whose aim is to reduce a number of variables compared to others similar solutions and therefore minimize the computation time. The transverse shear stresses vary according to parabolic distribution and vanish at the free surfaces of the structure without any use of correction factors. The external load is applied on the upper face and varying in the thickness of the plates. The structure is supposed to be composed of "three layers" and resting on nonlinear visco-Pasternak's-foundations. The governing equations of the system are deduced and solved via Hamilton's principle and general solution. The computed results are compared with those existing in the literature to validate the current formulation. The impacts of the parameters (material index, temperature exponent, geometry ratio, time, top/bottom temperature ratio, elastic foundation type, and damping coefficient) on the dynamic flexural response are studied.

• Journal of the Korea Computer Graphics Society
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.11-17
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• 2024

Lung cancer segmentation in chest CT images is challenging due to the varying sizes of tumors and the presence of surrounding structures with similar intensity values. To address these issues, we propose a lung cancer segmentation network that incorporates deep supervision and utilizes UNet3+ as the backbone. Additionally, we propose a hybrid lesion focal loss function comprising three components: pixel-based, region-based, and shape-based, which allows us to focus on the smaller tumor regions relative to the background and consider shape information for handling ambiguous boundaries. We validate our proposed method through comparative experiments with UNet and UNet3+ and demonstrate that our proposed method achieves superior performance in terms of Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) for tumors of all sizes.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.35-42
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• 2024

The aquatic ecosystem of rivers, where various biological groups inhabit, is influenced by suspended sediment. However, there is a lack of quantitative and objective methods and criteria for evaluating this impact. The purpose of this study is to analyze through experiments the effects of suspended sediment on Glyptotendipes tokunagai, a benthic invertebrate in rivers. Experiments were conducted to investigate the survival count of individuals exposed to varying suspended sediment concentrations (turbidity) and exposure durations. Various regression analysis methods were performed on the experimental results to propose a model for evaluating the impact of suspended sediment on Glyptotendipes tokunagai. The coefficient of determination (R-squared) of the proposed model was 0.903, indicating a high degree of fit. The findings of this study could serve as foundational data for assessing the influence of suspended sediment on various organisms inhabiting rivers.

• Annals of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.158-165
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• 2023

Backgrounds/Aims: Within two years of surgery, 70% of resected intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) recur. Better biomarkers are needed to identify those at risk of "early recurrence" (ER). In this study, we defined ER and investigated whether preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic-inflammatory index were prognostic of both overall relapse and ER after curative hepatectomy for iCCA. Methods: A retrospective cohort of patients who underwent curative-intent hepatectomy for iCCA between 2005 and 2017 were created. The cut-off timepoint for the ER of iCCA was estimated using a piecewise linear regression model. Univariable analyses of recurrence were conducted for the overall, early, and late recurrence periods. For the early and late recurrence periods, multivariable Cox regression with time-varying regression coefficient analysis was used. Results: A total of 113 patients were included in this study. ER was defined as recurrence within 12 months of a curative resection. Among the included patients, 38.1% experienced ER. In the univariable model, a higher preoperative NLR (> 4.3) was significantly associated with an increased risk of recurrence overall and in the first 12 months after curative surgery. In the multivariable model, a higher NLR was associated with a higher recurrence rate overall and in the ER period (≤ 12 months), but not in the late recurrence period. Conclusions: Preoperative NLR was prognostic of both overall recurrence and ER after curative iCCA resection. NLR is easily obtained before and after surgery and should be integrated into ER prediction tools to guide preoperative treatments and intensify postoperative follow-up.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.101-106
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• 2009

Purpose of this study is to compare the signal intensity (SI) and CNR with T1 weighted image using FLASH at 3T abdominal MRI by varying flip angle (FA). Totally 20 patients (male : 12, female : 8, Age : $28{\sim}63$ years with mean : 51) were examined by 3 Tesla MR scanner (Magnetom Tim Trio, SIEMENS, Germany) with 8 channel body array coil between september and October 2008. Imaging parameters were as follows : FLASH sequence, TR : 120 ms, TE : minimum, FOV (field of view) : $360{\times}300\;mm$, Matrix : $256{\times}224$, slice : 6 mm, scan time : 15 sec and Breath-hold technique. Abdominal image, with a 50 ml syringe filled with water placed in the FOV measuring the water signal, were acquired with varying FA through $10^{\circ}$ to $90^{\circ}$ with $10^{\circ}$ interval. SI's were measured three times at liver parenchyme, water, spleen and background and averaged. The CNR's were measured between the ROIs (region of interest). Statistic analysis was performed with ANOVA test using SPSS software (version 17.0). Less than FA $30^{\circ}$, abdominal images were severely inhomogeneity. Especially, T1 effect of water signal was weak. As the flip angle increased, the signal intensity decreased at all the regions. Especially, flip angle of the highest signal intensity was observed with $40^{\circ}$ at the liver parenchyme, $20^{\circ}$ at water, $30^{\circ}$ at the spleen, respectively. The CNR between liver and water was -60.92 at FA $10^{\circ}$ and 15.16 at FA $80^{\circ}$. The CNR between liver and spleen was -3.18 at FA $10^{\circ}$ and 9.65 at $80^{\circ}$. In conclusion, FA $80^{\circ}$ is optimal for T1 weighted effect using FLASH pulse sequence at 3.0 T abdominal MRI.