• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.623-641
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• 2013

The fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite panel, with the benefits of light weight, high strength, good corrosion resistance, and long-term durability, has been considered as one of the prosperous alternatives for structural retrofits and replacements. Although with these advantages, a further application of FRPs in bridge engineering may be restricted, and that is partly due to some unsatisfied thermal performance observed in recent studies. In this regard, Kansas Department of Transportation (DOT) conducted a field monitoring program on a bridge with glass FRP (GFRP) honeycomb hollow section sandwich panels. The temperatures of the panel surfaces and ambient air were measured from December 2002 to July 2004. In this paper, the temperature distributing behaviors of the panels are firstly demonstrated and discussed based on the field measurements. Then, a numerical modeling procedure of temperature fields is developed and verified. This model is capable of predicting the temperature distributions with the local environmental conditions and material's thermal properties. Finally, a parametric study is employed to examine the sensitivities of several temperature influencing factors, including the hollow section configurations, environmental conditions, and material properties.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.1416-1425
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• 2002

In this study, the effects of combined environmental factors on mechanical and thermal analysis properties of graphite/epoxy composites were evaluated by the use of an accelerated aging test. Environmental factors such as temperature, moisture. and ultraviolet were considered. A xenon-arc lamp was utilized for ultraviolet light. and exposure times of up to 3000 hours were applied. Several types of specimens - tensile. bending, and shear specimens those are transverse to the fiber direction, and bending specimens those are parallel to the tiber direction - were used to investigate the effects of environmental factors on mechanical properties of the composites. Also, glass transition temperature, storage shear modulus, loss shear modulus, and tan ${\delta}$ were measured as a function of exposure times through a dynamic mechanical analyzer. In addition. a suitable testing method for determining the effect of environmental factors on mechanical properties is suggested by comparing the results from using two different types of strain measuring sensors. Finally, composite surfaces exposed to environmental factors were examined using a scanning electron microscope.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.569-584
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• 2009

Corrosion of steel rebars in bridge decks which are faced to harsh conditions, is a common problem in construction industries due to the porosity of concrete. In this research, the behavior of one-way concrete slabs reinforced with Glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) molded grating is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. In the analytical method, a closed-form solution for load-deflection behavior of a slab under four-point bending condition is developed by considering a concrete slab as an orthotropic plate and defining stiffness coefficients in principal directions. The available formulation for concrete reinforced with steel is expanded for concrete reinforced with GFRP molded grating to predict ultimate failure load. In finite element modeling, an exact nonlinear behavior of concrete along with a 3-D failure criterion for cracking and crushing are considered in order to estimate the ultimate failure load and the initial cracking load. Eight concrete slabs reinforced with steel and GFRP grating in various thicknesses are also tested to verify the results. The obtained results from the models and experiments are relatively satisfactory.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.22-30
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• 2020

Small fishing vessels are manufactured using FRP. Various studies have been conducted to increase the strength of the composite material by mixing alumina powder with resin. Tensile tests and flexural strength tests are conducted to examine the effect of alumina powder on the strength of GFRP. In the current study, resin/alumina composites at different alumina contents (i.e., 0, 1, 5, and 10 vol%) have been prepared. The physical and mechanical properties of the prepared composites have been investigated. From the results, the tensile strength of the specimen with alumina powder mixed in at 10% shows the highest value of 155.66 MPa. The tensile strength of the specimen mixed with alumina powder increases with the amount of alumina powder impregnated. In the flexural strength test, the flexural strength of neat resin without alumina powder has a highest value of 257.7 MPa. The flexural modulus of ALMix-5 has a highest value of 12.06 GPa. Barcol hardness of ALMix-10 has a highest value of 51. We show that alumina powder leads to decreasing cracks on the surface and decreasing length area of delamination.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1793-1798
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• 2003

A series of amorphous molecules that possess both photoconductive and electro-optic properties was synthesized in order to investigate photorefractive properties of bifunctional organic-glasses. Diethylaminobenzaldehyde-diphenylhydrazone was covalently attached to 5-(4-diethylamino-benzylidene)-1,3-dimethylpyrimidine-2,4,6-trione through a flexible alkyl chain (3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 carbons) containing two ether linkages. The longer linkage not only lowered the glass transition temperature ($T_g$) of the molecules, but also allowed faster orientation of the chromophore. To examine the photorefractive properties, a 50 ${\mu}$m-thick film was prepared from the mixture of a bifunctional molecule, butyl benzyl phthalate, and $C_{60}$. The photoconductivity of this composite was as high as $8.01\;{\times}\;10^{-12}$ S/cm at 60 V/ ${\mu}$m, and the maximum diffraction efficiency ( ${\eta}_{max}$) of 50 ${\mu}$m-thick film was about 5% at 80 V/ ${\mu}$m.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.245-260
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• 2015

In this study, nominal moment-axial load interaction diagrams, moment-curvature relationships, and ductility of rectangular hybrid beam-column concrete sections are analyzed using the modified Hognestad concrete model. The hybrid columns are primarily reinforced with steel bars with additional Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) control bars. Parameters investigated include amount, pattern, location, and material properties of concrete, steel, and GFRP. The study was implemented using a user defined comprehensive $MATLAB^{(R)}$ simulation model to find an efficient hybrid section design maximizing strength and ductility. Generating lower bond stresses than steel bars at the concrete interface, auxiliary GFRP bars minimize damage in the concrete core of beam-column sections. Their usage prevents excessive yielding of the core longitudinal bars during frequent moderate cyclic deformations, which leads to significant damage in the foundations of bridges or beam-column spliced sections where repair is difficult and expensive. Analytical results from this study shows that hybrid steel-GFRP composite concrete sections where GFRP is used as auxiliary bars show adequate ductility with a significant increase in strength. Results also compare different design parameters reaching a number of design recommendations for the proposed hybrid section.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.57-76
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• 2024

The management of waste tire rubber has become a pressing environmental and health issue, requiring sustainable solutions to mitigate fire hazards and conserve natural resources. The performance of waste materials in structural components needs to be investigated to fabricate sustainable structures. This study aims to investigate the behavior of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforced rubberized concrete (GRRC) compressive components under compressive loads. Nine GRRC circular compressive components, varying in longitudinal and transverse reinforcement ratios, were constructed. A 3D nonlinear finite element model (FEM) was proposed by means of the ABAQUS software to simulate the behavior of the GRRC compressive components. A comprehensive parametric analysis was conducted to assess the impact of different parameters on the performance of GRRC compressive components. The experimental findings demonstrated that reducing the spacing of GFRP stirrups enhanced the ductility of GRRC compressive components, while the addition of rubberized concrete further improved their ductility. Failure in GRRC compressive components occurred in a compressive columnar manner, characterized by vertical cracks and increased deformability. The finite element simulations closely matched the experimental results. The proposed empirical model, based on 600 test samples and considering the lateral confinement effect of FRP stirrups, demonstrated higher accuracy (R² = 0.835, MSE = 171.296, MAE = 203.549, RMSE = 195.438) than previous models.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.52-59
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• 2019

The rotor blade is a key component that generates the lift, thrust, and control forces required for helicopter flight by the torque transmitted through the hub and the blade pitch angle control, and should be designed to factor vibration characteristics so that there is no risk of resonance with structural safety. In this study, the structural design of the main rotor blade for MPUH(Multi-Purpose Unmanned Helicopter) was conducted and the sectional stiffness measurement of the fabricated blade was performed. The evaluation of the vibration characteristics of the main rotor system was then conducted factoring the measured stiffness distribution. The interior of the rotor blade comprised of the skin, spar, and torsion box, and carbon and glass fiber composites were applied. The Ksec2D program was applied to predict the stiffness of blade, and the results were compared to the measured data. CAMRADII, a comprehensive rotorcraft analysis program, was applied to investigate the natural frequency trends and resonance risks due to the rotor rotation.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Advanced Composite Structures
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2014

Pultruded glass fiber reinforced polymeric plastic (PFRP) and FRP member manufactured by sheet molding compound (SMC) have superior mechanical and physical properties compared with those of conventional structural materials. Since FRP has an excellent corrosion-resistance and high specific strength and stiffness, the FRP material may be highly appreciated for the development of floating-type photovoltaic (PV) power generation system. In this paper, advanced floating PV generation system made of PFRP and SMC is designed. In the design, it includes tracking solar altitude by tilting photovoltaic arrays and tracking solar azimuth by spinning structures. Moreover, the results of the finite element analysis (FEA) are presented to confirm stability of entire structure under the external loads. Additionally, installation procedure and mooring systems in the Hap-Cheon Dam are discussed and the measurement of strain under the actual circumstances is conducted for assuring stability of actually installed structures. Finally, by comparison with allowable stress, appropriate safety of structure is confirmed to operate the system.

• Composites Research
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.21-31
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• 2002

To overcome the disadvantages of conventional excavation technology various trenchless (or excavation free, or no-dig) repair-reinforcement technologies have been developed and tried. But trenchless technologies so far developed have some drawbacks such as high cost and inconvenience of operation. In this study, a repairing-reinforcing process for underground pipes with glass fiber fabric polymer composites using VARTM (Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding) has been developed. The developed process requires shorter operation time and lower cost with smaller and simpler operating equipments than those of the conventional trenchless technologies. For the reliable operation of the developed method, a simple method to apply pressure and vacuum to the reinforcement was devised and flexible mold technology was tried. Also, resin filling and cure status during RTM process were monitored with a commercial dielectrometry cure monitoring system, LACOMCURE. From the investigation, it has been found that the developed repairing-reinforcing technology with appropriate process variables and on-line cure monitoring has many advantages over conventional methods.