• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.64-75
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• 2017

The role of a track subgrade is to provide bearing capacity and distribute load transferred to lower foundation soils. Track subgrade soils are usually compacted by heavy mechanical machines in the field, such that sometimes they are attributed to progressive residual settlement during the service after construction completion of the railway track. The progressive residual settlement generated in the upper part of a track subgrade is mostly non-recoverable plastic deformation, which causes unstable conditions such as track irregularity. Nonetheless, up to now no design code for allowable residual settlement of subgrade in a railway trackbed has been proposed based on mechanical testing, such as repetitive triaxial testing. At this time, to check the DOC or stiffness of the soil, field test criteria for compacted track subgrade are composed of data from RPBT and field compaction testing. However, the field test criteria do not provide critical design values obtained from mechanical test results that can offer correct information about allowable permanent deformation. In this study, a test procedure is proposed for permanent deformation of compacted subgrade soil that is used usually in railway trackbed in the laboratory using repetitive triaxial testing. To develop the test procedure, an FEA was performed to obtain the shear stress ratio (${\tau}/{\tau}_f$) and the confining stress (${\sigma}_3$) on the top of the subgrade. Comprehensive repetitive triaxial tests were performed using the proposed test procedure on several field subgrade soils obtained in construction sites of railway trackbeds. A permanent deformation model was proposed using the test results for the railway track.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.55-71
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• 2013

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is vital for detecting the onset of damage and for preventing catastrophic failure of civil infrastructure systems. In particular, piezoelectric transducers have the ability to excite and actively interrogate structures (e.g., using surface waves) while measuring their response for sensing and damage detection. In fact, piezoelectric transducers such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) have been used for various laboratory/field tests and possess significant advantages as compared to visual inspection and vibration-based methods, to name a few. However, PZTs are inherently brittle, and PVDF films do not possess high piezoelectricity, thereby limiting each of these devices to certain specific applications. The objective of this study is to design, characterize, and validate piezoelectric nanocomposites consisting of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles assembled in a PVDF copolymer matrix for sensing and SHM applications. These films provide greater mechanical flexibility as compared to PZTs, yet possess enhanced piezoelectricity as compared to pristine PVDF copolymers. This study started with spin coating dispersed ZnO- and PVDF-TrFE-based solutions to fabricate the piezoelectric nanocomposites. The concentration of ZnO nanoparticles was varied from 0 to 20 wt.% (in 5 % increments) to determine their influence on bulk film piezoelectricity. Second, their electric polarization responses were obtained for quantifying thin film remnant polarization, which is directly correlated to piezoelectricity. Based on these results, the films were poled (at 50 $MV-m^{-1}$) to permanently align their electrical domains and to enhance their bulk film piezoelectricity. Then, a series of hammer impact tests were conducted, and the voltage generated by poled ZnO-based thin films was compared to commercially poled PVDF copolymer thin films. The hammer impact tests showed comparable results between the prototype and commercial samples, and increasing ZnO content provided enhanced piezoelectric performance. Lastly, the films were further validated for sensing using different energy levels of hammer impact, different distances between the impact locations and the film electrodes, and cantilever free vibration testing for dynamic strain sensing.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.71-74
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• 2010

During construction of deep foundation in soft rock under varying soil properties, it is essential to locate the rock stratum, especially when drilling with slurry. When slurry is used for drilling, the bottom of the borehole cannot be seen, thereafter soil cuttings cannot be differentiated from soft rock cuttings. A new static rock penetrometer, known as Rock Penetrometer was developed during this study. It could be a simple mechanical device that is attached to the bottom of a Kelly bar which is used to attach drilling tools such as augers and core barrels while drilling. After its calibration in the laboratory, the performance of the static rock penetrometer was verified in the several field test sites.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.1-10
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• 2019

Recently, the installation capacity of PV (photovoltaic) systems has been increasing not only field installation but also floating PV, farm land, BIPV/BAPV. For this reason, the new design and materials of PV module are needed. In particular, in order to apply a PV system to a building, lightweight of the PV module is essential. PV modules made of generally used texturing glass are excellent in output and reliability, but there is a limit to the weight that can be reduced. For the lightweight of the PV module, it necessary to use a film instead of a glass. However, the application of film rather than a glass may cause various problems such as decrease in photocurrent by decrease in transmittance and a increase of CTM (cell to module) loss, a degradation of the reliability, and so on. In this paper, PV modules using Ultra barrier film, which is recently a lot of interest as a substitute for a glass, its characteristic analysis and reliability test were conducted. The transmittance and UV characteristics of each material were verified, and the output of the fabricated 1 cell PV module was measured. In addition, 24 cell PV modules were fabricated at the lab-scale and its reliability tests were conducted. As a result of the experiment, the reliability characteristics of the ultra barrier film PV module were excellent, and it was confirmed that it could be used as the front material of the PV module instead of glass

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.75-83
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• 2016

In case of underground construction affected by groundwater, CIP (Cast-In-Place Pile) method is generally used to resolve the geo-hydraulic problem. However, as this method has poor connectivity between piles, an auxiliary method for cut-off is needed in many cases. In this study, a new concept earth retaining wall method (H-CIP) with no auxiliary method, by using surfactant grout (Hi-FA) which improves antiwashout and infiltration ability, is introduced, and its field applicability is evaluated. CIP and H-CIP piles were installed with same ground conditions, and field and laboratory tests were conducted to verify the performance. As results, newly contrived H-CIP method shows higher field performance for cut-off and strength than conventional CIP method.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.201-208
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• 2010

Information on the distribution characteristics of construction errors is very important to determine the member factors, which are to be introduced in a new Korean design code for reinforced concrete structures. The new design code, which is under development for reinforced concrete structures, is based on the performance design concept. The construction errors of reinforced concrete members are mainly caused by the firmness and dimensional accuracy of forms, the arranging condition of reinforcing bars, the pouring and compaction methods of concrete, the skills of field workers, and the experience of supervisors. To find out the construction errors of reinforced concrete structures already built in Korea, a field survey for cover thickness, effective depth of reinforcement, the thickness of slabs and walls, and the dimension of beams and columns has been performed. Based on the survey, which is the first time in Korea, the analysis results are presented. The measuring methods for the construction errors, which have been established through the laboratory tests, are also presented. In addition, the measured construction errors from the survey are compared with the allowable tolerances in the current domestic and foreign specifications.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.10 no.7
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• pp.53-66
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• 2009

Recently, the importance of investigation for soft ground has been raised, so that various techniques of the investigation for soft ground are being introduced and applied. In particular, Piezocone penetration test has been utilized frequently home and abroad to identify many features of grounds precisely and gain various results in accordance with dividing strata and depth constantly by measuring continuously. In this study, to identify some features of soft clays distributed in the estuary of Nakdong river, researchers conducted field tests and laboratory tests with boring tests, and analyzed and compared with Piezocone penetration test. In addition, credible Piezocone factor of communities of subjects for this study was estimated to analyze some features of undrained shear strength of clay and calculate Piezocone factor compared with corrected cone resistance and apply some statistical techniques to estimated Piezocone factor.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.19 no.4 s.65
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• pp.42-48
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• 2005

The sediment of Shihwa Lake contains an abundant quantity of cohesive sediments. The transport processes of the cohesive sediments are complex and difficult to predict, quantitatively. The cohesive sediments are the primary reason for the pollution of the environment and water quality in the coastal region. In this study, a column test has been performed. In order to quantify the settling velocities of sediment from Shihwa Lake, an experiment was conducted using a specially designed 1.8m tall settling column. A series of settling tests and physico-chemical property tests on Shihwa Lake cohesive sediments has been conducted to investigate the correlation between settling properties and their physico-chemical properties, which are represented as grain size distribution, mineralogical composition, and percentage oj organic contents. Experimental results of physico-chemical property tests show that Shihwa Lake sediments are relatively large in average grain $size(74\mu m)$ contain very small organic $material(6\%)$, and are dominantly composed of Quarts, which has relatively low cohesion. Thus, Shihwa Lake sediments might be specified as those whose settling properties are more influenced by gravity than cohesion. It is concluded that the magnitude of settling velocities of muddy sediments can be quite different, regionally, and it implies that field or laboratory experiments for settling velocity measurement should be preceded over the numerical modeling of muddy sediment transport, in order to obtain the reliable prediction results for a given specific site.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.450-458
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• 2016

High performance small and mid-sized tractors are required for dryland and orchard operations. A power transmission system is the most important issue for the design of high performance tractors. Many operations, such as loading and lifting, use hydraulic power. In the present study, a hydraulic power transmission system for the 3-point hitch of a 50 kW narrow tractor was developed and its performance was evaluated. First, major components were designed based on target design parameters. Target operations were spraying, weeding, and transportation. Main design parameters were determined through mathematical calculation and computer simulation. The capacity of the hydraulic cylinder was calculated taking the lifting force required for the weight of the implements into consideration. Then, a prototype was fabricated. Major components were the lifting valve, hydraulic cylinder, and 3-point hitch. Finally, performance was evaluated through laboratory tests. Tests were conducted using load weights, lift arm sensor, and lift arm height from the ground. Test results showed that the lifting force was in the range of 23.5 - 29.4 kN. This force was greater than lifting forces of competing foreign tractors by 3.9 - 4.9 kN. These results satisfied the design target value of 20.6 kN, determined by survey of advanced foreign products. The prototype will be commercialized after revision based on various field tests. Improvement of reliability should be also achieved.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.120-129
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• 2002

Natural cavitied were found at shallow depth during construction of a huge bridge in Cambro-Ordovician Limestone Basin in the central part or Korea. The distribution patterns of cavities in this area were investigated carefully with a supplementary field job such as a structural geological survey, a geophysical survey, and a rock mechanical test in laboratory or field. A structural geological mapping produced a detail geological map focusing the route of the Proposed highway. It suggested that there were three faults in this wet and these faults had an influence on the mechanism of natural cavities. Among many kinds of geophysical surveys, an electrical resistivity prospecting was applied first on the specific area that was selected by results from the geological survey. Many evidences far cavities were disclosed from this geophysical data. Therefore, a seismic tomography was tested on the target wet which was focused by results from the electrical resistivity Prospecting and was believed to have several large cavities. A distinct element numerical simulation using the UDEC was followed on the target area after completing all of field surveys. Data from field tests were directly dumped or extrapolated to numerical simulations as input data. It was verified from numerical analysis that several natural cavities underneath the foundation of the bridge should be reinforced Based on the project result, finally, most of fecundations far the bridge were re-examined and the cement grouting reinforcement was constructed on several foundations among them.