• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.95-108
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• 2023

Soft soil ground is a crucial factor limiting the development of the construction of transportation infrastructure in coastal areas. Soft soil is characterized by low strength, low permeability and high compressibility. However, the ordinary treatment method uses Portland cement to solidify the soft soil, which has low early strength and requires a long curing time. Microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is an emerging method to address geo-environmental problems associated with geotechnical materials. In this study, a method of bio-cementitious mortars consisting of MICP and cement was proposed to stabilize the soft soil. A series of laboratory tests were conducted on MICP-treated and cement-MICP-treated (C-MICP-treated) soft soils to improve mechanical properties. Microscale observations were also undertaken to reveal the underlying mechanism of cement-soil treated by MICP. The results showed that cohesion and internal friction angles of MICP-treated soft soil were greater than those of remolded soft soil. The UCS, elastic modulus and toughness of C-MICP-treated soft soil with high moisture content (50%, 60%, 70%, 80%) were improved compared to traditional cement-soil. A remarkable difference was observed that the MICP process mainly played a role in the early curing stage (i.e., within 14 days) while cement hydration continued during the whole process. Micro-characterization revealed that the calcium carbonate filling the pores enhanced the soft soil.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.215-231
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• 2011

As a brittle and heterogeneous material, concrete behaves differently under different stress conditions and its bulk strength is loading rate dependent. To a large extent, the varying behavioural properties of concrete can be explained by the mechanical failure processes at a mesoscopic level. The development of a computational mesoscale model in a general finite element environment, as presented in the preceding companion paper (Part 1), makes it possible to investigate into the underlying mechanisms governing the bulk-scale behaviour of concrete under a variety of loading conditions and to characterise the variation in quantitative terms. In this paper, we first present a series of parametric studies on the behaviour of concrete material under quasi-static compression and tension conditions. The loading-face friction effect, the possible influences of the non-homogeneity within the mortar and ITZ phases, and the effect of randomness of coarse aggregates are examined. The mesoscale model is then applied to analyze the dynamic behaviour of concrete under high rate loading conditions. The potential contribution of the mesoscopic heterogeneity towards the generally recognized rate enhancement of the material compressive strength is discussed.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.413-422
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• 2020

The choice of eco-friendly materials for ground improvement is a necessary way forward for sustainable development. Adapting naturally available biopolymers will render the process of soil stabilization carbon neutral. An attempt has been made to use β-glucan, a natural biopolymer for the stabilization of lean clay as a sustainable alternative with specific emphasis on comprehending the effect of confining stresses on lean clay through triaxial compression tests. A sequence of laboratory experiments was performed to examine the various physical and mechanical characteristics of β-glucan treated soil (BGTS). Micro-analysis through micrographs were used to understand the strengthening mechanism. Results of the study show that the deviatoric stress of 2% BGTS is 12 times higher than untreated soil (UTS). The micrographs from Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and the results of the Nitrogen-based Brunauer Emmett Teller (N₂-BET) analysis confirm the formation of new cementitious fibres and hydrogels within the soil matrix that tends to weld soil particles and reduce the pore spaces leading to an increase in strength. Hydraulic conductivity (HC) and compressibility reduced significantly with the biopolymer content and curing period. Results emphases that β-glucan is an efficient and sustainable alternative to the traditional stabilizers like cement, lime or bitumen.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.43 no.3 s.286
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• pp.193-197
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• 2006

Symmetric three-layer $Al_2O_3/ZrO_2$ composite has been prepared by freeze casting and pressureless sintering at $1400-1600^{\circ}C$ in air. The layered material sintered at $1600^{\circ}C$ showed the maximum fracture strength (410 MPa), measured by a four-point bending test. Contact damage strength was superior in three-layer composite compared with corresponding mono-layered material, possibly due to the development of relatively large compressive stress. The grain growth of $ZrO_2$ particles was mainly governed by coalescence mechanism.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2009.09a
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• pp.899-904
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• 2009

This paper presents the analysis result of load-transfer mechanism and pile movements associated with the development of frictional resistance to understand the engineering characteristics of micropile behavior. An field load tests were performed for two different types of micropiles and they are (i) thread bar reinforcement with D=50mm and (ii) hollow steel pipe reinforcement with $D_{out}$=82.5mm and $D_{in}$=60.5mm and wrapped with woven geotextile for post-grouting. The load test results indicated that micropiling with pressured grouting provided better load-transfer characteristics than micropiling with gravity grouting under both compressive and tensile loading conditions in that unit skin frictional resistance is well distributed along installation depth. The unit weight and unconfined compressive strength of cured grout were obtained for each piling method. The strength and unit weight of micropile with pressured grouting was higher than those with gravity grouting. The fact that load bearing quality with pressured grouting is better than that of gravity grouting could be attributed to the dense mutual adhesion between surrounding ground and pile due to pressurized grouting method and better grout quality.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.41-49
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• 2011

A long-span (more than 8m) plastic greenhouse is currently being used in farms due to its magnified benefits, such as the convenience of the farming equipment used, and the land usage efficiency. In this study, the reinforcing effects of the use of a pretension tie were shown. In a previous study, tests for a 6.5m single-span-type greenhouse announced by Rural Development Administration were carried out. The tests of symmetric and eccentrics now loading by the sun and wind were conducted for the 10.2m span with a ${\phi}48.1{\times}2.1$ section in this study, after which the load-deflection relationship was compared for the cases of reinforcement with a tie and without a tie. The results of the symmetric snow loading test showed that the strength increased by 68~93% in the case of the specimen with a tied arch. The failure mode of the specimen without a tie tended to be that with a sway failure mechanism, and that of the reinforcement specimens with a tie tended to be that with an arch buckling mechanism. The results of the eccentric snow loading test showed that the strength of the specimen with a tie increased by 10~20% compared to that of the specimen without a tie. For the failure mode of the latter, a combined failure mechanism was adapted, although the failure mode of the tied specimens tended to be that with an arch buckling mechanism.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.145-151
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• 2014

Recently, the growing demand for weight reduction and improved structure durabilityfor commercial vehicles has led to active research into the development and application of suitablecomposite materials. This studysuggests abimaterial composite frame produced by apultrusion process to replace steel frames. We focused on the development of a composite frameconsisting of two types of materialsby mixing anorthotropic material with anisotropic material. The inside layer consisted of an aluminum pipe, and the outside layer was composed of a glass fiber pipe. To determine the strength and failure mechanisms of the composite material, tensile tests, shear tests, and three-point bending tests were conducted, followed by fatigue tests. After static testing, the fatigue tests were conducted at a load frequency of 5 Hz, a stress ratio (R) of 0.1, and an endurance limit of $10^6$ for the S-N curve. The resultsshowed that the failure modes were related to both the core design and the laminating conditions.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.295-312
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• 2001

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new type of steel reinforced concrete (SRC) beam-column joints and to examine the structural performance of the proposed joints, which simplify the construction procedure of steel fabrication, welding works, concrete casting and joint strengthening. In the proposed beam-column joints, the steel element of columns forms continuously built-in crossing of H-sections (${\Box}$), with adjacent flanges of column being connected by horizontal stiffeners in a joint at the level of the beam flanges. In addition, simplified lateral reinforcement (${\Box}$) is adopted in a joint to confine the longitudinal reinforcing bars in columns. Experimental and analytical studies have been carried out to estimate the structural performance of the proposed joints. Twelve cruciform specimens and seven SRC beam-column subassemblage specimens were prepared and tested. The following can be concluded from this study: (1) SRC subassemblages with the proposed beam-column joints show adequate seismic performances which are superior to the demand of the current code; (2) The yield and ultimate strength capacities of the beam-to-column connections can be estimated by analysis based on the yield line theory; (3) The skeleton curves and the ultimate shear capacities of the beam-column joint panel are predicted with a fair degree of accuracy by considering a simple stress transfer mechanism.

• Journal of Institute of Convergence Technology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.20-24
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• 2012

In this paper, we perform a ANSYS simulation of assembly structure composed of three parts, bolt, nut, and coil spring, under the loading of a screw torque 640~800 ($N{\cdot}m$) derived from the given bolt tensile strength 10.9, which allows us to investigate a lock-nut mechanism for the prevention of bolt-loosening after three parts are fastened. And also we investigate the safety factor of each component with effective stress distribution obtained from the simulation, which enables us to estimate the structural safety of a new lock-nut structure. Both simulation and investigation shown in this paper will contribute to the development of a new lock nut structure.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.484-491
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• 2002

We developed a new type of human-sized BWR (biped walking robot) driven by a new actuator based on the ball screw which has high strength and high gear ratio. Each leg of the robot is composed of three pitch joints and one roll joint. In all, a 10 degree-of-freedom robot with two balancing joints was developed. A new type of actuator for the robot is proposed, which is composed of four bar link mechanism driven by the ball screw. The robot overcomes the limit of the driving torque of conventional BWRs. The BWR was designed to walk autonomously by adapting small DC motors for the robot actuators and has a space to board DC battery and controllers. In the performance test, the BWR performed sitting-up and down motion, and walking motion. Through the test, we found the possibility of a high performance biped-walking.