• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.30 no.4 s.247
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• pp.350-357
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• 2006

A new valveless micropump for bi-directional application has been developed and tested. The micropump was fabricated on silicon and glass substrates by micromachining process. The micropump in this study consists of a membrane actuator, a pumping chamber, fluidic channels and two piezoelectric ceramic films. The channels and pumping chamber were etched on a glass wafer and the membrane was made on a silion wafer which is actuated by a piezoelectric ceramic (PZT) film. The geometry of the micropump was optimized by numerical analysis and the performance of the micropump was investigated by the experiments. The maximum flow rate was $323{\mu}L/min$ and the maximum back pressure was 294 Pa when the membrane actuator of $10{\times}10mm^2$ was driven at 130 Hz and 385 V.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2005.07c
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• pp.2372-2373
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• 2005

The design of a piezoelectric actuator for micro droplet ejecting system has bee studied. The actuator has been evaluated by using commercial FEM package and its displacement are measured by LDV(Laser Doppler Vibrometer). The characteristics of the actuator are evaluated with varation in a ratio of width of PZT to that of membrane and thickness ratio of PZT to membrane.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.91-98
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• 2006

The thermomechanical behaviors of SMA thin film actuator and their application are investigated. The numerical algorithm of the 2-D SMA thermomechanical constitutive equation is developed and implemented into the ABAQUS finite element program by using the user defined material (UMAT) subroutine. To verify the numerical algorithm of SMAs, the results are compared with experimental data. For the application of SMA thin film actuator, the methodology to maintain the precise configuration of inflatable membrane structure is demonstrated.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.142-148
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• 2004

This paper presents the enhancement of oxygen transfer efficiency using vibrating intravascular lung assist device (VIVLAD) for patients having chronic respiratory problems. The flow rate was controlled by the pump and monitored by a built-in flow meter. The vibration apparatus was composed of a piezo-actuator, a function generator, and a power amplifier. Gas flow rates of up to 6 L/min through the 120-cm-long hollow fibers have been achieved by exciting a piezo-actuator. The output PVDF sensor and FRF (frequency response function) were investigated by various frequency in VIVLAD. As a result, the maximum oxygen transfer rate was found to occur with maximum amplitude and the transfer of vibration to the hollow fiber membranes. It was excited by the frequency band of 35 Hz at various distilled water flow rates, and various module types.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.374-375
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• 2008

In this study, the nano-composite actuator based on Fullerene and Nafion was newly developed to improve the electro active polymer actuators. The tensile test was employed to define the mechanical stiffness and strength of the nano-composite membrane. Also, the bending displacement of the Fullerene-Nafion based nano-composite actuator was investigated under DC and AC excitations with various magnitudes and frequencies. As a result, the new nano-composite actuator based on Fullerene-Nafion shows much larger deformation than the pure Nafion based actuator and solves the straightening back Problem of the previous electro active polymer actuators.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.233-238
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• 2003

A brand-new micro actuator is introduced in this paper. This device is one of thermo-pneumatic actuators, and based on two distinct principles of snap-through buckling and phase change. These coupled phenomena affect each other positively and will outrun the performance of an ordinary thermo-pneumatic actuator. Our efforts are focused on comprehensive analysis on the driving force of the actuator. For the analysis, we explain each principle and offer approximated models for the buckling and phase change. The calculation results from each model are compared to experimental data. The comparison between prediction from models and data from experiments is within the satisfaction in spite of a lot of approximations.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers C
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.307-313
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• 2001

A micro syringe which can be attached to the end of a micro intravascular endoscope for drug injection is fabricated and its characteristic is tested. The syringe consists of a drug chamber and an actuator chamber which are separated by a silicone rubber membrane. The drug chamber is filled with liquid drug by the membrance actuation caused by the vaporization and condensation of the working liquid in the actuator chamber. The liquid drug is ejected by the electrolysis of the working liquid. The membrane deflection by each actuation method has been measured. The liquid ejection image has been captured during the electrolysis of the electrolyte. Also, the successful operation of the micro syringe under the normal blood pressure was verified.

• Ceramist
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.16-26
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• 2020

Recently, polymer-metal composite (IPMC)-based ionic artificial muscle has been drawing a huge attention for its excellent soft actuator performance having outstanding soft actuator performance with efficient conversion of electrical energy to mechanical energy under low working voltage. In addition, light, flexible and soft nature of IPMC and high bending strain response enabled development of versatile sensor application in association with soft actuator. In this paper, current issues of IPMC were discussed including standardizing preparation steps, relaxation under DC bias, inhibiting solvent evaporation, and improving poor output force. Solutions for these drawbacks of IPMC have recently been suggested in recent studies. After following explanation of the IPMC working mechanism, we investigate the main factors that affect the operating performance of the IPMC. Then, we reviewed the optimized IPMC actuator fabrication conditions especially for the preparation process, additive selection for a thicker membrane, water content, solvent substitutes, encapsulation, etc. Lastly, we considered the pros and cons of IPMCs for sensor application in a theoretical and experimental point of view. The strategies discussed in this paper to overcome such deficiencies of IPMCs are highly expected to provide a scope for IPMC utilization in soft robotics application.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.298-302
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• 2002

Equivalent volume estimation of the coupler and two coupled microphones has a key role in standard microphone pressure calibration. The equivalent volume of the microphone is determined by the dynamic characteristics of the diaphragm system and front cavity. Therefore the modal parameters of diaphragm system - natural frequency and damping fatter - should be measured explicitly for the estimation of the equivalent volume. The diaphragm system is composed of the vibrating diaphragm, back slit behind diaphragm, pressure equalization vent, and front cavity which are acoustically coupled. In the measurement, the electrostatic actuator was used to excite the system with the swept sine, and the frequency response was obtained. The close actuator in front of the diaphragm must influence the radiation impedance of the system, and then the modal parameters. From the measured frequency response, the natural frequency and the damping factor could be estimated with the Complex exponential method based on the Prony model and the zero crossing real and imaginary plot.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.527-532
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• 2005

Ionic polymer metal composites (IPMC) are soft polymeric smart materials having large displacement at low voltage in air and water. The polymeric electrolyte actuator consists of a thin and porous membrane and metal electrodes plated on both faces, in impregnation electro-plating method. The response and actuation of actuator are governed. Among many factors governing the activation and response of IPMC actuator, the surface electrode plays an important role. In this study, the well-designed modification of electrode surface was carried out in order to improve the chemical stability well as electromechanical characteristics of the IPMC actuator. We employed Ion Beam Assisted Deposition (IBAD) method to prepare the topologically homogeneous thin surface electrode. After roughing the surface of Nafion membrane in order to get a larger surface area, the IPMC was prepared by impregnation for electro-plating and re- coating on the surface through traditional chemical deposition, followed by an additional surface treatment with high conductive metals with IBAD. It was observed that our IPMC specimen shows the enhanced surface electrical properties as well as the improved actuation and response characteristics under applied electric field.