• International Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2014

In this study, an investigation on mechanical properties of flax natural fiber composite is performed as a precedent study on the design of eco-friendly structure using flax natural fiber composite. The Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding-Light (VARTML) manufacturing method is adopted for manufacturing the flax fiber composite panel. The VARTML is a manufacturing process that the resin is injected into the dry layered -up fibers enclosed by a rigid mold tool under vacuum. In this work, the resin flow analysis of VARTM manufacturing method is performed. A series of flax composite panels are manufactured, and several kinds of specimens cut out from the panels are tested to obtain mechanical performance data. Based on this, structural design of chemical storage tank for agricultural vehicle was performed using flax/vinyl ester. After structural design and analysis, the resin flow analysis of VARTM manufacturing method was performed.

• Advanced Composite Materials
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.167-185
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• 2009

Environmental problems caused by extensive use of polymeric materials arise mainly due to lack of landfill space and depletion of finite natural resources of fossil raw materials like petroleum or natural gas. The substitution of synthetic petroleum-based resins with natural biodegradable resins appears to be one appropriate measure to remedy the above-mentioned situation. This study presents the development of a composite that uses environmentally degradable starch-based resin as matrix and natural mineral basalt fibres as reinforcement, and investigates the fibre's and the composite's mechanical properties. The tensile strength of single basalt fibres was verified by means of single fibre tensile tests and statistically investigated by means of a Weibull analysis. Prepreg sheets were manufactured by means of a modified doctor blade system and hot power press. The sheets were used to manufacture specimens with fibre volume contents ranging from 33% to 61%. Specimens were tested for tensile strength, flexural strength and interlaminar shear strength. Composites manufactured during this study exhibited tensile and flexural strength of up to 517 MPa and 157 MPa, respectively.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.209-231
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• 2020

In order to evaluate the performance of three heuristic optimization algorithms, namely, simulated annealing (SA), genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) for optimal stacking sequence of laminated composite plates with respect to critical buckling load and non-dimensional natural frequencies, a multi-objective optimization procedure is developed using the weighted summation method. Classical lamination theory and first order shear deformation theory are employed for critical buckling load and natural frequency computations respectively. The analytical critical buckling load and finite element calculation schemes for natural frequencies are validated through the results obtained from literature. The comparative study takes into consideration solution and computational time parameters of the three algorithms in the statistical evaluation scheme. The results indicate that particle swarm optimization (PSO) considerably outperforms the remaining two methods for the special problem considered in the study.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.342-346
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• 2015

Haloacetonitriles (HANs) are nitrogenous disinfection by-products (DBPs) that have been reported to have a higher toxicity than the other groups of DBPs. The adsorption process is mostly used to remove HANs in aqueous solutions. Functionalized composite materials tend to be effective adsorbents due to their hydrophobicity and specific adsorptive mechanism. In this study, the removal of dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN) from tap water by adsorption on thiol-functionalized mesoporous composites made from natural rubber (NR) and hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS-SH) was investigated. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results revealed that the thiol group of NR/HMS was covered with NR molecules. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated an expansion of the hexagonal unit cell. Adsorption kinetic and isotherm models were used to determine the adsorption mechanisms and the experiments revealed that NR/HMS-SH had a higher DCAN adsorption capacity than powered activated carbon (PAC). NR/HMS-SH adsorption reached equilibrium after 12 hours and its adsorption kinetics fit well with a pseudo-second-order model. A linear model was found to fit well with the DCAN adsorption isotherm at a low concentration level.

• Composites Research
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.277-284
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• 2015

This paper presents a method to detect the fiber property variation of laminated GFRP plates from natural frequency response data. The combined finite element analysis using ABAQUS and the inverse algorithm described in this paper may allow us not only to detect the deteriorated elements from the mirco-mechanical point of view but also to find their numbers, locations, and the extent of damage. To solve the inverse problem using the combined method, this study uses several natural frequencies instead of mode shapes in a structure as the measured data. Several numerical results show that the proposed system is computationally efficient in identifying fiber stiffness degradation for complex structures such as composites with various layup sequences.

• Composites Research
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.291-296
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• 2015

In this study, structural design and analysis of the automobile bonnet is performed. The flax/vinly ester composite material is applied for structural design. The Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding-Light (VARTML) manufacturing method is adopted for manufacturing the flax fiber composite bonnet. The VARTML is a manufacturing process that the resin is injected into the fly layered-up fibers enclosed by a rigid mold tool under vacuum. A series of flax/vinyl ester composite panels are manufactured, and several kinds of specimens cut out from the panels are tested to obtain mechanical performance data. Based on this, structural design of the automobile bonnet is performed.

• Composites Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.46-51
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• 2015

In this study, structural design and analysis of the automobile bonnet is performed. The flax/vinly ester composite material is applied for structural design. The Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding-Light (VARTML) manufacturing method is adopted for manufacturing the flax fiber composite bonnet. The VARTML is a manufacturing process that the resin is injected into the fly layered-up fibers enclosed by a rigid mold tool under vacuum. A series of flax/vinyl ester composite panels are manufactured, and several kinds of specimens cut out from the panels are tested to obtain mechanical performance data. Based on this, structural design of the automobile bonnet is performed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.471-478
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• 2016

This paper describes a method to design a lightweight modular bridge for a railway infrastructure system. A lightweight design was achieved using the material selection method. Aluminum extrusions and honeycomb sandwich composites were selected as the best materials to reduce the weight of the upper structure of a conventional modular bridge made of carbon-steel material. The structural integrity of the lightweight modular bridge was evaluated under vertical and wind loads. The twisting and bending natural frequencies were also evaluated to investigate its dynamic characteristics. The results showed that the structural integrity and natural frequencies of the lightweight modular bridge, made of aluminum extrusion and sandwich composites, satisfied the design requirements. Moreover, it was found that the weight of the conventional modular bridge made of carbon steel could be reduced by a maximum of 47% using lightweight materials.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.62-67
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• 2008

Biocomposite was fabricated with biodegradable polymer and natural fiber that has potential to be used as replacement for glass fiber reinforced polymer composite with the benefits of low cost, low density, acceptable specific strength, biodegradability, etc. Until now, mostly natural cellulosic fibers on land have been used as reinforcement for biocomposite. The present study focused on investigating the fabrication and the characterization of biocomposite reinforced with red algae fibers from the sea. The bleached red algae fiber (BRAF) showed very similar crystallinity to the wood cellulose. It has high stability against thermal degradation (maximum thermal decomposition temperature of 359.3$^{\circ}C$) and thermal expansion. Biocomposites reinforced with BRAF have been fabricated by a compression molding method and their mechanical and thermal properties have been studied. The storage modulus and the thermomechanical stability of PBS (polybuthylenesuccinate) matrix are markedly improved by reinforcing with the BRAF. These results indicate that red algae fiber can be used as an excellent reinforcement of biocomposites, which are sometimes called as "green-composites" or "eco-composites".

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.803-812
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• 2019

Triplex composite is an epoxy-bonded joint structure, which constitutes the secondary barrier in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier. Defects in the triplex composite weaken its shear strength and may cause leakage of the LNG, thus compromising the structural integrity of the LNG carrier. This paper proposes an autonomous triplex composite inspection (ATCI) system for visualizing and classifying hidden defects in the triplex composite installed inside an LNG carrier. First, heat energy is generated on the surface of the triplex composite using halogen lamps, and the corresponding heat response is measured by an infrared (IR) camera. Next, the region of interest (ROI) is traced and noise components are removed to minimize false indications of defects. After a defect is identified, it is classified as internal void or uncured adhesive and its size and shape are quantified and visualized, respectively. The proposed ATCI system allows the fully automated and contactless detection, classification, and quantification of hidden defects inside the triplex composite. The effectiveness of the proposed ATCI system is validated using the data obtained from actual triplex composite installed in an LNG carrier membrane system.