• Computers and Concrete
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.11-23
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• 2019

Nowadays, the characterization of Ultra-High Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) tensile behavior still remains a challenge for researchers. For this purpose, a simplified closed-form non-linear hinge model based on the Third Point Bending Test (ThirdPBT) was developed by the authors. This model has been used as the basis of a simplified inverse analysis methodology to derive the tensile material properties from load-deflection response obtained from ThirdPBT experimental tests. In this paper, a non-linear finite element model (FEM) is presented with the objective of validate the closed-form non-linear hinge model. The state determination of the closed-form model is straightforward, which facilitates further inverse analysis methodologies to derive the tensile properties of UHPFRC. The accuracy of the closed-form non-linear hinge model is validated by a robust non-linear FEM analysis and a set of 15 Third-Point Bending tests with variable depths and a constant slenderness ratio of 4.5. The numerical validation shows excellent results in terms of load-deflection response, bending curvatures and average longitudinal strains when resorting to the discrete crack approach.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.317-321
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• 2019

We investigated the characteristics of nano crystalline silicon(nc-Si) thin-film solar cells on graphite substrates. Amorphous silicon(a-Si) thin-film solar cells on graphite plates show low conversion efficiency due to high surface roughness, and many recombination by dangling bonds. In previous studies, we deposited barrier films by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition(PECVD) on graphite plate to reduce surface roughness and achieved ~7.8 % cell efficiency. In this study, we fabricated nc-Si thin film solar cell on graphite in order to increase the efficiency of solar cells. We achieved 8.45 % efficiency on graphite plate and applied this to nc-Si on graphite sheet for flexible solar cell applications. The characterization of the cell is performed with external quantum efficiency(EQE) and current density-voltage measurements(J-V). As a result, we obtain ~8.42 % cell efficiency in a flexible solar cell fabricated on a graphite sheet, which performance is similar to that of cells fabricated on graphite plates.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.139-145
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• 2022

Development in advanced separation processes leads to the significant advancement in polymeric membrane preparation methodology. Therefore, present research investigated the preparation and characterization of cellulose acetate membrane by phase inversion separation method to determine optimized operating parameters. Prepared CA membrane's performance was been analyzed in terms of % rejection and flux. Investigation was conducted to study effect of different parameters such as polymer concentration, evaporation rate, thickness of film, coagulation bath properties, temperature of polymer solution and of the coagulation bath etc. CA membrane was fabricated by taking polymer concentration 10wt% and 11wt% with zero second evaporation time and varying film thickness over non-woven polyester fabric. Effect of coagulation bath temperature (CBT) and casting solution temperature were also been studied. The experimental results from SEM showed that the surface morphology had been changed with polymer r concentration, coagulation bath and casting solution temperature, etc. Lower polymer concentration leads to lower precipitation time giving porous membrane. The prepared membrane was tested for advanced waste water treatment of relevant effluent stream in pilot plant to study flux and rejection behavior of the membrane.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.23-41
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• 2023

Coupled thermo-hydraulic-mechanical (THM) processes are essential for the long-term performance of deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste. In this study, a numerical sensitivity analysis was performed to analyze the effect of rock properties on THM responses after the execution of the heater test at the Kamaishi mine in Japan. The TOUGH-FLAC simulator was applied for the numerical simulation assuming a continuum model for coupled THM analysis. The rock properties included in the sensitivity study were the Young's modulus, permeability, thermal conductivity, and thermal expansion coefficients of crystalline rock, rock salt, and clay. The responses, i.e., temperature, water content, displacement, and stress, were measured at monitoring points in the buffer and near-field rock mass during the simulations. The thermal conductivity had an overarching impact on THM responses. The influence of Young's modulus was evident in the mechanical behavior, whereas that of permeability was noticed through the change in the temperature and water content. The difference in the THM responses of the three rock type models implies the importance of the appropriate characterization of rock mass properties with regard to the performance assessment of the deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.1468-1475
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• 2023

Enhancement of wear resistance of components used in fast reactors is necessary for long service life of the components. Plasma nitriding is a promising surface modification technology to impart high hardness and improved wear resistance of various steel components. This study discusses the characterization of chrome nitrided SS316L casing ring used in secondary sodium pump of fast breeder reactor and its stability under long term sodium exposure. Microstructural and hardness analysis showed that stress relieved component could be chrome nitrided successfully to a thickness of about 100 ㎛. Assessment of in-sodium performance of the chrome nitrided casing ring subjected to long term exposure up to 5000h at 550℃, showed retention of chrome nitrided layer with a case depth almost similar to that before sodium exposure. A slight decrease in the hardness was observed due to prolonged high temperature sodium exposure. Tribological studies indicate very low coefficient of friction indicating the retention of good wear resistance of the coating even after long term sodium exposure.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.85-90
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• 2024

Background: This study focuses on the fabrication and characterization of quasi-hemispherical Cd_0.9Zn_0.1Te (CZT) detector for gamma-ray spectroscopy applications, aiming to contribute to advancements in radiation measurement and research. Materials and Methods: A CZT ingot was grown using the vertical Bridgman technique, followed by proper fabrication processes including wafering, polishing, chemical etching, electrode deposition, and passivation. Response properties were evaluated under various external bias voltages using gamma-ray sources such as Co-57, Ba-133, and Cs-137. Results and Discussion: The fabricated quasi-hemispherical CZT detector demonstrated sufficient response properties across a wide range of gamma-ray energies, with sufficient energy resolution and peak distinguishability. Higher external bias voltages led to improved performance in terms of energy resolution and peak shape. However, further improvements in defect properties are necessary to enhance detector performance under low bias conditions. Conclusion: This study underscores the efficacy of quasi-hemispherical CZT detector for gamma-ray spectroscopy, providing valuable insights for enhancing their capabilities in radiation research field.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.34-42
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• 2012

Gas diffusion layers (GDLs) of carbon composite type in polymer electrolyte fuel cells were prepared by simple and cheap manufacturing process. To obtain the carbon composite GDLs, carbon black with polymer binder was mixed in solvent, rolled to make sheet, and finally heat-treated at $340^{\circ}C$. The performance of fuel cell using composite GDLs was changed by PTFE content. The physical properties of composite GDLs for pore, conductivity and air permeability were analyzed to compare with the variation of fuel cell performance. The conductivity of composite GDLs was very similar to carbon paper as commercial GDL but pore properties and air flux were considerably different. The porosity, PTFE content and conductivity for composite GDLs did not have an influence on the cell performance much. The increase of pore diameter and air flux led to enhance cell performance.

• Journal of Communications and Networks
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.52-66
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• 2010

Since large objects consume substantial resources, web proxy caching incurs a fundamental trade-off between performance (i.e., hit-ratio and latency) and overhead (i.e., resource usage), in terms of caching and relaying large objects to users. This paper investigates how and to what extent the current dedicated-server based web proxy caching scheme is affected by large file transfers in a high bandwidth campus network environment. We use a series of trace-based performance analyses and profiling of various resource components in our experimental squid proxy cache server. Large file transfers often overwhelm our cache server. This causes a bottleneck in a web network, by saturating the network bandwidth of the cache server. Due to the requests for large objects, response times required for delivery of concurrently requested small objects increase, by a factor as high as a few million, in the worst cases. We argue that this cache bandwidth bottleneck problem is due to the fundamental limitations of the current centralized web proxy caching model that scales poorly when there are a limited amount of dedicated resources. This is a serious threat to the viability of the current web proxy caching model, particularly in a high bandwidth access network, since it leads to sporadic disconnections of the downstream access network from the global web network. We propose a peer-to-peer cooperative web caching scheme to address the cache bandwidth bottleneck problem. We show that it performs the task of caching and delivery of large objects in an efficient and cost-effective manner, without generating significant overheads for participating peers.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.83-91
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• 2014

In this study, we synthesized two different silica monoliths by using sol-gel, solvent exchange, surface modification, ambient pressure drying processes, and surfactant-based templating technique followed by calcination process. All of the prepared two silica monoliths showed crack-free appearance with fairly good transparency, and furthermore were confirmed to have extremely high porosity, specific surface area, and mean pore size below 30 nm. The silica aerogel sample exhibited finer and more homogeneous nano-sized pore structure due to spring back effect caused by surface modification, which resulted in better thermal insulation performance. Based on measured thermal conductivities and theoretical relationship, multi-layered glass window system in which silica monolith prepared in this study was inserted as a middle layer was revealed to have superior thermal insulation performance compared to conventional air-inserted glass window system.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.112-117
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• 2006

In this paper we present that the effects of polymer adsorption on stabilities and CMP performance of ceria abrasive particles. Characterization of ceria abrasive particles in the presence of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) was performed by the measurements of adsorbed amounts of PVP, average sizes, and the back scattering intensities of the ceria abrasive particles as functions of PVP molecular weight and PVP concentration. The ceria abrasive particles in the presence of PVP were used to polish $SiO_2\;and\;Si_3N_4$ films deposited on Si wafers in order to understand the effect of PVP adsorption on chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) performance, together with ceria abrasive particles without PVP. Adsorption of PVP on the ceria abrasive particles enhanced the stability of ceria abrasive particles due to steric stabilization of the thick adsorbed layer of PVP. Removal rates of the deposited $SiO_2\;and\;Si_3N_4$ films by the ceria abrasive particles in the presence of PVP were much lower than those in the absence of PVP and their magnitudes were decreased with an increase in the concentration of free PVP chains in the dispersion media. This suggests that the CMP performance in the presence of PVP could be mainly controlled by the hydrodynamic interactions between the adsorbed PVP chains and the free ones. Moreover, the molecular weight dependence of PVP on the removal rates of the deposited films was hardly observed. On the other hand, high removal rate selectivity between the deposited films in the presence of PVP was not observed.