• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.173-178
• /
• 2010

A privately held, third generation family owned company, Boom Technologies, Inc. (BTI), a provider of products and services to the electric utility, telecommunications and contractor markets, continues to make progress in exporting. Although export sales only equaled 5% of total revenue in 2008, BTI has an entire export division. Their export division's Managing Director reveals the trial and errors of a privately held company and their quest for success overseas. From its inception, BTI has always believed its greatest asset is its employees. When export sales struggled due to lack of strategy and direction, BTI hired a Managing Director for its export division. With leadership and guidance from BTI's president and from the Managing Director, they utilized the department's skills and knowledge. Structural changes were made to expand their market presence abroad and increase export sales. As a result, export sales increased four-fold, area managers in new countries were added and distribution networks were successfully cultivated. At times, revenue generation was difficult to determine due to the structure of the company. Therefore, in 1996, the export division was restructured as a limited liability company. This allowed the company to improve the tracking of revenue and expenses. Originally, 80% of BTI's export sales came from two countries; therefore, the initial approach to selling overseas was not reaching their anticipated goals of expanding their foreign market presence. However, changes were made and now the company manages the details of selling to over 80 countries. There were three major export expansion challenges noted by the Managing Director: 1. Product and Shipping - The major obstacle for BTI was product assembly. Originally, the majority of the product was assembled in the United States, which increased shipping and packaging costs. With so many parts specified in the order, many times the order would arrive with parts missing. The missing parts could equate to tens of thousands of dollars. Shipping these missing parts separately in another shipment also cost tens of thousands of dollar, plus a delivery delay time of six to eight weeks; all of which came out of the BTI's pockets. 2. Product Adaptation - Safety and product standards varied widely for each of the 80 countries to which BTI exported. Weights, special licenses, product specification requirements, measurement systems, and truck stability can all differ from country to country and can serve as a type of barrier to entry, making it difficult to adapt products accordingly. Technical and safety standards are barriers that serve as a type of protection for the local industry and can stand in the way of successfully pursuing foreign markets. 3. Marketing Challenges - The importance of distribution creates many challenges for BTI as they attempt to determine how each country prefers to operate with regard to their distribution systems. Some countries have competition from a small competitor that only produces one competing product; whereas BTI manufactures over 100 products. Marketing material is another concern for BTI as they attempt to push marketing costs to the distributors. Adapting the marketing material can be costly in terms of translation and cultural differences. In addition, the size of paper in the United States differs from those in some countries, causing many problems when attempting to copy the same layout and With distribution being one of several challenges for BTI, the company claims their distribution network is one of their competitive advantages, as the location and names of their distributors are not revealed. In addition, BTI rotates two offerings yearly: training to their distributors one year and then the next is a distributor's meeting. With a focus on product and shipping, product adaptation, and marketing challenges, the intricacies of selling overseas takes time and patience. Another competitive advantage noted is BTI's cradle to grave strategy, where they follow the product from sale to its final resting place, whether the truck is leased or purchased new or used. They also offer service and maintenance plans with a detailed cost analysis provided to the company prior to purchasing or leasing the product. Expanding abroad will always create challenges for a company. As the Managing Director stated, "If you don't have patience (in the export business), you better do something else." Knowing how to adapt quickly provides BTI with the skills necessary to adjust to the changing needs of each country and its own unique challenges, allowing them to remain competitive.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.81-85
• /
• 2007

MnTe layers of high crystalline quality were successfully grown on Si(100) : B and Si(111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Under tellurium-rich condition and the substrate temperature around $400^{\circ}C$, a layer thickness of $700{\AA}$ could be easily obtained with the growth rate of $1.1 {\AA}/s$. We investigated the structural, magnetic and transport properties of MnTe layers by using x-ray diffraction (XRD), superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry, and physical properties measurement system (PPMS). Characterization of MnTe layers on Si(100) : B and Si(111) substrates by XRD revealed a hexagonal structure of polycrystals with lattice parameters, ${\alpha}=4.143{\pm}0.001{\AA}\;and\;c=6.707{\pm}0.001{\AA}$. Investigation of magnetic and transport properties of MnTe films showed anomalies unlike antiferromagnetic powder MnTe. The temperature dependence of the magnetization data taken in zero-field-tooling (ZFC) and field-cooling (FC) conditions indicates three magnetic transitions at around 21, 49, and 210 K as well as the great irreversibility between ZFC and FC magnetization in the films. These anomalies are attributable to a magnetic-elastic coupling in the films. Magnetization measurements indicate ferromagnetic behaviour with hysteresis loops at 5 and 300 K for MnTe polycrystalline film. The coercivity ($H_c$) values at 5 and 300 K are 55 and 44 Oe, respectively. In electro-transport measurements, the temperature dependence of resistivity revealed a noticeable semiconducting behaviours and showed conduction via Mott variable range hopping at low temperatures.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.417-428
• /
• 2011

Depending on the plastic deformation capacity required, structural steel design under the current codes can be classified into three categories: elastic, plastic, and seismic design. Most of the current steel codes explicitly forbid the use of a steel material with a yield strength higher than 450 MPa in the plastic design because of the concerns about its low plastic deformation capacity as well as the lack of test data on local and lateral torsional buckling behavior. In this study, flexural tests on full-scale H-shape members built with SM490A (ordinary steel or benchmark material) and HSB800 (high-strength steel) were carried out. The primary objective was to investigate the appropriateness of extrapolating the local buckling criterion of the current codes, which was originally developed for normal-strength steel, to the case of high-strength steel. All the SM490A specimens performed consistently with the current code criteria and exhibited sufficient strength and ductility. The performance of the HSB800 specimens was also very satisfactory from the strength perspective; even the specimens with a noncompact and slender flange developed the plastic moment capacity. The HSB800 specimens, however, showed an inferior plastic rotation capacity due to the premature tensile fracture of the beam bottom flange beneath the vertical stiffener at the loading point. The plastic rotation capacity that was achieved was less than 3 (or the minimum level required for a plastic design). Although the test results in this study indicate that the extrapolation of the current flange local-buckling criterion to the case of high-strength steel is conservative from the elastic design perspective, further testing together with an associated analytical study is required to identify the causes of the tensile fracture and to establish a flange slenderness criterion that is more appropriate for high-strength steel.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.93-103
• /
• 1981

It is well-known that nowadays heat resisting and anti-corrosive materials have been widely used as the components materials of gas turbines, nuclear power plants and engines etc. In the fields of machine production industry. And materials for engine components, like as the exhaust valve of internal combustion engine, have been required to operate under the high temperature range of $700^{\circ}C$-$800^{\circ}C$ and high pressured gas with repeated mechanical load for the high performance of engines. For these components, friction welding for bonding of dissimilar steels can be applied for in order to obtain process shortening, production cost reduction and excellent bonding quality. And age hardening recently has been noticed to the heat resisting materials for further strengthening of high temperature strength, especially high temperature fatigue strength. However, it is difficult to find out any report concerning the effects of age hardening for strengthening high temperature fatigue strength to the Friction welded heat resisting and anti-corrosive materials. In this study the experiment was carried out as the high temperature rotary bending fatigue testing under the condition of $700^{\circ}C$ high temperature to the friction welded domestic heat resisting steels, SUH3-SUS303, which were 10hr., 100hr. aging heat treated at $700^{\circ}C$ after solution treatment 1hr. at $1, 060^{\circ}C$ for the purpose of observing the effects of the high temperature fatigue strength and fatigue fracture behaviors as well as with various mechanical properties of welded joints. The results obtained are summarized as follows: 1) Through mechanical tests and micro-structural examinations, the determined optimum welding conditions, rotating speed 2420 rpm, heating pressure 8kg/mm super(2), upsetting pressure 22kg/mm super(2), the amount of total upset 7mm (heating time 3 sec and upsetting time 2 sec) were satisfied. 2) The solution treated material SUH 3, SUS 303, have the highest inclination gradient on S-N curve due to the high temperature fatigue testing for long time at $700^{\circ}C$. 3) The optimum aging time of friction welded SUH3-SUS 303, has been recognized near the 10hr. at $700^{\circ}C$ after the solution treatment of 1hr. at $1, 060^{\circ}C$. 4) The high temperature fatigue limits of aging treated materials were compared with those of raw material according to the extender of aging time, on 10hr. aging, fatigue limits were increased by SUH 3 75.4%, SUS 303 28.5%, friction welded joints SUH 3-SUS 303 44.2% and 100hr. aging the rates were 64.9%, 30.4% and 36.6% respectively. 5) The fatigue fractures occurred at the side of the base matal SUS303 of the friction welded joints SUH 3-SUS 303 and it is difficult to find out fractures at the friction welding interfaces. 6) The cracking mode of SUS 303, SUH 3-303 is intergranular in any case, but SUH 3 is fractured by transgranular cracking.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.63-70
• /
• 2021

As the government strengthens its policy of separating and discharging packaging materials, consumers are increasingly dissatisfied. In order to increase consumer participation in separate discharge policy of packaging materials, it is necessary to increase the willingness to participate by reducing potential consumer problems such as removal of packaging labels. This study conducted a survey of 300 consumers aged 14 and over who recycle and discharge directly from their homes. Ninety-nine percent of consumers said PET bottles are released separately. However, only 65% of consumers removed labels (attachment labels, shrink labels) and other materials (caps, vinyl coatings, tapes, handles, bases, etc.) during separate discharge process. Nearly 52% of consumers cited 'difficulty of separation' as the main reason for not removing labels and other materials. One-way ANOVA analysis showed that 'strong adhesion', 'removal initiation problem' and 'material strength' had high mean regardless of age, which are major factors impedes label removal. Using shrink labels with perforated lines rather than adhesive labels would be more beneficial to encouraging participation in separate discharge. However, if the shrink labels do not have perforated lines or are difficult to remove, adhesive labels are often easier to remove than shrink labels because of the strong cohesiveness of shrink labels. As a result, how easy it is for consumers to remove the label is more important than technological differences. In order to increase consumer participation in packaging material and label separations, improvements in structural design are needed along with the selection of materials that are easy to separate. This study is meaningful in examining consumer perceptions, deriving problems and suggesting directions for policy improvement.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.587-609
• /
• 2019

Short-and long-term stabilities of bentonite, favored material as buffer in geological repositories for high-level waste were reviewed in this paper in addition to alternative design concepts of buffer to mitigate the thermal load from decay heat of SF (Spent Fuel) and further increase the disposal efficiency. It is generally reported that the irreversible changes in structure, hydraulic behavior, and swelling capacity are produced due to temperature increase and vapor flow between $150{\sim}250^{\circ}C$. Provided that the maximum temperature of bentonite is less than $150^{\circ}C$, however, the effects of temperature on the material, structural, and mineralogical stability seems to be minor. The maximum temperature in disposal system will constrain and determine the amount of waste to be disposed per unit area and be regarded as an important design parameter influencing the availability of disposal site. Thus, it is necessary to identify the effects of high temperature on the performance of buffer and allow for the thermal constraint greater than $100^{\circ}C$. In addition, the development of high-performance EBS (Engineered Barrier System) such as composite bentonite buffer mixed with graphite or silica and multi-layered buffer (i.e., highly thermal-conductive layer or insulating layer) should be taken into account to enhance the disposal efficiency in parallel with the development of multilayer repository. This will contribute to increase of reliability and securing the acceptance of the people with regard to a high-level waste disposal.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.91-103
• /
• 2009

Slope failure depends upon the climatic features related to related rainfall, structural geology and geomorphological features as well as the variation of the mechanical behaviors of soil constituting a slope. In this paper, among many variables, effects of soil layer thickness on the slope failure process, and variations of matric suction and volumetric water content were observed. When the soil layer is relatively thick, the descending wetting front decreases matric suction and the observed matric suction reaches to "0" value. When the wetting front reaches to the impermeable boundary, the bottom surface of steel soil box, ascending wetting front was observed. This observation can be postulated to be the effects of various sizes of pores. When macro size pores exist, the capillary effects can be reduced and infilling of pore will be limited. The partially filled pores would be filled with water during the ascending of the wetting front, which bounces from the impermeable boundary. This assumption has been assured from the observation of variation of the volumetric water contents at different depth. When the soil layer is thick (thickness = 20 cm), for granular material, erosion is a cause triggering the slope failure. It has been found that the initiation of erosion occurs when the top soil is fully saturated. Meanwhile, when the soil layer is shallow (thickness = 10 cm), slope slides as en mass. The slope failure for this condition occurs when the wetting front reaches to the interface between the soil layer and steel soil box. As the wetting front approaches to the bottom of soil layer, reduction of shear resistance along the boundary and increase of the unit weight due to the infiltration occur and these produce complex effects on the slope failure processes.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.47-55
• /
• 2023

In this study, the following conclusions were drawn by analyzing the size, proportion, shape, angle, distribution, etc. of stones in order to identify the principles of facade molding of stonework of the 5th to 7th centuries of the Silla Dynasty. First, the uniformity of the size of the stones of the stone foundations of the Silla Dynasty was low at -0.8 to 4.1. This means that stones of various sizes were used, from small stones to large stones. In addition, the distribution of large stones in stonework of the Silla Dynasty appeared evenly regardless of height. This was common in the stonework of the Silla Dynasty, regardless of structural classification such as wells and mountain fortresses. It is thought that the Silla people did not only pursue practicality and efficiency in stone construction, but also considered design elements. Second, the proportional deviation of the stones of the stone walls of the Silla Dynasty was high, ranging from 0.861 to 1.515. This means that the stonework of the Silla Dynasty did not use only long flagstone-shaped stones, but used a mixture of long and short stones. Third, the shape average of the stones of the stonework of the Silla Dynasty was low at 0.45, and the shape deviation was high at the maximum of 0.15. This means that the stones as a whole have irregular shapes, and each stone has a high difference in shape. Fourth, the angle deviation of the stones of the Silla Dynasty was 4.3 to 16.2, and the average angle was 2. This means that the angle of each stone on the stone axis of the Silla Dynasty is tilted to the left and right. Fifth, there was no correlation between stone size, slenderness ratio, shape, and angle in the stone axes of the Silla Dynasty. In the case of stone axes in the Joseon Dynasty, there was a positive correlation between stone size and slenderness, and a negative correlation between stone size and shape. It can be said that the stones of the Joseon Dynasty were relatively standardized, but the Silla Dynasty showed the beauty of moderation by keeping the nature of the material and becoming one with the material.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.976-983
• /
• 2023

Purpose: The dynamic behavior of a bridge structure under seismic loading depends on many uncertainties, such as the nature of the seismic waves and the material and geometric properties. However, not all uncertainties have a significant impact on the dynamic behavior of a bridge structure. Since probabilistic seismic performance evaluation considering even low-impact uncertainties is computationally expensive, the uncertainties should be identified by considering their impact on the dynamic behavior of the bridge. Therefore, in this study, a global sensitivity analysis was performed to identify the main parameters affecting the dynamic behavior of bridges with I-curved girders. Method: Considering the uncertainty of the earthquake and the material and geometric uncertainty of the curved bridge, a finite element analysis was performed, and a surrogate model was developed based on the analysis results. The surrogate model was evaluated using performance metrics such as coefficient of determination, and finally, a global sensitivity analysis based on the surrogate model was performed. Result: The uncertainty factors that have the greatest influence on the stress response of the I-curved girder under seismic loading are the peak ground acceleration (PGA), the height of the bridge (h), and the yield stress of the steel (fy). The main effect sensitivity indices of PGA, h, and fy were found to be 0.7096, 0.0839, and 0.0352, respectively, and the total sensitivity indices were found to be 0.9459, 0.1297, and 0.0678, respectively. Conclusion: The stress response of the I-shaped curved girder is dominated by the uncertainty of the input motions and is strongly influenced by the interaction effect between each uncertainty factor. Therefore, additional sensitivity analysis of the uncertainty of the input motions, such as the number of input motions and the intensity measure(IM), and a global sensitivity analysis considering the structural uncertainty, such as the number and curvature of the curved girders, are required.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.56 no.5
• /
• pp.603-618
• /
• 2023

This study focused on evaluating the suitability of the WRK (waste repository Korea) bentonite as a buffer material in the SNF (spent nuclear fuel) repository. The U (uranium) adsorption/desorption characteristics and the adsorption mechanisms of the WRK bentonite were presented through various analyses, adsorption/desorption experiments, and kinetic adsorption modeling at various pH conditions. Mineralogical and structural analyses supported that the major mineral of the WRK bentonite is the Ca-montmorillonite having the great possibility for the U adsorption. From results of the U adsorption/desorption experiments (intial U concentration: 1 mg/L) for the WRK bentonite, despite the low ratio of the WRK bentonite/U (2 g/L), high U adsorption efficiency (>74%) and low U desorption rate (<14%) were acquired at pH 5, 6, 10, and 11 in solution, supporting that the WRK bentonite can be used as the buffer material preventing the U migration in the SNF repository. Relatively low U adsorption efficiency (<45%) for the WRK bentonite was acquired at pH 3 and 7 because the U exists as various species in solution depending on pH and thus its U adsorption mechanisms are different due to the U speciation. Based on experimental results and previous studies, the main U adsorption mechanisms of the WRK bentonite were understood in viewpoint of the chemical adsorption. At the acid conditions (＜pH 3), the U is apt to adsorb as forms of UO₂²⁺, mainly due to the ionic bond with Si-O or Al-O(OH) present on the WRK bentonite rather than the ion exchange with Ca²⁺ among layers of the WRK bentonite, showing the relatively low U adsorption efficiency. At the alkaline conditions (>pH 7), the U could be adsorbed in the form of anionic U-hydroxy complexes (UO₂(OH)₃^-, UO₂(OH)₄^2-, (UO₂)₃(OH)₇^-, etc.), mainly by bonding with oxygen (O^-) from Si-O or Al-O(OH) on the WRK bentonite or by co-precipitation in the form of hydroxide, showing the high U adsorption. At pH 7, the relatively low U adsorption efficiency (42%) was acquired in this study and it was due to the existence of the U-carbonates in solution, having relatively high solubility than other U species. The U adsorption efficiency of the WRK bentonite can be increased by maintaining a neutral or highly alkaline condition because of the formation of U-hydroxyl complexes rather than the uranyl ion (UO₂²⁺) in solution,and by restraining the formation of U-carbonate complexes in solution.