Engineering of activated carbons (ACs) through chemical activation of organic precursors has been extensively studied for a wide variety of biopolymers, biomasses, wastes and other fossil-based precursors. Despite huge efforts to engineer evermore performant and sustainable ACs, “searching-for-the-best-recipe” type of studies are more the rule than the exception in the published literature. Emerging AC applications related to energy and gas storage require strict control of the AC properties and a better understanding of the fundamentals underlying their engineering. In this study, we provide new insights into the K2CO3 chemical activation of plant-based polyphenols—lignins and tannins—through careful thermoanalytical and structural analyses. We showed for the the first time that the reactivity of polyphenols during K2CO3 chemical activation depends remarkably on their purity and structural properties, such as their content of inorganics, OH functionalities and average molecular weight. We also found that the burn-off level is proportional to the K2CO3/ lignin impregnation ratio (IR), but only within a certain range—high impregnation ratios are not needed, unlike often reported in the literature. Furthermore, we showed for the first time that the K2CO3 chemical activation of different carbon surfaces from lignins and tannins can be modelled using simple global solid-state decomposition kinetics. The identified activation energies lay in the range of values reported for heterogenous gas-carbon surface gasification reactions ( O2-C, H2O- C, or CO2- C) in which the decomposition of C(O) surface complexes is the common rate-limiting step.

Traditional piles used for deep foundation, such as steel, concrete, and timber, are susceptible to corrosion and a reduction in structural capacity over time. This has led to the development of new materials like concrete-filled FRP piles (CFFP). CFFP is a composite pile filled with concrete and covered with a fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) shell, providing non-corrosive reinforcement and protection to the concrete. As a result, CFFP is a highly promising candidate for implementation in various fields due to its structural advantages and necessity. Compared to traditional concrete piles, CFFP can be installed with less damage and a lower blow range due to its elastic modulus, damping ratio, and specific weight. The bearing capacity of a pile is influenced by various factors, including its stiffness, residual stress, and axial load resistance. Due to competitive pricing, glass fiber has been widely utilized, and there is a growing interest regarding carbon-fiber-reinforced concrete piles due to the excellent mechanical properties of carbon fiber. The remarkable stiffness and strength attributes of carbon fibers are evident in CFRP-confined piles, which present a notably wide range of load-bearing capacities, boasting an ultimate axial load capacity ranging from 500 to 4000 kN. Furthermore, CFFPs have been confirmed to have superior lateral load resistance compared to conventional piles, attributed to the reinforcement provided by FRP materials. Conventional piles face a challenge in that their structural characteristics deteriorate in the corrosive marine environment, with a projected lifespan of less than 20 years. In contrast, the service life of CFFPs is estimated to range from 50 to 75 years.

This study systematically investigated the efficacy of incorporating graphene/cerium hydroxide (GH) composite material into epoxy-modified polyurethane resin coatings for enhancing the corrosion resistance of Q690qE steel within polluted marine atmospheric conditions. The research encompassed a range of electrochemical assessments and analyses. Notably, the E/GH-0.3% coating displayed a substantially positive open-circuit potential (OCP) and prominently reduced corrosion current density, leading to annual corrosion rates of 2.72 mm/a following 25 days of immersion. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) elucidated the superiority of the E/GH-0.3% coating, characterized by the highest impedance modulus |Z| at 0.1 Hz, indicative of robust corrosion protection. Remarkably, the self-healing performance of E/GH-0.3% and E/ GH-0.5% coatings was evidenced by the formation of a composite passivation layer at scratch sites, particularly pronounced after 40 days of immersion. These findings underscore the promising potential of the GH composite as an effective corrosion inhibitor, holding significant promise for the advancement of protective coatings in harsh coastal industrial environments.

Photoanode optimization is a fascinating technique for enlightening the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this present study, V2O5/ ZnO and reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-V2O5/ZnO nanocomposites (NCs) were prepared by the solid-state technique and used as photoanodes for DSSCs. A wet chemical technique was implemented to generate individual V2O5 and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs). The structural characteristics of the as-synthesized NCs were investigated and confirmed using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), and Scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The average crystallite size (D) of the as-synthesized V2O5/ ZnO and rGO-V2O5/ZnO NCs was determined by Debye-Scherer’s formula. The bandgap (eV) energy was calculated from Tauc’s plots, and the bonding nature and detection of the excitation of electrons were investigated using the Ultra violet (UV) visible spectra, Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) and photoluminescence (PL) spectral analysis. Electrical studies like Hall effect analysis and the Nyquist plots are also described. The V2O5/ ZnO and rGO-V2O5/ZnO NCs based DSSCs exhibited 0.64% and 1.27% of PCE and the short circuit current densities and open circuit voltages improved from 7.10 to 11.28 mA/cm2 and from 0.57 to 0.68 V, respectively.

Rice ratooning is the cultural practice that easily produces secondary rice from the stubble left behind after harvesting the main crop. ‘Daol’ is an extremely early growing rice variety. Planting this variety early allows for an additional ratoon harvest after the primary rice harvest. The plant growth and yield of ratoon rice were very low compared to those of main rice. Protein, amylose content, and head rice rate were higher in ratoon rice than in main rice. The distribution by the rice flour particle size of main and ratoon rice was similar. The damaged starch content in ratoon rice was relatively high at 6.1%. Ratoon rice required a longer time and higher temperature for pasting than main rice. Compared to the original rice, peak viscosity (PV), hot paste viscosity (HPV), cool paste viscosity (CPV), and breakdown (BD) were very low, and setback (SB) was high. As a result of analyzing the gelatinization properties of main and ratoon rice using differential calorimetry, it was found that the onset (To), peak (Tp), and conclusion (Tc) of ratoon rice starch were processed at a lower temperature than those of main rice. The gelatinization enthalpy of both samples was similar. The distribution of amylopectin short chains in ratoon rice was higher than that in main rice.

The parking gear is very important part of automotive because it is related to safety. Nonlinear gear groove of parking gear is used to enlarge the contact area between parking gear and pawl. The die has been widely applied for many industrial parts such as machine, automotive and so on. The purpose of this study is to investigate the stability of upper and lower dies by using numerical analysis. As the results, the lower die was weaker than the upper die in this study, and the lower die showed that it should be used within 500ton in terms of safety factor. Further the most weak point of lower die was low location in front of gear. Its minimum value of safety factor was 0.578 in case of 4000ton of press load, therefore, this weak point was needed to be reinforced.

Power converter devices require a high level of quality because they have a high direct connection with vehicle operation. Therefore, structural bonding was carried out by friction stir welding with excellent mechanical properties. Friction stir welding can cause structural deflection depending on the load of the welding tool, so it is important to control this for high quality flatness. In this study, pre-welding was performed before welding to minimize deflection generated during welding. And deflection reduction data according to the location of pre-welding were analyzed through dynamic analysis. As a result, based on computerized data rather than experimental data an optimized position of pre-welding was secured to minimize the deflection that occurs during friction stir welding. Through this, a process guide that enables high quality structural bonding was presented.

Decarbonization plays an important role in future energy systems for establishing a zero-carbon society. Hydrogen is believed to be a promising energy source that can be converted, stored, and utilized efficiently, leading to a broad range of possibilities for future applications. Hydrogen can be stored in various forms, including compressed gas, liquid hydrogen, hydrides, adsorbed hydrogen. Among these, liquid hydrogen has high gravimetric and volumetric hydrogen densities. There are a lot of previous studies on thermal behavior of MLI and VCS and optimization insulation system, but research on the insulation performance by varying the head shape of the tank has not been conducted. In this study, thermal-structural coupled analysis was conducted on the insulation system with VCS positioned between two layers of MLI for a liquid hydrogen storage tank. The analysis considered dome shapes (torispherical, circle, ellipses), and heat flux and temperature were derived from thermal analysis to predict insulation performance. Maximum equivalent stress and deformation were calculated from the structural analysis, and the optimal dome shape was proposed.

OWEC(Overtopping Wave Energy Converter)는 월파된 파도를 이용한 파력발전시스템이라한다. OWEC의 성능 및 안전성은 파고, 주기 등 파도의 특성에 의해 영향을 받는다. 따라서 해역 특성에 따른 OWEC의 최적 형상과 구조안전성에 관한 연구가 필요하다. 본 연구 에서는 울릉읍 연안 해양 환경 데이터를 이용하였으며, SPH(Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics) 입자법 해석을 통해 기존 케이슨 하부 구조에 변화를 준 모델 4개를 비교하여 월파 효율을 분석하였다. 그 결과, 하부 구조의 변경 및 경량화가 가능함을 확인하였다. 최적화 해석을 통 해 설계 하중에 내하력을 가지는 하부 구조인 새로운 트러스형 구조를 제안하였다. 이후 부재 직경 및 두께를 설계변수로 하는 사례 연구 를 통해 허용응력조건 하에서 구조 안전성의 확보를 확인하였다. 주기적인 파랑 하중을 받기 때문에 제안하는 구조의 고유 진동수와 해 당 해역의 파주기를 비교하였으며, 1년 재현 주기의 파랑을 하중으로 한 조화응답해석을 수행하였다. 제안하는 하부 구조는 동일 가진력 에서 기존 설계 대비 응답의 크기가 감소하였으며, 기존 대비 32% 이상의 중량 절감을 수행하였다.

Bellows expansion joints enhance the displacement performance of piping systems owing to their unique geometrical features. However, structural uncertainties such as wall thinning in convolutions, a byproduct of the manufacturing process, can impair their structural integrity. This study addresses such issues by conducting a global sensitivity analysis to assess the impact of these uncertainties on the performance of bellows expansion joints under monotonic loading. Global sensitivity analysis, which examines main and nth order interaction effects, is computationally expensive. To mitigate this, we employed a surrogate model-based approach using an artificial neural network. This model demonstrated robust prediction capabilities, as evidenced by metrics such as the coefficient of determination. The sensitivity indices of the main effect for the 2-ply and 3-ply bellows at the sixth convolution were 0.3340 and 0.3233, respectively. The sensitivity index of the sixth convolution was larger than that of other convolutions because the maximum deformation of the bellows expansion joint under monotonic bending load occurs around it. Interestingly, the sensitivity index for the interaction effect was negligible (0.01%) compared to the main effect, suggesting minimal activity between uncertainty factors across convolutions. Notably, bellows expansion joints under repetitive loading exhibit more complex behaviors, with the initial leakage typically occurring at the convolution. Therefore, future studies should focus on the structural uncertainties of bellows expansion joints under cyclic loading and employ a surrogate model for comprehensive global sensitivity analysis.

The design of buried underground flexible pipes proposed in domestic standards does not properly reflect changes in ground characteristics. Overseas standards suggest that pipe deflection must be considered while designing them. Therefore, in this study, the structural behavior of underground polyvinyl chloride pipes was investigated through experiments and the finite element analysis. In addition, when the pipe deflection occurred at 3% and 5%, the hydraulic characteristics of the polyvinyl chloride pipe showed a slight difference compared to the round pipe.

Herein, the existing structural design criteria for highway bridge columns with hollow bars were analyzed. Expanding upon previous research focused on the performance analysis of the columns under compressive loads, load– displacement curves were evaluated and crack analysis was performed under cyclic transverse loads. A three-dimensional nonlinear finite-element structural analysis compared the structural performance of existing steel bars, same-reinforced hollow bars, and reduced hollow bars in detail. Results indicated that with regard to elastic or initial crack behavior, the existing steel bars can be replaced by the other bars. Future research should delve into inelastic behavior and strategies to ensure seismic performance.

In this study, a prefabricated buckling brace (PF-BRB) was proposed, and a test specimen was manufactured based on the design formula for the initial shape and structural performance tests were performed. As a result of the experiment, all standard performance requirements presented by KDS 41 17 00 and MOE 2021 were satisfied before and after replacement of the reinforcement module, and no fracture of the joint module occurred. As a result of the incremental load test, the physical properties showed a significant difference in the stiffness ratio after yielding under the compressive load of the envelope according to the experimental results. It is judged necessary to further analyze the physical properties according to the experimental results through finite element analysis in the future.

In this paper, among the various facilities used in marine farming, young bivalves of the Mytilus galloprovincialis of marine farming was placed on the deck of the fishing vessel to evaluate the environment conditions and drive shaft movement by rolling affecting the separator for the young bivalves and a clean process. There were a few studies on stress analysis of development facilities because it was difficult to access the fishing site due to the use of imported equipment and the lack of development of domestic equipment. In this study, stress analysis of the fixed part of separator for young bivalves and its adjacent part was performed on various phases when the vessel was tilted by rolling using the finite element method. In addition, the structural safety of the internal blade under the driving conditions according to the movement of the drive shaft by the hydraulic motor was confirmed through structural analysis. As a result, the connection part between the deck and the separator by rolling was confirmed to have higher stress than that of other parts due to stress concentration. In addition, it was confirmed that the maximum stress occurred on the connection part between blades. Even though the safety of the separator for marine farming was confirmed by structural analysis, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the age of vessels, the material of the deck, and the corrosion of the deck.