Jo Feb 27, 2023
One of the important problems for structure calculation of a tunnel is to estimate the stability of rock mass surrounding the tunnel.
A safety factor of rock mass surrounding the tunnel can be determined by strength reduction method (SRM). Here, the most important is to solve the criterion of critical state.
Recently, several researchers have conducted studies to apply SRM, which has already been in use for estimation of slope stability, in order to estimate the stability of rock mass surrounding the tunnel. Many researchers have compared the various criteria of the critical state of a slope, which is the most important in the estimation of slope stability by SRM. Although various criteria were developed, there were mainly 3 methods: penetration of equivalent plastic strain, non-convergence of numerical calculation and sudden change of horizontal displacement at a specific point.
Jong Tok Yong, a section head at the Faculty of Earth Science and Technology, has proposed a new method for determination of a safety factor by sudden change of equivalent plastic strain in the relationship between a reduction coefficient of strength parameter and equivalent plastic strain.
This method is based on elasto-plastic FEM and SRM by ABAQUS and Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion.
Simulations in circular and square tunnels showed how a safety factor varies with geometries, friction angles and cohesions and how it varies with quality change of rock mass, pore water pressure and tunnel depth.
If further information is needed, please refer to “Determination of safety factor for rock mass surrounding tunnel by sudden change of equivalent plastic strain in strength reduction method” published in the EI Journal “Geotechnology and Geological Engineering”.
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Jo Feb 26, 2023
Forward voltage drop of fast p+nn+ structure is affected strongly by the high-level carrier lifetime, reverse recovery time current by the low-level carrier lifetime, and reverse current by the space-charge generation lifetime. These 3 carrier lifetimes influence 3 main parameters of p+nn+ structure differently. When the low-level carrier lifetime is decreased in order to decrease the reverse recovery time, the forward voltage drop increases, and when the high-level carrier lifetime is increased for reducing the forward voltage drop, the reverse recovery time increases.
It is unknown how to adjust rationally the 3 main parameters of fast p+nn+ structure - forward voltage drop, reverse recovery time and reverse current.
In order to control these conflicting relations, Pak Pyong Su, a section head at the Semiconductor Institute, has illuminated the recombination center level formed on the basic floor of p+nn+ structure. Then, to determine the recombination center level coincided with the practical recombination center level, he has suggested an analytic method of determining the recombination center level formed by 2 carrier lifetime regulation sources.
First, he suggested main relative equations to determine the optimal recombination center level with numerical solutions. Second, he found the practical recombination center level which is irrelevant to the doping agent concentration and working temperature. Finally, he proposed an analytic method to determine the co-additive recombination center level coincident with the practical recombination center level by adding any 2 types of carrier lifetime regulation sources.
To illustrate the effectiveness, he used an analytic method to calculate the recombination center level formed in the silicon semiconductor material with addition of gold and iridium at the same time.
The proposed method demonstrates that it is effective in the determination of the co-additive recombination center level when any 2 carrier lifetime control sources are added and that it can be applied to the rational regulation of the 3 parameters of a fast diode in the random doping agent kinds and co-additive concentration and the other intervals of working temperature.
The details of this are found in his paper “Analysis of the optimal recombination center level to adjust rationally the 3 main parameters of p+nn+ structure” in the EI Journal “Journal of Power Electronics and Devices”.
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Jo Feb 25, 2023
A research team led by Ri Hyok Min, a researcher at the Nano Physics Engineering Institute, has developed an auto control system and a dehumidification device for ozone disinfection and applied it to the practice.
The system manages overall ozone disinfection processes for different types of objects to be disinfected, so that disinfection processes can go in a scientific way.
The system consists of a central control unit, a human-machine interface (HMI) with a touch screen, an exhausting unit, an alarm unit and other electric contactors and relays. The central control unit receives data including limiting cumulative CT, limiting ozone concentration, temperature and humidity in disinfection rooms from HMI and drives the ozone generator.
During the disinfection process, the central control unit constantly receives ozone concentration in disinfection rooms through the RS-485 communication interface from the sensor located in the room, and calculates the cumulative CT automatically. When the calculated cumulative CT reaches the limit value, it stops the ozone generator and starts the exhausting unit. Then, the ozone concentration of the room decreases rapidly. If the ozone concentration of the room is below 0.6ppm (safety value to human), the exhausting process stops and the alarm device starts ringing. It indicates to the operator the finish of the disinfection process. Also, it stops the ozone generator when the ozone concentration reaches the limit value. It prolongs the lifetime of the ozone generator and prevents deterioration of objects to be disinfected.
A dehumidification device is necessary to protect the ozone generator from damage and increase the quantity of ozone. In general, the input gas of the ozone generator is air. But the air includes vapor, which decreases the amount of ozone generation and, more dangerously, it creates nitrous acid.
Thus, they designed and manufactured a dehumidification device which is based on freezing and absorption. The freezing device drops the dew point to 4℃ and the absorbent dehumidifier drops it to -55℃. As a result, they could achieve twice as much ozone as before.
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Jo Feb 24, 2023
Wi Ryong Hwan, a researcher at the Faculty of Communications, has developed a device for measuring fault points of cables by a time-digital converter.
Several methods such as TDR, FDR, TFDR, STDR, etc. are used to localize fault points of cables.
The most representative method is TDR. Here, a measurement device emits a pulse and detects the reflecting pulse. It determines a fault point in a cable by calculating time intervals between transmitted and reflected pulses.
With the appearance of a time-digital transformer in recent years, measurement accuracy has been improved significantly. The transformer measures time intervals according to the delay time of CMOS gate and converts time intervals of tens or hundreds of ps into digits.
To develop the device, he used microprocessor PIC16F877 and time-digital transformer GC7820A.
An error of about 0.2 % was achieved for a communication cable of 1 000m.
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Jo Feb 22, 2023
A research team led by Hong Myong Jin, a section head at the Faculty of Information Science and Technology, has developed a Korean-based integrated management system for broadcasting marine safety warnings to ensure the safety of ships on the seas of our country.
Being a component of the international marine safety system, the system guarantees safe navigation of ships by automatically communicating safety warnings in Korean and English with all the ships up to 250 miles from the coast of our country.
The broadcasting system of marine safety warning (Navtex) is divided into two parts: transmission system and reception system.
The transmission system consists of a transmission antenna at a broadcasting station, a broadcasting transmitter and a control computer.
The control computer is linked with the transmitter by RS-232C port and it controls the transmitter according to the communication protocol. On the computer, messages are written and edited according to Navtex protocol and encoded according to the transmission code converting principle by the integrated management system. The encoded messages are transmitted to ARM processor STM32F103RBT6, CPU of the transmitter, through RS-232C port and transmitted according to the control signals from the computer.
The transmitter consists of CPU, a direct frequency modulator, an output driver unit, an output unit, power unit, etc. CPU in the transmitter controls operation of every unit and transmission processes according to the control program in the internal Flash memory and the control signals from the computer.
STM32F103RBT6 directly controls the frequency modulation and output configurations of the output driver unit using DDS chip of the direct frequency modulator and it transmits acknowledgement signals to the computer. Also, while transmitting data to the direct frequency modulator, it processes the FEC (Forward Error Correction) protocol.
The reception system is made up of receivers on the ships and receivers on base stations (control computers) for broadcasting marine safety warnings.
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Jo Feb 21, 2023
A research team led by O Hyon Chol, a section head at the Faculty of Heat Engineering, has established a system of providing electricity for stock farms and fuel for cooking in all seasons by producing methane gas from manure and domestic sewage.
The methane gas production system consists of raw material supply system, a residue discharge system, a system for maintaining the temperature of raw material, an agitation system, a filtration system, a power generation system, a waste heat recovery system, a gas supply system for cooking. All these are placed within a greenhouse by solar heat.
They analyzed the defects revealed during methane gas production at the existing production plants in operation, and conducted a calculation of heat to maintain temperature in winter. On the basis of this, they reinforced the fermentation tank to minimize heat loss and established a system which recovers waste heat from the engine for heating raw material to keep the fermentation temperature at 30℃ to 35℃. It is the waste heat exchanger that recovers waste heat from a methane gas engine. It provides heat necessary for the fermentation tank but has no influence on normal operation of the engine.
Thus, they managed to provide methane gas of 80 to 100m3 in a 100m3 tank, which produced 30~45kWh of power and fuel for cooking every day.
As all the processes in the system such as supply and discharge of raw material, stirring of raw material, cleaning of gas and power generation needs only one person, it is simple in operation and has little operation cost and failure. It is very useful because methane gas can be produced without additional investment as long as there are domestic animals.
The system can satisfy power demands at stock farms and provide heat for cooking without burning any coal. Besides, it can prevent environmental pollution from manure and produce good organic fertilizer to contribute to agricultural production.
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