In this paper, the stress intensity factor (SIF) expression for defected butt welds containing undercut and inclined lack of penetration (LOP) subject to far-field tensile stress is derived. Some of the standards such as ISO 5817 and BS EN 25817 have specified allowable limits for the length of the undercut and LOP defects and for the height of the weld. In addition, EN 29692 standard has deter...

In this work, the interaction between the semi-circular space and the neighboring joint with and without the presence of rock bolts was investigated using the particle flow code (PFC) approach. For this purpose, firstly, the calibration of PFC was performed using both the Brazilian experimental test and the uniaxial compression test. Secondly, a numerical model with the dimension of 100 m...

Parsing for clothes in images and videos is a critical step towards understanding the human appearance. In this work, we propose a method to segment clothes in settings where there is no restriction on number and type of clothes, pose of the person, viewing angle, occlusion and number of people. This is a challenging task as clothes, even of the same category, have large variations in color and...

BACKGROUND A quantitative and accurate measurement of the range of hip joint flexion (RHF) is necessarily required in the evaluation of disordered or artificial hip joint function. This study aimed to assess a novel method to measure RHF more accurately and objectively. METHODS Lateral radiographs were taken of 31 supine men with hip joints extended or flexed. Relevant angles were measured di...

When performing a goal-directed action with a tool, it is generally assumed that the point of control of the action system is displaced from the hand to the tool, implying that body and tool function as one system. Studies of how actions with tools are performed have been limited to studying either end-effector kinematics or joint-angle coordination patterns. Because joint-angle coordination pa...

BACKGROUND Exploring knee joint physiological functional stiffness is crucial for improving the design of prosthetic legs that aim to mimic normal gait. This study hypothesizes that knee joint stiffness varies among different activities of daily living, additionally while the knee performs natural movements; the magnitude of the stiffness indicates the degree of energy storage element sufficien...

Robots are now requested to perform more and more complex tasks such as rescue activities in quite practical environments such as rough terrains. It is necessary for robots to have versatile joints that can flexibly adapt to such task environments and realize complex motions. It is desired to develop small and low cost actuators which can flexibly adapt to task environment. Flexibility in robot...

OBJECTIVE To test the reliability and validity of shoulder joint angle measurements from the Microsoft Kinect™ for virtual rehabilitation. DESIGN Test-retest reliability and concurrent validity, feasibility study. SETTING Motion analysis laboratory. PARTICIPANTS A convenience sample of 10 healthy adults. METHODS Shoulder joint angle was assessed in four static poses, two trials for each...

[Purpose] An ankle-foot-orthosis (AFO) is an assistive brace that allows stroke patients to achieve an independent gait. Therefore, we examined whether or not the orthotic angle for plantar flexion limitation affects the kinematic parameters of the hip and knee joints on the affected side of patients with stroke. [Subjects and Methods] Fifteen patients with chronic hemiplegia were recruited for...