Engineering Commons^™

Examining The Efficiency Of Multimodal Transportation Systems: A Systems Dynamics Approach, Lizzette Pérez-Lespier

Masters Theses

"With international trade becoming a big part of the world's economic activity, the demand for good freight transportation systems has grown substantially. The appropriate use of transportation is an integral part of the supply chain's effectiveness. Therefore, the continuous economic globalization, the growing demand for speed-to-market product delivery, and the need to manage global supply chains more effectively, has led to the sustained increase in demand towards multimodal transportation systems (MTS). MTS play an essential role in corporations competing in global markets in the 21st century. In transportation, the effectiveness and efficiency of the whole system depends upon the interconnectivity …

Two Essays On Dynamic Programming And Reinforcement Learning, Shuva Ghosh

Doctoral Dissertations

"The semi-Markov decision process (SMDP) is a variant of the Markov decision process (MOP). This dissertation work focuses on the application of SMDPs to disaster response management and to maintenance management. Average and discounted reward are two popular performance metrics for MDPs/SMDPs. While both dynamic programming (DP) methods, i.e., value iteration and policy iteration, are commonly used to solve MDPs/SMDPs, value iteration is easier to apply than policy iteration. The existing value iteration algorithms for average reward SMDPs have some noteworthy limitations, which are sought to be overcome in this work. Reinforcement learning (RL) techniques, which are also studied in …

A Comparison Of American And Asian Automakers' Vehicles In Quality, Reliability, And Safety, Ozge Senoz

Doctoral Dissertations

"Consumer Reports (CR) and J.D. Power and Associates (JDP) are two widely-known agencies that gather data on automobile quality and prepare reports on the data gathered that are related to various aspects of automobiles for different models for each manufacturer. This research has two overarching goals: The first is to determine if there are any clear differences in reliability, between the Japanese and U.S. auto-makers. The second is to determine if there is consistency between JDP and CR in the reliability ratings of vehicles. In order to attain these goals, this dissertation starts with the evaluation of these two major …

Development Of An Integrative Commissioning Methodology For New-Building Construction, William L. Gillis Iii

Doctoral Dissertations

"Commissioning (Cx) is a quality process for building construction used to verify that the owner's project requirements (OPR) are being met by the final design, construction, and operations and maintenance. The goal is to confirm that each phase of the project is linked back to the OPR through quality assurance methods. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is an OPR which contributes to difficulties within the design and construction (D&C) process. Though LEED certification is only part of the OPR, too often the design drifts from the OPR and simply focuses on meeting the LEED certification.

Quality function …

Effects Of Machining Parameters And Cooling Strategies On Cutting Forces And Surface Integrity In High-Speed Slot End-Milling Of Titanium Alloy, Emenike Chukwuma

Masters Theses

“Paper 1 presents the results of the investigations of the effects of cooling strategies [Emulsion cooling, Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL) and Liquid Nitrogen (LN₂)] and machining parameters (feed rate and spindle speed) on cutting force components, cutting temperature and tool wear during slot end-milling of titanium Ti-6Al-4V workpiece. All machining experiments were conducted using four-flute 0.5 inch diameter uncoated solid carbide end-mill on Cincinnati Milacron, Sabre 750 vertical machining center equipped with Acramatic 2100 controller. Cutting force components were acquired and tool wear was indirectly measured from maximum cutting force variation per slot from the first pass to …

Predicting Solar Radiation Based On Available Weather Indicators, Frank Joseph Sauer

Masters Theses

"Solar radiation prediction models are complex and require software that is not available for the household investor. The processing power within a normal desktop or laptop computer is sufficient to calculate similar models. This barrier to entry for the average consumer can be fixed by a model simple enough to be calculated by hand if necessary.

Solar radiation modeling has been historically difficult to predict and accurate models have significant assumptions and restrictions on their use. Previous methods have been limited to linear relationships, location restrictions, or input data limits to one atmospheric condition. This research takes a novel approach …

Risk Analysis: Comparative Study Of Various Techniques, Hanan Mohammad Altabbakh

Doctoral Dissertations

"Researchers in the safety field are facing more challenges everyday with the expanding modern socio-technical systems. Safety analysis such as hazard analysis, accident causation analysis, and risk assessment are being revisited to overcome the shortcoming of the conventional safety analysis. With increasingly complex human system interaction in today's modern systems, new safety challenges are being faced that needed to be assessed and addressed. Managers and engineers face the challenge to choose from the vast amount of techniques available and utilize the correct one. Indeed, new or improved risk assessment tools that can address these complexities are needed. One of the …

Development Of An Optimization Model To Determine Sampling Levels, Zlatan Hamzic

Masters Theses

"As the complexity of multi-component products increases the quality of these products becomes increasingly difficult to control. The first step to manufacturing a quality product is making sure that the components of the product meet specifications. Product quality can be controlled through sampling inspection of the components. Two models were developed in this research to determine the optimal sampling levels for incoming lots containing parts for production and assembly of multi-component systems. The main objective of the first model is to minimize the expected cost that is associated with a nonconforming item reaching assembly. In this model the time available …

The Role Of Face-To-Face Interactions In The Success Of Virtual Project Teams, Lawrence Raymond Blenke

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation examines the importance of in-person Face-To-Face (FTF) interactions in virtual engineering development projects. The basis for this investigation will be the hypothesis that FTF interactions increase the effectiveness, quality of communication, and the trust between participants beyond that achieved with purely computer mediated communication. Through a combination of a literature review and empirical research, this dissertation addresses the following questions: * How important is FTF interaction in virtual development work? * Do various functional areas and age groups rate the importance of FTF interactions differently? * How does FTF interaction affect the levels of trust and communication within …

Real Options Modeling And Valuation Of Price Adjustment Flexibility With An Application To The Leasing Industry, Ahmed A. A. Al Sharif

Doctoral Dissertations

"Uncertainty poses not only threats but also opportunities. This study sought to build the scientific foundation for introducing a real options (ROs) methodology for price risk management to the leasing industry. A price risk management that allows for both coping with threats and taking advantage of opportunities. In the leasing industry, fixed rate long-term lease contracts help contract parties stabilize cash flows within volatile markets. The contract's term, however, may be extended long enough that prevent capturing the opportunities of gaining greater profits or reducing expenses. Therefore, the flexibility that enables participants to take advantage of favorable market price is …

Implementation Of Project Based Learning Technique To Enhance Engineering Education, Dinesh Kanigolla

Masters Theses

"This study investigated the impact of introducing a semester project into three engineering courses where practical application of theoretical knowledge is applicable. Three courses were examined in this work: an undergraduate course in quality, a graduate course in Lean, and a graduate course in Six Sigma. For this research, student teams were given hands-on-projects that included collaboration with local companies. Surveys were conducted to assess the impact of project based learning on students' knowledge. Student responses were recorded and analyzed to determine how students felt the use of the semester project affected the course and to identify the response patterns …