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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

Laptop Recycling Case Study: Estimating The Contained Value And Value Recovery Process Feasibility Of End-Of-Life Consumer Electronics, Zebulon Hart Jan 2022

Laptop Recycling Case Study: Estimating The Contained Value And Value Recovery Process Feasibility Of End-Of-Life Consumer Electronics, Zebulon Hart

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Work has been done to establish, through the development and use of novel assay techniques and analysis metrics, the contained value of a sampling of laptop computers (as an analog for myriad e-waste sources). This work has conceptualized e-waste as an alternative to geologic-origin complex metallic ores and has likewise evaluated the feasibility of value recovery from e-waste sources in a similar manner to an ore. The application of conventional and novel mineral separation techniques to e-waste recycling processes has been evaluated and positive results are demonstrated. Further, this work has demonstrated the ability to identify the presence of base …


Designing And Redesigning Products, Processes, And Systems For A Helical Economy, Ryan Bradley, Ibrahim S. Jawahir Jan 2019

Designing And Redesigning Products, Processes, And Systems For A Helical Economy, Ryan Bradley, Ibrahim S. Jawahir

Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing Faculty Publications

The Circular Economy (CE) concept has promised to unlock trillions of dollars in business value while driving a significant reduction in the world’s resource consumption and anthropogenic emissions. However, CE mainly lives in ambiguity in the manufacturing domain because CE does not address the changes needed across all of the fundamental elements of manufacturing: products, processes, and systems. Conceptually, CE is grounded in the concept of closed-loop material flows that fit within ecological limits. This grounding translates into a steady state economy, a result that is not an option for the significant portion of the world living in poverty. Therefore, …


Process Sustainability Evaluation For Manufacturing Of A Component With The 6r Application, Ana E. Bonilla Hernández, Tao Lu, Tomas Beno, Claes Fredriksson, Ibrahim S. Jawahir Jan 2019

Process Sustainability Evaluation For Manufacturing Of A Component With The 6r Application, Ana E. Bonilla Hernández, Tao Lu, Tomas Beno, Claes Fredriksson, Ibrahim S. Jawahir

Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing Faculty Publications

Sustainability in manufacturing can be evaluated at product, process and system levels. The 6R methodology for sustainability enhancement in manufacturing processes includes: reduced use of materials, energy, water and other resources; reusing of products/components; recovery and recycling of materials/components; remanufacturing of products; and redesigning of products to utilize recovered materials/resources. Although manufacturing processes can be evaluated by their productivity, quality and cost, process sustainability assessment makes it a complete evaluation. This paper presents a 6R-based evaluation method for sustainable manufacturing in terms of specific metrics within six major metrics clusters: environmental impact, energy consumption, waste management, cost, resource utilization and …


A Framework For Sustainable Material Selection For Multi-Generational Components, Ryan T. Bradley Jan 2015

A Framework For Sustainable Material Selection For Multi-Generational Components, Ryan T. Bradley

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical Engineering

The early stages of a product’s design are a critical time for decisions that impact the entire life-cycle cost. Product designers have mastered the first generation; however, they currently do not have the ability to know the impact of their decisions on the multi-generational view. This thesis aims at closing the gap between total life-cycle information and the traditional design process in order to harbor sustainable value creation among all stakeholders involved. A framework is presented that uses a combination of a life-cycle costing methodology and an evolutionary algorithm in order to achieve a sustainability assessment for a true multi-generational …


Supplier Sustainability Evaluation Utilizing Multi Attribute Utility Modeling, Scott E. Ladd Jan 2013

Supplier Sustainability Evaluation Utilizing Multi Attribute Utility Modeling, Scott E. Ladd

Theses and Dissertations--Manufacturing Systems Engineering

Conventionally, the focus during supplier evaluation has been to assess cost, quality and delivery effectiveness due to their impact on profitability. In recent years, there has been increased emphasis on promoting more sustainable business practices that focus on reducing environmental impact and improve societal well-being, in addition to economic benefits. However, most of the existing supplier evaluation methods in literature as well as those used by leading companies fall short of comprehensively assessing suppliers from a Triple Bottom Line (TBL) perspective. TBL defined as holistically looking at the economic, environmental, and societal aspects of an entity. This paper presents a …


Modeling And Optimization To Evaluate Sustainability Performance Of Customizable Product Service Systems, Ken Harsha Tilakaratne Wijekoon Jan 2011

Modeling And Optimization To Evaluate Sustainability Performance Of Customizable Product Service Systems, Ken Harsha Tilakaratne Wijekoon

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The aim of this thesis is to present a new methodology to evaluate and optimize sustainability of customizable product-service systems while ensuring economic, environmental and societal constraints are also satisfied. Activities across the total product lifecycle are considered to develop a model that evaluates closed-loop flow, while being monitored through the growth, maturity and decline stages of the product to provide a comprehensive analysis. A novel method to evaluate the customer satisfaction is also presented. The research considers a modular product where customization can be achieved by selecting from alternatives while ensuring the compatibility between these alternatives. A manufacturer will …