Systems Engineering Commons^™

The Toyota Production System (Tps) In A Non-Traditional Manufacturing Environment: The Role Of Standardization In The Fast-Food Industry, Kevin Mccracken

Theses and Dissertations--Manufacturing Systems Engineering

The Toyota Production System (TPS), also known as Lean Manufacturing (LM), was founded in the automotive industry and has contributed to Toyota’s decades of success. This has brought much attention to TPS and how this system may be implemented in other industries. Focusing on the TPS foundational element of standardization, this study examines the impact of target cycle time (TCT) on process fluctuation in a fast-food environment. In order to observe the effects of TCT, team members within 3 production lines were timed. Times were measured before and after the addition of a TCT to the Standardized Work (STW) in …

Quantitative Methods For Total Lifecycle Risk Likelihood And Impact Assessment In Sustainable Product Design Decision Making, Christian Enyoghasi

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical Engineering

Sustainable products promise significant economic, environmental, and societal benefits. Numerous methods are available for use during the new product development process to identify alternate product designs that optimize sustainability performance. Once any such design is selected and the product is launched, many uncertainties are likely to affect its performance over the total lifecycle. Such uncertainties give rise to risks that can influence the overall product sustainability performance. However, comprehensive quantitative methods to evaluate the likelihood or the impact of different risks to enable sustainable product design decision making are lacking.

This research aims to address this gap by developing a …

An Analysis Of Resistance Spot Weld Quality Based On Acoustic And Electrical Signatures, Ivan Charles Butler

Theses and Dissertations--Manufacturing Systems Engineering

The union of a set of materials by way of Resistance Spot Welding is designed so that once fused together, a substantial amount of intentional, external force must be applied to separate the contents. Therefore, Resistance Spot Welding is often the preferred fusion method in high-volume manufacturing processes. The result of Resistance Spot Welding however is the formation of a weld nugget which is not visible to the naked eye. Destructive and/or ultrasonic methods applied off-line must be used to determine the quality of each weld; both inefficient and expensive processes. The following research analyzes the data fed back during …

Experimental Investigation Of Reading Passive Uhf Tags In A Multi-Tag Environment, Yi Zhou

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical Engineering

Recently, the Internet of things (IoT) has emerged as a promising solution for several industrial applications. One of the key components in IoT is passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tags which do not require a power source for operations. Specifically, ultra-high frequency (UHF) tags are studied in this paper. However, due to factors such as tag-to-tag interference and inaccurate localization, RFID tags that are closely spaced together are difficult to detect and program accurately with unique identifiers. This thesis investigates several factors that affect the ability to encode a specific tag with unique information in the presence of other tags, …

Target Read Operation Of Passive Ultra High Frequency Rfid Tag In A Multiple Tags Environment, Zi Qin Phua

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical Engineering

Passive ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio frequency Identification (RFID) has emerged as a promising solution for many industrial applications. Passive UHF systems are relatively inexpensive to implement and monitor, as no line of sight is required for the communication. There are several advantages to using a passive RFID system. For example, no internal power source is required to activate the tags, and lower labor costs and efficient multitasking operations are expected in a long term scenario. However, due to factors such as tag-to-tag interference and inaccurate localization, RFID tags that are closely spaced together are difficult to detect and program accurately …

Visualizing Complex Adaptive Systems: A Case Study Of The Missouri Maternal, Infant, And Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, Julie M. Kapp, Sara Schlemper, Riyad Haq, Sofia Campos Vidal Pires, Eduardo J. Simoes

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Background: The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program was created by the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. MIECHV provides comprehensive services to at-risk families through evidence-based home visiting programs.

Purpose: The following question is addressed: Does the Missouri MIECHV system meet the definition of a complex adaptive system (CAS)?

Methods: A systematic review was conducted of documents related to MIECHV programs (federal, state, and local levels), and to affiliated programs with a home visiting and early childhood (aged birth to 5 years) scope. The organizations’ fit was identified for the scope of early childhood home …

Alternate Models For Natural Gas Transportation System Performance Optimization, Gnana Shekaran Arumugam

Theses and Dissertations--Manufacturing Systems Engineering

The Natural Gas market in the U.S is growing rapidly with evidence that the nation has enough shale reserves to power the country for the next century. To ensure continued economic benefits through the use of this environmentally desired energy source, it becomes important to optimize the transportation network system design. Transportation through pipelines is one of the most common methods used to distribute Natural Gas from source to destination. This transportation system, consisting of pipelines, compressors and other supporting equipment, must be optimized, considering all relevant parameters to minimize cost and increase profit. The research presented here improves on …

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 …

Lean Fire Management: A Focused Analysis Of The Incident Command System Based On Toyota Production System Principles, Jeremiah S. Fugate

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical Engineering

A primary role of the Incident Command System is to learn from past incidents, as illustrated by its origins in the wildland firefighting community. Successful emergency response operations under the Incident Command System has prompted its nationwide spread, this promulgation critically relies on the system’s capability to stabilize and continuously improve various aspects of emergency response through effective organizational learning. The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential to apply fundamental principles of the Toyota Production System (Lean manufacturing) to improve learning effectiveness within the Incident Command System. An in-depth review of literature and training documents regarding both …

A Multidisciplinary Techno-Economic Decision Support Tool For Validating Long-Term Economic Viability Of Biorefining Processes, Sumesh Sukumara

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Increasing demand for energy and transportation fuel has motivated researchers all around the world to explore alternatives for a long-term sustainable source of energy. Biomass is one such renewable resource that can be converted into various marketable products by the process of biorefining. Currently, research is taking strides in developing conversion techniques for producing biofuels from multiple bio-based feedstocks. However, the greatest concern with emerging processes is the long-term viability as a sustainable source of energy. Hence, a framework is required that can incorporate novel and existing processes to validate their economic, environmental and social potential in satisfying present energy …

Developing A Time And Motion Study For A Lean Healthcare Environment, Michael Winston Patton Jr.

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This thesis outlines the development of a standard methodology for performing a time and motion study in a lean healthcare environment. Time and motion studies have been used in healthcare environments in the past, however they have nearly all been exclusive to a particular healthcare enterprise. To develop the time and motion study methodology, a study was designed to examine how resident doctors spend their time. This study was performed in response to coming changes in the work hours for all residents. Once the methodology was developed, trial observations were conducted. The data from these observations was analyzed to determine …

Achieving Ultrafine Grains In Mg Az31b-O Alloy By Cryogenic Friction Stir Processing And Machining, Anwaruddin Mohammed

Theses and Dissertations--Manufacturing Systems Engineering

This thesis presents results from the application of cryogenic cooling on multiple-pass friction stir processing and the subsequent orthogonal machining on friction stir processed and as-received Mg AZ31B-O disks, and shows their combined effects on microstructure and microhardness values. A simple friction stir tool, a specially designed fixture and liquid nitrogen are used to perform multiple-pass friction stir processing experiments on Mg AZ31B-O alloy. The friction stir processed and as-received sheets are then made into disks for the orthogonal machining experiments. This study analyzes the microhardness, microstructure changes by cryogenic friction stir processing and the effect of machining conditions such …