Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Knot Optimization For Univariate Cubic L^1 Spline Fits With Application In Change Point Detection, Manfei Xie

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Cubic $L^1$ spline fits, as a type of $L^1$ approximating splines, have shown superior performance in shape preservation of geometric data with great changes. To better construct a cubic $L^1$ spline fit, the number and the location of the spline knots should be optimized rather than predetermined. This research investigates knot optimization methods for univariate cubic $L^1$ spline fits. When the number of knots is given, we design an optimization-based method to determine the best location of the knots. When the number and the location are unknown, we propose a heuristic method to find proper knot number and location. Numerical …

Minimizing Total Number Of Tardy Jobs In Parallel Batch Processing Machines Using Column Generation And Simulated Annealing, Sameer Neupane

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This research considers a scheduling problem where jobs need to be grouped into batches and the batches need to be scheduled on parallel batch processing machines with an objective to minimize the total number of tardy jobs. The jobs are assigned to batches in such a way that machine capacity is not violated. This research considers jobs with unequal ready times, unequal processing times and unequal sizes. The machines are identical in processing capabilities; however, their capacities are different. This research aims to develop effective solution approaches to solve the problem under study. A Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model …

Computational Methods For Bicubic L1 Splines, Priyesh Koyu Rai

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The past two decades have seen the development of L1 splines for interpolation and approximation of geometric data. L1 splines have been shown to preserve shapes better than the conventional L2 splines, especially for data with abrupt changes in the magnitude of spacing. Efficient computation plays an important role in the practical application of L1 splines. This thesis creates new computational methods for constructing bicubic L1 interpolating splines and bicubic L1 spline fits. The bicubic splines in this study are piecewise bicubic polynomials defined on a rectangular grid generated by the tensor product of nodes. We developed a hybrid computational …

Point-Of-Care Assessment At A Free, Out-Of-Hours Orthopedic Clinic, Whitney M. Graves, Zachary K. Winkelmann, Kenneth E. Games

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Access to healthcare is a challenge for many Americans living in rural communities. Hospital systems have created programs and developed models to improve access to care. However, documentation of the role of these clinics serving different populations and various types of communities is quite scarce. The purpose of this article is to describe the patient satisfaction and procedures assessed at the point-of-care during a 14-week, out-of-hours free orthopedic clinic in the Southeastern United States. One hundred and twenty-nine patients attended the orthopedic clinic and completed a patient satisfaction survey following their patient encounter. At the end of the 14-week, 89% …

Managing Variability In Assembly Lines, Sumanth Gokapai

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Every successful company have a diversified product portfolio based on their customer demand. Though products are branded as different variants, versions etc. most of them are similar products with little variations in their features or functions they perform. With the traditional, product centric approach to handle variation, new techniques like Clone and own were implemented in which engineers pick the most similar one available, copy it, make changes to it and present it as a new variant. Even though this approach employs reuse, but the savings occur once and only once. This project discussed how companies can exploit the commonality …

Assessment Of Adaptability Of A Supply Chain Trading Agent’S Strategy: Evolutionary Game Theory Approach, Yoon Sang Lee, Riyaz T. Sikora

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

With the increase in the complexity of supply chain management, the use of intelligent agents for automated trading has gained popularity (Collins, Arunachalam, B, et al. 2006). The performance of supply-chain agents depends on not just the market environment (supply and demand patterns) but also on what types of other agents they are competing with. For designers of such agents it is important to ascertain that their agents are robust and can adapt to changing market and competitive environments. However, to date there has not been any work done that assesses the adaptability of a trading agent’s strategy in the …

Freeform Extrusion Fabrication Of Advanced Ceramics And Ceramic-Based Composites, Wenbin Li

Doctoral Dissertations

"Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion (CODE) is a recently developed freeform extrusion fabrication process for producing dense ceramic components from single and multiple constituents. In this process, aqueous paste of ceramic particles with a very low binder content ( < 1 vol%) is extruded through a moving nozzle to print each layer sequentially. Once one layer is printed, it is surrounded by oil to prevent undesirable water evaporation from the perimeters of the part. The oil level is regulated just below the topmost layer of the part being fabricated. Infrared radiation is then applied to uniformly and partially dry the top layer so that the yield stress of the paste increases to avoid part deformation. By repeating the above steps, the part is printed in a layer-wise fashion, followed by post-processing. Paste extrusion precision of different extrusion mechanisms was compared and analyzed, with an auger extruder determined to be the most suitable paste extruder for the CODE system. A novel fabrication system was developed based on a motion gantry, auger extruders, and peripheral devices. Sample specimens were then produced from 3 mol% yttria stabilized zirconia using this fabrication system, and their properties, including density, flexural strength, Young's modulus, Weibull modulus, fracture toughness, and hardness were measured. The results indicated that superior mechanical properties were achieved by the CODE process among all the additive manufacturing processes. Further development was made on the CODE process to fabricate ceramic components that have external/internal features such as overhangs by using fugitive support material. Finally, ceramic composites with functionally graded materials (FGMs) were fabricated by the CODE process using a dynamic mixing device"--Abstract, page iv.

Quantifying Restoration Costs In The Aftermath Of An Extreme Event Using System Dynamics And Dynamic Mathematical Modeling Approaches, Akhilesh Ojha

Doctoral Dissertations

"Extreme events such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and the like, lead to devastating effects that may render multiple supply chain critical infrastructure elements inoperable. The economic losses caused by extreme events continue well after the emergency response phase has ended and are a key factor in determining the best path for post-disaster restoration. It is essential to develop efficient restoration and disaster management strategies to ameliorate the losses from such events. This dissertation extends the existing knowledge base on disaster management and restoration through the creation of models and tools that identify the relationship between production losses and restoration costs. The …

Biofuel Supply Chain Restructuring -- An Economic Viability And Environmental Sustainability Investigation For Enhancing Second Generation Biofuel Adoption, Rajkamal Kesharwani

Doctoral Dissertations

"Biofuel is a promising clean alternative to fossil fuels. Currently, first generation biofuels are commercially produced by using corn grain as biomass feedstock. However, the use of edible matter of crops, may lead to a competition between food and fuel. Therefore, there is a significant push in both industry and academia to commercialize second generation biofuel manufacturing technology, which uses non-edible matter from crops. Most research focuses on individual manufacturing processes for producing second generation biofuel, but the economic and environmental impacts of a large-scale adoption of second generation biofuel manufacturing have been less widely reported.

This work investigates the …

Application Of Computational Intelligence To Explore And Analyze System Architecture And Design Alternatives, Gene Lesinski

Doctoral Dissertations

"Systems Engineering involves the development or improvement of a system or process from effective need to a final value-added solution. Rapid advances in technology have led to development of sophisticated and complex sensor-enabled, remote, and highly networked cyber-technical systems. These complex modern systems present several challenges for systems engineers including: increased complexity associated with integration and emergent behavior, multiple and competing design metrics, and an expansive design parameter solution space. This research extends the existing knowledge base on multi-objective system design through the creation of a framework to explore and analyze system design alternatives employing computational intelligence. The first research …

Aircraft Interior Design And Satisfaction For Different Activities; A New Approach Toward Understanding Passenger Experience, Golnoosh Torkashvand, Lucas Stephane, Peter Vink

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Among airlines and aircraft manufacturers there is much attention for passenger experience. However, there is not much literature on how the activities of passengers can be supported by the aircraft interior. The current study focuses on the need finding and requirements analysis of flight passengers. Twenty-three activities were defined based on retrospective interviews and brainstorming sessions. Respondents were asked to rate their overall perception related to the importance of each of those 23 activities on a Linkert scale, from “not at all important” to “extremely important”. On a separate question they were also asked to rate their overall satisfaction by …

Detecting Special-Cause Variation 'Events' From Process Data Signatures, Timothy M. Young, Olga Khaliukova, Nicolas André, Alexander Petutschnigg, Timothy G. Rials, Chung-Hao Chen

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The ability to detect the special-cause variation of incoming feedstocks from advanced sensor technology is invaluable to manufacturers. Many on-line sensors produce data signatures that require further off-line statistical processing for interpretation by operational personnel. However, early detection of changes in variation in incoming feedstocks may be imperative to promote early-stage preventive measures. A method is proposed in this applied study for developing control bands to quantify the variation of data signatures in the context of statistical process control (SPC). Control bands based on pointwise prediction intervals constructed from the Bonferroni Inequality and Bayesian smoothing splines are developed. Applications using …

Quality Function Deployment (Qfd) For Designing Rock Sugar Chopping Machine, Janejira Pannavatkulthon

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The objective of this research is to study and apply the principles of quality function deployment to design rock sugar chopping machine for selected sugar factory in order to increase productivity of current chopping process. The design of machine is analyzed using House of Quality which is a part of quality function deployment methodology. The data collection was conducted by on-site investigation and face-to-face interview with the owner of sugar factory. It is found that the main problem of this factory is inadequate of in-house production capacity and the bottleneck of manufacturing processes is chopping process. The result of this …

Product Development Of Rice Milk Soap, Jiradej Ekthumrong

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The objective of this research is to develop rice into rice milk soap using Quality Function Deployment (QFD) in order to add value to the product. The current rice production process can produce some broken rice, which is of low value. In order to increase value, the study is conducted to develop it into rice milk soap product. Quality Function Deployment is used to analyze and develop the product that best answer customer needs. There are data collection on customers through surveys to gain insights used for product development and rough product to market business plan. The result of this …

Assessing Feasibility Of Water Accounting Toolkit For In A Poultry Processing Plant, Kantinant Silabhusith

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

In this project, we will be looking into the use of a toolkit called water accounting as applied to a food processing plant and determine its effectiveness as a toolkit for monitoring water usage in a factory. The main objective of this thesis report is to 1. Recommend reducing water consumption by applying the water accounting toolkit. 2. Provide a standardized tool for the case study company to measure their sustainability progress and communicate that information clearly. This report will also discuss the extent in which the company can reduce their water consumption and their various methods in which to …

Decision Support System For Supplier Selection In Gas Pipeline Industry, Kawinkorn Ampornmaha

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The objective of this research was to study and analyse both the quantitative and qualitative decision criteria for pipeline fabrication supplier selection in the gas pipeline industry in Rayong, Thailand. The decision-making process was analysed by the Analytic Hierarchy Process technique or AHP and computed using SpiceLogic software. The data collection was carried out by providing questionnaires to experts and specialists at the management level. It was found that the main factors were quality, technical capability, delivery, cost and financial stability. All the main factors were considered with the decision-making process for purchasing and selecting with the best supplier. The …

Tracking System Design For A Production Warehouse Of Automobile Condensers, Kittisak Lertkajornkitti

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

In order to survive in a harshly competitive market, a company needs to enhance not only its core operational efficiency but also the performance of other business functions, including the supportive ones. As such, in this thesis, we will explore how we could improve the performance of one important supportive operation in a Thai automobile condenser manufacturer, namely the warehousing process, using RFID tracking technology. RFID tracking technology is brought into consideration by the company’s management team due to its current warehousing issues, including inventory mismatch, inventory misplacement, and faulty delivery. We found that the root cause of these problems …

Strategic Supplier Selection:The Case Of International Food Trading Company, Natchanok Paramaporn

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The objective of the research project is to develop strategic supplier selection system for an international food trading company using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The products involved are canned food for worldwide export. The decision makers consist of a president and two marketing managers. The chosen decision criteria listed by weight of important are ‘Export Capability’ (54%), ’Pricing Policy’ (28%), ‘Technological Catch-up’ (10%), ‘Ethical Practices’ (5%), and ‘Environmental Management’ (3%). The sub-criteria chosen are ‘Number of Food Safety Certificate’ (54%), ‘Net Selling Price’ (23%), ‘Automation in Production Process’ (8%), ‘Payment Terms’ (5%), ‘Worker’s Safety and Health’ (4%), ‘Adverse Weather …

Improvement Of Inventory Policy For Furniture Fittings Manufacturer, Natchaya Suntipiromkul

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The objective of this research is to improve the management of inventory in a furniture fittings manufacturer so that shortage and overstock could be reduced. Based on our initial investigations, such inventory problems were caused not only by inefficient production planning but also a lack of inventory control system that linked those plans with the stocks of raw material required. To better address the issues, two different models have been therefore proposed, namely more accurate demand forecasting models for products with different demand patterns and inventory control models for raw materials of those products. Regarding the development of more accurate …

Preventive Measures For Project Schedule Control Of Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Power Plant, Pakorn Prabhawong

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The objectives of this research are to analyse the construction critical paths of the combined cycle gas turbine power plant projects and to determine the delay preventive measures for project schedule control. First, the planned and actual construction schedules of the combined cycle gas turbine power plants have been studied and analysed to see their critical paths and also the near-critical path which could potentially become critical. Construction schedules of four power plants constructed in Thailand have been obtained and analysed. Their capacities and main equipment arrangement are summarized in Chapter 5.1. The common work breakdown structures have been set …