Engineering Commons^™

New Product Launch Decisions Under Competition And Uncertainty: A Real Options And Game-Theoretic Approach To New Product Development, James O. Ostler

Theses and Dissertations

New product development is central to many firms' future success. Not only as a means to continue to maintain their piece of the market, but product development can also be a strategic means for a company to diversify, and/or alter focus to adapt to changing market conditions.

Most of the research in new product development has been on how to do it cheaper and faster than the next guy. However, early commercialization does not guarantee a position of strength in the market. Failures of EMI in CT scanners and Xerox in personal computers illustrate that being first to market does …

A Finite Element Simulation Of Temperature And Material Flow In Fricton Stir Welding, Mark J. Lasley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to use the Transvalor S.A. product, Forge3, to develop a finite element simulation of the friction stir welding process that improves the predictability of temperature evolution and material flow within the plunge portion of the process. Previous modeling created more heating within the billet than experimental results, probably due to the simplification of the simulation with adiabatic boundary conditions. More realistic tooling temperatures were included in this model as these affect heat evolution which is a determining factor in microcrystalline growth. These results were validated by experimental efforts using a billet and tooling instrumented …

A Method For Winding Advanced Composites Of Unconventional Shapes Using Continuous And Aligned Fibers, Abraham K. Allen

Theses and Dissertations

Advanced composites are extremely strong, rigid, and light, even when compared with advanced metals. Advanced composites are replacing high-tech metals as the material of choice for aerospace engineering. However, the processes used to manufacture advanced composites generally lose some of the properties of the materials by their process limitations.

One process that keeps the theoretically awesome qualities of the composite materials in tact is filament winding. Filament wound parts are used as rocket shells, bicycle frame tubes, drive shafts, pressure vessels, etc. Filament winding is an automated process and makes reliable parts to close tolerances. If a straight tube were …

The Effectiveness Of Computer-Based Tutorials In Learning Computer-Aided Design Methods For Tool Design Procedures, Andrew Moroni Hall

Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the past twenty-five years the process of designing and manufacturing a product has been revolutionized by the integration of Computer Aided Design (CAD). Although three-dimensional solid modeling, or 3-D CAD offers a better representation of the product in a virtual environment, it can be complicated and difficult to learn. Tutorials have been developed to assist manufacturing tool design student in the learning of 3-D CAD principles as they apply to tool design. This study seeks to test the effectiveness of those tutorials. A BYU tool design class was divided into two groups according to their assigned laboratory time. The …

Improved Signal Integrity In Ieee 1149.1 Boundary Scan Designs, Efren De Jesus Rangel Taboada

Theses and Dissertations

This work is an analysis of solutions to problems derived from inherent timing and signal integrity issues in the use and application of the IEEE 1149.1 Standard at the board level in conjunction with its test system. Setup or hold times violations may occur in a boundary scan chain using IEEE 1149.1 compliant devices. A practical study of the TDI-TDO scan data path has been conducted to show where problems may arise in relationship to a particular board topology and test system. This work points to differences between passing and failing scan path tests for problem characterization. Serial data flow …

The Benefit Of Using Simulation To Improve The Implementation Of Lean Manufacturing Case Study: Quick Changeovers To Allow Level Loading Of The Assembly Line, Jack J. Mcclellan

Theses and Dissertations

In today's competitive manufacturing environment, companies are constantly looking for ways to improve. Because of this, many companies are striving to become "lean" by implementing lean manufacturing, which is a difficult process. To aid in the implementation of lean manufacturing, simulation was used to reduce the trial-and-error period of lean manufacturing and find to optimum approach to implement the lean manufacturing principle. In this research, a case study of implementing level loading of the production schedule for BullFrog International, L.C. will be examined. To make it possible to implement level loading, the thermo-former machine at the beginning of the operations …

A Review Of Setup Practices And Procedures For Creating Ieee 802.11 Wireless Community Networks, Jae M. Theobald

Theses and Dissertations

IEEE 802.11 wireless networking equipment has made it possible to bridge the last mile for new broadband internet service providers. Inexpensive wireless networking equipment and high gain antennas enable high speed internet delivery at a fraction of the cost of installing or upgrading land lines for cable or DSL services. Based on this research, a guide of general practices and procedures is proposed for designing, installing, and maintaining a reliable wireless community area network. Included tests have provided performance results for several types of wireless antennas (including wire grid parabolic dishes, Yagi and Vagi styles, and echo backfire), wireless bridges, …

Conformal Refinement Of All-Hexahedral Finite Element Meshes, Nathan Harris

Theses and Dissertations

Mesh adaptation techniques are used to modify complex finite element meshes to reduce analysis time and improve accuracy. Modification of all-hexahedral meshes has proven difficult to the unique connectivity constraints they exhibit. This thesis presents an automated tool for local, conformal refinement of all-hexahedral meshes based on the insertion of multi-directional twist planes into the spatial twist continuum. The contributions of this thesis are (1) the ability to conformally refine all entities of an all-hexahedral element mesh, (2) the simplification of template insertion to multi-directional refinement. The refinement algorithm is divided into single hex sheet operations, where individual refinement steps …

Coordinated Regional And City Planning Using A Genetic Algorithm, Michael B. Lowry

Theses and Dissertations

Improved methods of planning are needed to deal with today's issues of traffic congestion, sprawl, and loss of greenspace. Past research and recent legislation call for new methods that will consider a regional perspective. Regional planning is challenged with two difficult questions:

1.Is it possible to achieve regional goals without infringing upon the local autonomy of city planners?

2.Is it possible to objectively analyze the thousands, even millions, of land use and transportation plans to find the best design?

Metropolitan regions across the country have made great efforts to answer the first question. Unfortunately, effective methods for harmonizing the goals …

The Contextable: Building And Testing An Intelligent, Context-Aware Kitchen Table, Daniel Matthew Hoopes

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to design and evaluate The ContexTable, a context-aware system built into a kitchen table. After establishing the current status of the field of context-aware systems and the hurdles and problems being faced, a functioning prototype system was designed and built. The prototype makes it possible to explore established, untested theory and novel solutions to problems faced in the field.

Floodplain Risk Analysis Using Flood Probability And Annual Exceedance Probability Maps, Christopher M. Smemoe

Theses and Dissertations

This research presents two approaches to determining the effects of natural variability and model uncertainty on the extents of computed floodplain boundaries. The first approach represents the floodplain boundary as a spatial map of flood probabilities -- with values between 0 and 100%. Instead of representing the floodplain boundary at a certain recurrence interval as a single line, this approach creates a spatial map that shows the probability of flooding at each point in the floodplain. This flood probability map is a useful tool for visualizing the uncertainty of a floodplain boundary. However, engineers are still required to determine a …

Full-Scale Lateral-Load Tests Of A 3x5 Pile Group In Soft Clays And Silts, Jeffrey L. Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

A series of static lateral load tests were conducted on a group of fifteen piles arranged in a 3x5 pattern. The piles were placed at a center-to-center spacing of 3.92 pile diameters. A single isolated pile was also tested for comparison to the group response. The subsurface profile consisted of cohesive layers of soft to medium consistency underlain by interbedded layers of sands and fine-grained soils. The piles were instrumented to measure pile-head deflection, rotation, and load, as well as strain versus pile depth.

Influence Of Consolidation And Interweaving On Compression Behavior Of Isotruss™ Structures, Steven Matthew Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

Composite IsoTruss™ structures incorporate intersecting longitudinal and helical members. At the intersections, the fiber tows can be interwoven to achieve mechanical interlocking for increased joint integrity. Interlocking introduces gaps and curvilinear fiber paths similar to the crossovers in filament-wound structures, potentially facilitating local delamination within the members, thus reducing the strength and/or damage tolerance of the structure. Optimizing the interlocking pattern at the joints along with efficient consolidation minimizes these effects.

Joint specimens were fabricated using a specially designed machine. Specific tow intersection patterns at the joint were: 1) Completely encapsulating the longitudinal member with the tows of the helical …

Characterization Of Microbial Processes That Degrade Chlorinated Solvents In A Constructed Wetland Using Organic Acid And Inorganic Anion Concentration Profiles, Chad B. Bondurant

Theses and Dissertations

Chlorinated solvents have been used in industrial cleaning and degreasing processes in the United States since the early 1900s, and their induction into the environment increased significantly with the growth of industrial processes over the past century. PCE, TCE and their daughter products have been associated with a number of human health concerns and are currently the most common contaminants found in groundwater in the United States. Wetlands possess characteristics necessary for the complete degradation of chlorinated ethenes by microorganisms via anaerobic and aerobic regions that foster the necessary oxidation-reduction conditions. Organic acid and inorganic anion concentrations were evaluated in …

Evaluation Of Current Automated Civil Engineer System Non-Appropriated Funds Project Programming Procedures, Joshua C. Ligday

Theses and Dissertations

It is essential that businesses continually improve their automated information systems (AIS) to support the changing needs of the organization. The Air Force civil engineering organization is no exception since they have drastically improved their Automated Civil Engineer System (ACES) through end user support since its implementation in 2000. However, there are many problems associated with the non-appropriated funds (NAF) project programming business rules within ACES. These problem areas were not addressed until recently when an integrated process team met and proposed numerous changes to how NAF programming is accomplished in ACES. This research effort, through a web-based survey, focuses …

Making The Business Case For Sustainable Design In The Department Of Defense, David M. Warnke

Theses and Dissertations

Buildings are one of the largest consumers of natural resources, a major source of ecological pollution, and occasionally toxic to human health. Sustainable design is the common term associated with buildings which, during their construction, use, and eventual disposal, seek to minimize their negative impact on the environment and human health. The U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system helps to assess a building's sustainability level. In the Federal Government's push to set the example for the rest of the nation, nearly every Federal Agency has chosen to adopt the LEED assessment tool. Each …

Modeling A Field Application Of In Situ Bioremediation Of Perchlorate-Contaminated Groundwater Using Horizontal Flow Treatment Wells (Hftws), Peter G. Chosa

Theses and Dissertations

Perchlorate contaminated groundwater is rapidly becoming a significant environmental remediation issue for the Department of Defense. In this study, an existing numerical model that simulates the operation of a Horizontal Flow Treatment Well (HFTW) system to effect the in situ biodegradation of perchlorate through the addition of an electron donor is modified to include a submodel that describes bioclogging. Bioclogging restricts flow out of the HFTW due to the accumulation of biomass directly adjacent to the well. The modified model is then applied to an existing perchlorate contaminated site that will be used for an evaluation of the HFTW technology. …

Application Of Horizontal Flow Treatment Wells For In Situ Treatment Of Mtbe-Contaminated Groundwater, Preston F. Rufe

Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized a three-dimensional numerical model to evaluate the potential application of HFTWs to manage MTBE-contaminated groundwater. HFTWs consist of two dual-screened treatment wells. One well operates in an upflow mode, with MTBE-contaminated water extracted from an aquifer through a screen in the deep portion of an aquifer and injected into the aquifer through a shallow well screen, while the adjacent well operates in a downflow mode, extracting water from the shallow zone of the aquifer and injecting it into the deep zone. As the MTBE-contaminated water flows through the wells, an electron acceptor and/or another electron donor is …

Evaluation Of Interlayer Bonding In Hot Mix Asphalt Pavements, Stephen M. Gomba

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the potential of falling weight deflectometer (FWD) data for use in quantifying the level of interlayer bonding achieved in pavements. Data was obtained and used from the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) National Airport Pavement Test Facility located in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In this test facility, a section of the pavement had encountered a loss of bond between lifts of the surface hot mix asphalt (HMA) layer. FWD tests had been performed at locations throughout the pavement, on a monthly basis for the duration of the loading period. The FWD data, along with detailed material property data, …