Engineering Commons^™

Surveillance Planning Against Smart Insurgents In Complex Terrain, Nabil Lehlou

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study is concerned with finding a way to solve a surveillance system allocation problem based on the need to consider intelligent insurgency that takes place in a complex geographical environment. Although this effort can be generalized to other situations, it is particularly geared towards protecting military outposts in foreign lands. The technological assets that are assumed available include stare-devices, such as tower-cameras and aerostats, as well as manned and unmanned aerial systems. Since acquiring these assets depends on the ability to control and monitor them on the target terrain, their operations on the geo-location of interest ought to be …

Robust Parameter Design In Complex Engineering Systems:, Gregory Boylan

All Dissertations

Many industrial firms seek the systematic reduction of variability as a primary means for reducing production cost and material waste without sacrificing product quality or process efficiency. Despite notable advancements in quality-based estimation and optimization approaches aimed at achieving this goal, various gaps remain between current methodologies and observed in modern industrial environments. In many cases, models rely on assumptions that either limit their usefulness or diminish the reliability of the estimated results. This includes instances where models are generalized to a specific set of assumed process conditions, which constrains their applicability against a wider array of industrial problems. However, …

Prediction Of Subsurface Damage During Machining Nickel-Based Superalloys, Yujie Chen

All Dissertations

Nickel-based superalloys are widely utilized in hostile environments such as jet engines and gas turbines due to their high resistance to oxidation, high corrosion resistance, good thermal fatigue-resistance and fracture toughness. Subsurface damage is typically generated during the machining of these materials, and in particular, ã'-strengthened nickel-based superalloys. The depth of the subsurface damage is a critical requirement specified by the customer. Therefore, it is critical to predict, measure and control subsurface damage.
This research specifically targets the development of a model to predict subsurface damage during the machining of ã'-strengthened nickel-based superalloys. To accomplish this, a modified Johnson-Cook model …

Adaptive Model Based Combustion Phasing Control For Multi Fuel Spark Ignition Engines, Baitao Xiao

All Dissertations

This research describes a physics-based control-oriented feed-forward model, combined with cylinder pressure feedback, to regulate combustion phasing in a spark-ignition engine operating on an unknown mix of fuels. This research may help enable internal combustion engines that are capable of on-the-fly adaptation to a wide range of fuels. These engines could; (1) facilitate a reduction in bio-fuel processing, (2) encourage locally-appropriate bio-fuels to reduce transportation, (3) allow new fuel formulations to enter the market with minimal infrastructure, and (4) enable engine adaptation to pump-to-pump fuel variations. These outcomes will help make bio-fuels cost-competitive with other transportation fuels, lessen dependence on …

Cost Distribution Analysis Of Remote Monitoring System Use In The Treatment Of Chronic Diseases, Adeola Yusuf

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The cost of the treatment of chronic diseases is very high and this has a huge impact on the health-care system. Several factors contribute to this high cost. Some of these include the direct costs of treatment and the costs of several potential complications that arise as a result of the presence of other diseases. The goal of this study is to evaluate a cost-effective way of managing some of the common chronic diseases by analyzing the potential cost savings of utilizing remote monitoring systems (RMS) as opposed to the use of the traditional bundle (which includes regular visits to …

Tesla: An Energy-Saving Agent That Leverages Schedule Flexibility, Jun Young Kwak, Pradeep Varakantham, Rajiv Maheswaran, Burcin Becerik-Gerber, Milind Tambe

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This innovative application paper presents TESLA, an agent-based application for optimizing the energy use in commercial buildings. TESLA’s key insight is that adding flexibility to event/meeting schedules can lead to significant energy savings. TESLA provides three key contributions: (i) three online scheduling algorithms that consider flexibility of people’s preferences for energyefficient scheduling of incrementally/dynamically arriving meetings and events; (ii) an algorithm to effectively identify key meetings that lead to significant energy savings by adjusting their flexibility; and (iii) surveys of real users that indicate that TESLA’s assumptions exist in practice. TESLA was evaluated on data of over 110,000 meetings held …

Anonymous Authentication Of Visitors For Mobile Crowd Sensing At Amusement Parks, Divyan Konidala, Robert H. Deng, Yingjiu Li, Hoong Chuin Lau, Stephen Fienberg

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper we focus on authentication and privacy aspects of an application scenario that utilizes mobile crowd sensing for the benefit of amusement park operators and their visitors. The scenario involves a mobile app that gathers visitors’ demographic details, preferences, and current location coordinates, and sends them to the park’s sever for various analyses. These analyses assist the park operators to efficiently deploy their resources, estimate waiting times and queue lengths, and understand the behavior of individual visitors and groups. The app server also offers visitors optimal recommendations on routes and attractions for an improved dynamic experience and minimized …

Sustainability In Industrial Logistics Operations, Vishnu Siddharth Somanur Paramasivam

Purdue Polytechnic Directed Projects

CO2 concentration in the atmosphere has been rising at a rapid rate. As per the numbers quoted, the concentration has surpassed the safest upper limit suggested by the scientists. CO2 is a green-house gas and is partially responsible for global warming. With the current rate of emissions, it poses a threat to the planet's future and prosperity. Transportation contributes 30% of the overall CO2 emissions. Companies that use transportation are taking sustainability initiatives to reduce the emissions. This project documented some of the sustainability practices followed by the companies currently. It was found that the practices followed three general methods …

Assessment Of Solar Photovoltaic Technologies Using Multiple Perspectives And Hierarchical Decision Modeling, Nasir Jamil Sheikh

Dissertations and Theses

The objective of this research is to build a decision model for a comprehensive assessment of solar photovoltaic technologies using multiple perspectives. These perspectives include: social, technological, economic, environmental, and political (STEEP) with each perspective consisting of multiple criteria. Hierarchical decision modeling and expert judgment quantification are used to provide the relative ranking of the perspectives and criteria. Such modeling is effective in addressing technology evaluations with competing and contrasting perspectives and criteria where both quantitative and qualitative measurements are represented. The model is then operationalized by constructing desirability functions for each criterion. The combined results provide an overall numerical …

Acuta Enews April 2013 Vol. 42, No. 4

ACUTA Newsletters

In this issue,,,

1 ACUTA Face-to-Face Events

2 ACUTA Alert: FCC Accessibility Rule Certification Requirements

3 News You Can Use- on the Website

4 Sunday Workshops at the Conference

5 Info Links

6 Ten SIP Trunk Equipment License Issues that Can Ruin Your Day (or Month)

8 Board Report

9 Welcome New Members

9 Check It Out

Reliability Analysis Of Low-Silver Bga Spheres Comparing Failure Detection Criteria, Briana Fredericks

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

One of the challenges of solder joint reliability tests is estimating the time of failure of the solder joint. Failure criteria should be able to detect solder joint failure as early as possible, while minimizing the probability of false detection. The failure mechanism under study is cracks due to thermal fatigue. The most common method to estimate failure due to cracks is to monitor the resistance during testing, because solder imaging and cross-sectioning methods are destructive. Current industry failure criteria do not adequately demonstrate the relationship between the size of the crack and the resulting change in resistance. This project …

Supply Chain "Mega-Trends": Current Status And Future Trends, Edward Sweeney

Practitioner Journals

The supply chain management (SCM) concept has become embedded in the thinking of many organisations in recent years. Originally introduced by management consultants in the early 1980s, SCM has a strong focus on integration of processes across functions within firms, as well as between the organisations that comprise the wider extended enterprise. There is a significant body of research to support the notion that the consistent delivery of value to customers is predicated on higher levels of intra-firm and inter-firm integration. Putting the supply chain integration (SCI) concept into practice is critically dependent on the ability of firms to manage …

An Epistemological Inquiry Into The Incorporation Of Emergency Management Concept In The Homeland Security With A Post-Disaster Security Centric Focus, Mehmet Secilmis

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The historical roots of the Emergency Management concept in the U.S. date back to 19th century. As disasters occurred, policies relating to disaster response have been developed, and many statuary provisions, including several Federal Disaster Relief Acts, conceptually established the framework of Emergency Management. In 1979, with the foundation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), disaster relief efforts were finally institutionalized, and the federal government acknowledged that Emergency Management included mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery activities as abbreviated 'MPRR.'

However, after 2000, the U.S. experienced two milestone events - the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and Hurricane Katrina …

An Expert Based Multi Attribute Group Decision Making (Magdm) Model For Portfolio Evaluation: Application On Ground Force Units, Metin Gultekin

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This main objective of this dissertation is to propose an expert based multi attribute group decision making model (MAGDM) for portfolio evaluation and demonstrate it by applying it to evaluate brigade types under different military missions. Specifically, currently used Heavy, Mechanized Infantry, Airborne Infantry, and Stryker brigades are evaluated under a set of possible future military missions. The purpose of the study is to provide a model for decision makers, engaged in a force development process.

This study combined MAGDM and simulation by using expert judgments to create distributions rather than aggregating them into point values. Excel and Monte Carlo …

An Advanced Computational Approach To System Of Systems Analysis & Architecting Using Agent-Based Behavioral Model, Cihan H. Dagli, Nil Ergin, David Lee Enke, Abhijit Gosavi, Ruwen Qin, John Colombi, George Rebovich, Kristin Giammarco, Paulette Acheson, Khaled Haris, Louis Pape Ii

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A major challenge to the successful planning and evolution of an acknowledged System of Systems (SoS) is the current lack of understanding of the impact that the presence or absence of a set of constituent systems has on the overall SoS capability. Since the candidate elements of a SoS are fully functioning, stand-alone Systems in their own right, they have goals and objectives of their own to satisfy, some of which may compete with those of the overarching SoS. These system-level concerns drive decisions to participate (or not) in the SoS. Individual systems typically must be requested to join the …

Urgent Aeromedical Evacuation Network Capacity Planning, Scott C. Finkbeiner

Theses and Dissertations

Aeromedical Evacuation (AE) has been steadily utilized during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. AE is a global enterprise. The current structure of AE is facing changes as forces scale down from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. AE will, however, continue to be important in its domestic use in the continental USA (CONUS). Current practice is to pull aircraft (e.g. C-17, C-130 or KC-135) from their normal operations to meet Urgent and Priority patient needs when local alternatives are infeasible. An alternative to the current system would be having a centralized "bed-down" location for AE operations that would house …

A Mixed Integer Programming Model For Improving Theater Distribution Force Flow Analysis, Micah J. Hafich

Theses and Dissertations

Obtaining insight into potential vehicle mixtures that will support theater distribution, the final leg of military distribution, can be a challenging and time consuming process for United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) force flow analysts. The current process of testing numerous different vehicle mixtures until separate simulation tools demonstrate feasibility is iterative and overly burdensome. Improving on existing research, a mixed integer programming model was developed to allocate specific vehicle types to delivery items, or requirements, in a manner that would minimize both operational costs and late deliveries. This gives insight into the types and amounts of vehicles necessary for feasible …

Aerial Refueling Simulator Validation Using Operational Experimentation And Response Surface Methods With Time Series Responses, Alexander P. Hillman

Theses and Dissertations

An important program in the Department of Defense is the KC-46 Supertanker. Dubbed the future of the Air Force's aerial refueling inventory, the KC-46 will replace dozens of ailing previous generation tanker aircraft. The Aerial Refueling Airplane Simulator Qualification document governs the methods by which Air Mobility Command validates its simulators, some of which will be KC-46 simulators in the near future. The methodology set forward in this thesis utilizes historical data of aircraft performance from similar air frames to gain statistical insight into the performance design space of the KC-46. Leveraging this insight, the methodology provides through a framework …

Operational Planning Of Channel Airlift Missions Using Forecasted Demand, Taylor J. Leonard

Theses and Dissertations

Past research proposed that it is possible to forecast cargo demand using time series models and that there exists potential cost savings in the way that Civilian Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) is used for cargo airlift. United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) performs annual fixed-buys of CRAF to support airlift needs. Forecasted cargo demand would allow for reasonably accurate cargo projections vs. the current expected value estimation. Accurate forecasting allows for greater fixed-buys, further incentivizing CRAF airlines as well as reducing the number of additional aircraft purchases during the quarterly and monthly buys. Multiple forecasting models are constructed and the results …

Estimating The Probability Of Being The Best System: A Generalized Method And Nonparametric Hypothesis Test, Aaron M. Lessin

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides two new approaches for comparing competing systems. Instead of making comparisons based on long run averages or mean performance, the first paper presents a generalized method for calculating the probability that a single system is the best among all systems in a single trial. Unlike current empirical methods, the generalized method calculates the exact multinomial probability that a single system is best among competing systems. The ability to avoid time consuming empirical estimate techniques could potentially result in significant savings in both time and money when comparing alternate systems. A Monte Carlo simulation is conducted comparing the …

Control Variates And Optimal Designs In Metamodeling, Joshua B. Meents

Theses and Dissertations

At the heart of most modeling issues is a focus on variance reduction. Experimental designs are chosen based on both efficiency and a variety of variance based criteria. In many situations due to cost, time and availability issues it is beneficial to produce metamodels of simulations. Experimental designs for the region of operability are constructed to collect the simulation output required to construct representative metamodels. Independently, the method of control variates is a well established technique often employed to reduce variance in discrete event simulations. This thesis explores the variance reduction benefits that can be obtained by combining optimal experimental …

Evaluating Courses Of Actions At The Strategic Planning Level, Alhmet Ozdemir

Theses and Dissertations

Like almost all real life problems, Strategic planning is a good example of a problem with more than one objective. One of the most important steps of strategic planning is to generate and evaluate the courses of actions (COA) which can fulfill the mission and vision of the organization. This is a critical process since it is impractical to start the executed COA over. In this research, value-focused thinking (VFT) is used as a decision analysis tool to assess COAs. A general model is created to select the best COA for strategic planning such as air force operation planning. To …

An Examination Of Statistical Rigor Infused Into The Kc-46 Flight Test Program, Sean C. Ritter

Theses and Dissertations

The KC-46 program is bringing on-line the replacement aircraft for the KC-135. Although not a new development program, but rather a modification program, there are extensive plans for the flight testing of the KC-46. Recent DoD emphasis mandates the use of statistical design principles for DoD test and evaluation. This project will examine the planned flight test program for KC-46 and reconsider components of that program based on principles of statistical rigor. Of particular focus will be the reliability and maintainability aspects of the flight test program. Current methodology assumes a constant failure rate in all situations, implying that the …

Modeling The Impact Of The Payload Alert Communications System (Pacs) On The Accuracy Of Conjunction Analysis, Landon B. Bastow

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) are jointly developing a system known as the Payload Alert Communications System (PACS) whose purpose is to decrease the statistical uncertainty in the location of resident space objects (RSOs). PACS is designed to augment the Joint Space Operations Center's (JSpOC) existing space object tracking capabilities which is expected to increase the accuracy of conjunction estimation. In the current PACS design, a small payload would be attached to certain RSOs prior their launch. It is envisioned that this payload would basically consist of a microcontroller, a Global …

The Moderating Effect Of Network Centrality On The Relationship Between Work Experience Variables And Organizational Commitment, Luke M. Kaspari

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to identify the effect of an individual's network position on the relationship between work experience variables and affective commitment. This study tested three hypotheses, which were introduced through a comprehensive literature review, regarding the relationships between work experience variables and affective commitment. Research has indicated linkages between social network centrality and organizational commitment; however, the specific effects of centrality remain unclear. Therefore, this research developed and tested a moderation model to identify relationships between network centrality, affective commitment, and three work experience variables: psychological empowerment (PE), leader-member exchange (LMX), and perceived organizational support (POS). …

An Evaluation Of The Organizational Structure Of Air Force Emergency Operations Centers Using Social Network Analysis And Design Structure Matrices, John W. Marshall

Theses and Dissertations

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 demonstrated that the United States' emergency response capability, while robust, was disorganized in that organizations were not prepared or equipped to coordinate response actions across multiple agencies at a national level. This research investigates whether NIMS and the AFIMS structure is optimal for Air Force emergency managers, or whether, while maintaining NIMS compliance, there is a more effective way for the Air Force to organize its emergency management and response forces. Specifically this research focuses on the organization of the EOC and investigates whether shifting from the current structure of the ESFs to …

Using Geographic Information Systems To Evaluate Energy Initiatives In Austere Environments, D. Jason Murley

Theses and Dissertations

Organizations that operate in austere environments at the end of long logistics chains face significant energy challenges which often represent financial and security vulnerabilities. Reducing fuel consumption in these operations causes a proportional fuel reduction throughout the supply system as the need for transportation of fuel is reduced. Accordingly, the total fuel reduction across the supply system should be considered to capture the fully burdened cost savings when conducting economic analysis of energy reduction initiatives. This research examined the energy savings potential of improving the thermal properties of expeditionary shelters, and then evaluated these measures using a fully burdened cost …

Identifying System Patterns To Resolve Challenges In The Test And Evaluation Operation, Daniel K. Mutunga

Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on identification and description of patterns used in Test and Evaluation (T&E) operations. Patterns are defined as named and well-known problem/solution pairs that can be applied in new contexts, with advice on how to apply it in a novel situations and discussion of its trade-offs, implementations, and variations. They have a well established and used in software engineering, but have only recently been considered for systems engineering. In the Department of Defense (DOD), T&E is required for all acquisitions prior to transitioning into operations. As identified and described in this thesis, each of the patterns fits in …

Using Value-Focused Thinking As An Alternative Means Of Opportunity Assessment For Strategic Sourcing Applications, Andrew R. Myers

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the Federal Government has attempted to utilize strategic sourcing to reduce acquisitions expenses. Currently accepted best practices for strategic sourcing developed in the private sector fail to account for the diverse and unique set of objectives present in public sector acquisitions. Value Focused Thinking was used to develop a hierarchy of values and objectives for the Air Force Civil Engineer Commodity Council (CECC) strategic sourcing program. This hierarchy represents the full range of program objectives, and was used to develop a value function useful for systematically evaluating service and commodity contract areas for strategic sourcing potential.

The Use Of Multi-Criteria Evaluation And Network Analysis In The Area Development Planning Process, Peeter E. Pleake-Tamm

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop improvements to the area development planning process. These plans are used to improve operations within an installation sub-section by altering the physical layout of facilities. One methodology was developed based on apply network analysis concepts to the generation of alternative facility layouts. A second methodology was developed using multi-criteria evaluation to the selection of evaluated alternative facility layouts. The results of this study are two methodological processes that can be executed at base level requiring minimal additional information. The functional network map, based in network analysis, increases the use of socio-economic data …