Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Robotic Manufacturing Cell: An Analysis Of Variables Affecting Performance, Elvis Alicic

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Analyzing the performance of manufacturing cells is a well established concept. The justification for conducting thorough analyses of manufacturing cells comes from the known advantages it can provide, including performance improvement and production planning improvement, both current and future. This study focuses on assessing the variables affecting performance of a robotic manufacturing cell through the measure of throughput. Initially, simulation modeling is utilized to model an existing robotic cell and compare the output to actual production output from the same cell. Additionally, general regression modeling is employed to analyze the following variables and their effect on throughput: machine downtime, off-plan …

Impact Of Interruptions In White Collar Working Environment, Zafar Akhil Khan

Masters Theses

"An interruption is a randomly occurring, discrete event that breaks continuity of cognitive focuses on a primary task and typically requires immediate attention and insists on action. "White collar interruptions" are those that affect knowledge workers in professional, managerial, or administrative positions. Interruptions are often a common occurrence in the white collar workplace.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the effect of timing of an interruption on the overall performance of white collar workers. This study also analyzes the interruption sources (i.e. externally and internally generated) along with effect of different types of interruptions on both demanding and …

Modeling Forward Base Camps As Complex Adaptive Sociotechnical Systems, Lori Ann Miller

Masters Theses

Work for this thesis focuses on managing complexity within complex adaptive sociotechnical systems by using model based systems engineering and virtual engineering tools. The hypothesis of the work is that integrated virtual models can be used to increase the understanding of these complex adaptive sociotechnical systems, resulting in a reduction in the perceived complexity. This was tested by the use of a two factor survey given to experts of a system (the customer and members of the model design team) and to a target user-group. This group received a demonstration and had hands on experience with a preliminary model of …

Optimization Of Process Planning For Focused Ion Beam Machine In Nano-Manufacturing, Sushrut Shekhar Naik

Masters Theses

"The current revolution witnessed by nanotechnology is facing several challenges such as manufacturing of nano sized devices economically on a large scale. Focused ion beam (FIB) technology is one of the widely used approaches for nano-manufacturing due to its versatile nature. It provides accurate machining and process repeatability and has a range of applications. Major challenges for the current FIB process are the tradeoffs between quality, the processing time, and the long planning time. This research provides a pathway to eliminate the current problems facing nanotechnology. Using MATLAB and the Helios 600 FIB/SEM instrument available, modeling and analyses are carried …

Parametric Moment Closure For Non-Linear State Dependent Stochastic Systems, Ritesh Arora

Masters Theses

"This research highlights the use of moment closure approximation techniques to provide analytical approximations to nonlinear state dependent systems. Nonlinear systems are often difficult to solve and often approximated through the use of simulation. However, Moment Closure has the capability to derive an approximate solution by making a closed form solution out of open set of differential equations representing nonlinear system behavior in both transient and equilibrium state. It is this capability of approximating the closed form solution to complex systems that draws interest in the use of this method within systems engineering. This research further extends to the stability …

Chemical Risk In Early Design, Carlton Ashley Washburn

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to present a methodology to identify risks in the chemical product development process, including fortification of the failure mode taxonomy by including chemical failures. This work will enable comprehensive risk analysis in technology-based products that have a chemical based subsystem, such as those used in the lithography process in the semiconductor industry. This research broadened the failure mode taxonomy by identifying chemical failures from publications in the semiconductor industry. These failures were analyzed to determine the rudimentary failure modes in each case. The newly identified failure modes were added to the failure mode taxonomy. …

A Feasibility Analysis Of Retrofitting Existing Roadway Lighting Infrastructure With Led Technology, Sean Michael Schmidt

Masters Theses

LED technology has advanced towards use in high intensity lighting purposes. LED luminaires have a significantly longer expected lifetime than traditional high-intensity discharge lighting systems. Due to these recent improvements in LED technology, there is a growing need for a comprehensive method to analyze the applicability of LED luminaires for use on major routes and roadways. This research investigates the acceptability of LED luminaires for use on major roadways through a feasibility analysis using data collected at various LED street light testing sites. Nine distinct LED luminaires were analyzed in field testing. The field data was then analyzed and compared …

Dynamic Model-Based Systems Engineering Using Xml Metadata Interchange, Dustin Scott Nottage

Masters Theses

"Designing systems presents an engineer with numerous design choices based on multiple conditions and constraints. Base camp planning must take into account the number of soldiers, the permanency of the base, the location of the base, etc. To help alleviate the complexity of constructing a base camp, a model-based systems engineering approach is used. This method creates and integrates models for all of the facilities that can make a base camp, as well as interactions between facilities and required utilities for each. The goal is to have a camp design, and then solve a system of equations to solve for …

Data Mining Based Threshold Development For Novelty Detection, Poovich Phaladiganon

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation is to develop thresholds for novelty detection with applications to statistical process control (SPC). SPC is a widely used technique for improving process and product quality. The primary tool of SPC is a control chart that is used to monitor and detect abnormal processes. Traditional control chart techniques usually require a specific distributional assumption, typically the normal distribution, to establish their control limits. However, in modern manufacturing processes, the normality assumption is often violated. Novelty detection more generally seeks abnormal (or novel) patterns in data, and novelty detection techniques can be applied to control charts …

Adaptive Dynamic Programming For High-Dimensional, Multicollinear State Spaces, Bancha Ariyajunya

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations

Dynamic programming (DP) is a mathematical programming method for optimizing a system changing over time and has been used to solve multi-stage optimization problems in manufacturing systems, environmental engineering, and many other fields. Exact solutions are only possible for small problems or under very limiting restrictions, but computationally practical approximate DP methods now exist. Most continuous-state problems require discretization of the state space. A design and analysis of computer experiments (DACE) approach for approximate DP uses experimental design and statistical modeling to approximate the value function in continuous-state problems. However, ideal experimental designs are orthogonal, and when the state variables …

Cnt Reinforced Epoxy Foamed And Electrospun Nano-Fiber Interlayer Systems For Manufacturing Lighter And Stronger Featherweight Composites, Vasileios M. Drakonakis

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations

Multiple works have been performed in improving carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites especially in terms of strength so delamination, which is the major defect in laminated composites, is prevented. Nevertheless, there is not much focus on improving conventional CFRP systems in terms of weight especially when these are used in primary structures. This work questions whether lighter and at the same time stronger CFRP composites can be manufactured in order to replace conventional CFRP systems in major applications. Under this perspective, this study demonstrates that inducing controlled porosity may offer a systemic approach for manufacturing light weight carbon fiber …

Multivariate Modeling For A Multiple Stage, Multiple Objective Green Building Framework, Pin Kung

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations

Green building is a sustainable concept to reduce environmental impact. Decision–making for green building is a complex task. A multi–stage green building framework will guide future development of a comprehensive multiple stage, multiple objective (MSMO) decision–making framework. The software eQUEST is utilized in a design and analysis of computer experiments (DACE) approach to study building options that potentially impact energy usage and cost metrics. The DACE approach uses experimental design and statistical analysis to uncover multivariate patterns that will provide guidance for green building decisions. The computer experiments execute the green building software tools ATHENA [11] and eQUEST [13]. The …

Constraint Optimal Selection Techniques (Costs) For Linear Programming, Goh Saito

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations

Simplex pivoting algorithms remain the dominant approach to solve linear programming (LP) because they have advantages over interior-point methods. However, current simplex algorithms are often inadequate for solving a large-scale LPs because of their insufficient computational speeds. This dissertation develops the significantly faster simplex-based, active-set approaches called Constraint Optimal Selection Techniques (COSTs). COSTs specify a constraint-ordering rule based on constraints' likelihood of being binding at optimality, as well as a rule for adding constraints. In particular, new techniques for adding multiple constraints in an active-set framework, and an efficient constraint-ordering rule for LP are proposed. These innovations greatly reduce computation …

Using An Ahp/Anp Hybrid Methodology For Freight Transport Networks Selection Towards Sustainable Transportation, Andrea M. Graham

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations

The selection of an effective transportation network for the transport of container freight is one of the most important factors in supply chain and logistics planning. The current transport networks, hub-and-spoke and point-to-point, although optimal in many aspects are still plagued with issues in route optimization, empty travel, and bad intermodal synchronization. The trucking industry, the most utilized of all modes, offers unsustainable components in its current state that continually introduce negative impacts to an ever evolving supply chain network. This research investigates a third potentially more sustainable distributed multi-segment transportation network. This network will be compared to the traditional …

The Art Of Microchannel Molding In Microscope Glass Slides, Sree Bhupathiraju

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations

This research is an effort to develop a new process by combining engineering principles with the history of glass art molding to develop clear micro-level test features in glass, for bio-medical and drug experiments dealing with cells, tissue, and micro-level organisms. Most of the present research in the bio-medical field involving micro-level cell and brain tissue testing is done using expensive glass or developed using Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the main material. Disadvantages of PDMS is that, over time the cell or blood tissue reacts with polymers causing a reduction in clarity making it difficult for a research scientist to observe …

Decision Rule Induction For Service Sector Using Data Mining- A Rough Set Theory Approach, Zhonghua Hu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Nowadays, data mining is more widely used than ever before; not only by the academic area, but also in the industry and business area. Apart from execution of business processes, the creation of knowledge base and its utilization for the benefit of the organization is becoming a strategy tool to compete. Despite of having ever growing data bases, the problem is that the finance company fails to fully capitalize the true benefits which can be gained from this great wealth of information. The data mining technology instead of classic statistical analysis is developed to help the people to discover the …

The Integration Of Wind Energy In The Electrical Grid During The Contingencies, Islam Ali

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

As wind energy expansion develops, there are also many problems and challenges to connect the wind farms to the grid. There are many different interactions during the connection like the voltage flicker, harmonics, transient, short circuit current, frequency, and safety protection. Those problems may affect the performance of the grid and may cause serious problems. This study investigates the grid-connection problems for the wind turbines and offers appropriate solutions. This study provides a simulation for the power system during the faults. The electrical grid in the simulation contains generators and wind turbines which are connected to the grid. It also …

Investigation Into The Usability Of Micromechanical Models To Predict The Behavior Of A Nanocomposite Polymer, Jason Handlogten

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this thesis was to determine the acceptability of a set of existing nanocomposite test specimens for tensile testing and then to determine the Young's and shear modulus of these test specimens. If the test specimens were found to be acceptable, the accuracy of three micromechanical models was to be evaluated by comparing their predictions to the mechanical properties determined from testing the specimens. The set of existing nanocomposite test specimens had a distinct concave shape on two surfaces that were believed to be intended as flat. In order to determine if they adhered to the Type I …

Introducing Fly Ash Into Lsi's Recipe, Andrew Mathias Beckrich

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

There has been published data that states that concrete producers can use Fly Ash as an alternative to Portland cement and still generate similar or better strength properties. By applying these principles to our industry and products, what new processes will need to be put in place and followed? What is the correct combination/portion of Fly Ash that will produce similar and better results as well as the adjusted new recipes? What type of cost is associated with the introduction of this new ingredient? Lastly, how does this affect the quality and reputation of the product?

Ergonomics Evaluation Of Task Demands Among Kitchen Staff, Jaqueline Pereira Da Silva

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the workplace demands faced by a group of kitchen staff at six dining centers and to survey musculoskeletal complaints among this sample of workers. The dining centers were located in six different public elementary and middle schools in a city in the south of Brazil. This research was developed following qualitative research design, and the researcher made use of the “Activity Oriented Ergonomics (AOE) methodology.

The AOE focuses on the work analysis that evaluates real work situations that allows a reassessment of work demands. In this case the chosen methodology was a …