Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Acuta Enews January 2006, Vol.35, No. 1

ACUTA Newsletters

In This lssue

From ACUTA Headquarters Jeri A. Semer, CAE, ACUTA Executive Director

ACUTA Audio Seminar: Creative Cost Savings in Communications Technology

Tech Talk: Skype May be Unwanted, But at Least lt's Not Harmful............ Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

Institutional Excellence Award Deadline

FYI: Useful lnformation from the Campus................ Student Monitor

Web Tip: Online Directory and Other Useful Resources. Aaron Fuehrer, ACUTA lnformation Tech. Mgr.

Thanks to Sponsors for 2005

Board Report................. Riny Ledgerwood, San Diego State Univ., ACUTA Sec./Treasurer

DC Update.................. Whitney Johnson, Retired, No. Michigan Univ.

Welcome New Members

ACUTA Online Press Room

Reducing Long-Term Remedial Costs By Transport Modeling Optimization, David Becker, Barbara Minsker, Robert Greenwald, Yan Zhang, Karla Harre, Kathleen Yager, Chunmiao Zheng, Richard Peralta

United States Navy: Publications

The Department of Defense (DoD) Environmental Security Technology Certification Program and the Environmental Protection Agency sponsored a project to evaluate the benefits and utility of contaminant transport simulation-optimization algorithms against traditional (trial and error) modeling approaches. Three pump-and-treat facilities operated by the DoD were selected for inclusion in the project. Three optimization formulations were developed for each facility and solved independently by three modeling teams (two using simulation-optimization algorithms and one applying trial-and-error methods). The results clearly indicate that simulation-optimization methods are able to search a wider range of well locations and flow rates and identify better solutions than current …

A Simulated Annealing Heuristic For A Crane Sequencing Problem, Alan Mckendall, Jin Shang, James Noble, Cerry Klein

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

When maintenance activities during outages at electric power plants are scheduled using project management software, the locations of the resources required to perform the activities are determined such that the total distance the resources travel during the outage is minimized. This problem is defined as the dynamic space allocation problem (DSAP). Once the DSAP solution (i.e., assignment of activities and their required resources to workspaces and of idle resources to storage spaces) is obtained, the problem then is to determine the sequence in which the crane moves the resources to their required locations at the beginning of each period (i.e., …

A Tabu Search Heuristic For The Dynamic Space Allocation Problem, Alan Mckendall, Juan Jaramillo

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The dynamic space allocation problem(DSAP) presented here is a relatively new problem in the literature. It looks at the optimization of space/resource assignments during the implementation of project activities. More specifically, the DSAP assigns project activities and their required resources to workspaces and idle resources to storage spaces with respect to minimizing the sum of the distances the resources travel. In this paper, construction algorithms and a tabu search heuristic are presented for the DSAP, and a set of test problems taken from the literature is used to test the performances of the heuristics. The results show that the proposed …

Hybrid Ant Systems For The Dynamic Facility Layout Problem, Alan Mckendall, Jin Shang

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Today’s consumer market demands that manufacturers must be competitive. This requires the efficient operation of manufacturing plants and their ability to quickly respond to changes in product mix and demand. In addition, studies show that material-handling cost make up between 20 and 50 percent of the total operating cost. Therefore, this paper considers the problem of arranging and rearranging, when there are changes in product mix and demand, manufacturing facilities such that the sum of material handling and rearrangement costs is minimized. This problem is called the dynamic facility layout problem (DFLP). In this paper, hybrid ant systems (HASs) are …

Simulated Annealing Heuristics For The Dynamic Facility Layout Problem, Alan Mckendall, Jin Shang, Saravanan Kuppusamy

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

In today’s economy, manufacturing plants must be able to operate efficiently and respond quickly to changes in product mix and demand. Therefore, this paper considers the problem of arranging and rearranging (when there are changes between the flows of materials between departments) manufacturing facilities such that the sum of the material handling and rearrangement costs is minimized. This problem is known as the dynamic facility layout problem (DFLP). In this paper, two simulated annealing (SA) heuristics are developed for the DFLP. The first SA heuristic (SAI) is a direct adaptation of SA to the DFLP. The second SA heuristic(SAII) is …

Process Modeling For Simulation, John Ryan, Cathal Heavey

Articles

This paper discusses shortfalls in relation to the requirements gathering phases of simulation. While many developments have taken place around supporting the model coding task of simulation, there are few tools available to assist in the requirements gathering phase. This is surprising as it has been reported by several researchers that the requirements phase can absorb twice as much resources as the coding phase. There are numerous process modeling tools available (over 100) that can and have been used to support the requirements phase of simulation. This paper provides a selective review of some of the most important in relation …

Effects, Transfer, And Fate Of Rdx From Aged Soil In Plants And Worms, E.P.H. Best, K.N. Geter, H.E. Tatem, B.K. Lane

United States Army: Publications

The objectives of this study were to provide data that can be used to predict exposure-based effects of RDX in aged soil on multiple endpoint organisms representing two trophic levels. These data can be used for defining criteria or reference values for environmental management and conducting specific risk assessment. Dose–response experiments formed the basis for the evaluation of toxic effects and transfer of contaminants from soil into two trophic levels. Long-term exposure tests were conducted to evaluate chronic, sublethal, toxicity and transfer of aged soil-based explosives, with RDX as main contaminant. In these tests, plants were exposed for 55 days …

The Effect Of Reflow Profile On Snpb And Snagcu Solder Joint Shear Strength, Jianbiao Pan, Brian J. Toleno, Tzu-Chien Chou, Wesley J. Dee

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Purpose –The purpose of this work is to study the effect of the reflow peak temperature and time above liquidus on both SnPb and SnAgCu solder joint shear strength.

Design/methodology/approach –Nine reflow profiles for Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu and nine reflow profiles for Sn37Pb have been developed with three levels of peak temperature (230°C, 240°C, and 250°C for Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu; and 195°C, 205°C, and 215°C for Sn37Pb) and three levels of time above solder liquidus temperature (30, 60, and 90 s). The shear force data of four different sizes of chip resistors (1206, 0805, 0603, and 0402) are compared across the different …

A Simplified Model For Ploughing Forces In Turning, Daniel Waldorf

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This paper aims to provide experimental data in support of a modified theoretical model for quantifying the effect of cutting tool edge geometry on machining forces. A previously published slip-line model is simplified and extended to the case of turning. Several sets of machining experiments were run with custom-fabricated cutting inserts of varying edge hone radius and chamfer geometry. Cutting forces were measured using a dynamometer during cutting. Results show that varying edge geometry can have a major effect on cutting forces. The developed model effectively captures the edge phenomenon and its effect on cutting forces and also offers a …

Identity And Distribution Of Residues Of Energetic Compounds At Army Live-Fire Training Ranges, Thomas F. Jenkins, Alan D. Hewitt, Clarence L. Grant, Sonia Thiboutot, Guy Ampleman, Marianne E. Walsh, Thomas A. Ranney, Charles A. Ramsey, Antonio J. Palazzo, Judith C. Pennington

United States Army: Publications

Environmental investigations have been conducted at 23 military firing ranges in the United States and Canada. The specific training facilities most frequently evaluated were hand grenade, antitank rocket, and artillery ranges. Energetic compounds (explosives and propellants) were determined and linked to the type of munition used and the major mechanisms of deposition.

The Dielectric Behavior Of Polycrystalline Ferroelectric Films With Fiber Textures, Quangen Du, Jiangyu Li, William Nothwang, Melanie W. Cole

United States Army: Publications

We consider the effects of crystallographic symmetry, texture, and internal strain on the dielectric properties of polycrystalline ferroelectric thin films with fiber textures, including spontaneous polarization, coercivity, dielectric constant, dielectric tunability, and strain-induced phase transition, by combining Landau–Ginzburg–Devonshire phenomenological theory for ferroelectrics with the micromechanics theory for polycrystalline thin films. Cubic and tetragonal BaxSr1_xTiO3 (BST) films with [001] fiber texture, and cubic and rhombohedral BST films with [111] texture are considered. The results show that for [001]-textured film compressive strain enhances the spontaneous polarization, coercivity, and tunability while it decreases the dielectric constant; for [111]-textured film the effects are the …

Proposed Evaluation Of Switchgrass Selections For Caddo House Construction, Charles Allen, Sara Thames, Jim Grafton, Bill Welton, Lorene Williams, Katina Mcclure, Darryl Monteau, Phil Cross, Andrew Hamblin, William Meyer

United States Army: Publications

The Caddo Indian tribe’s range was northwest Louisiana, northeast Texas, eastern Oklahoma, western Arkansas, and southwest Missouri. Historical records indicate the use of native switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in the construction of houses. The frame and stringers for the houses were wood but the entire covering was bundles of switchgrass. In 2005, Fort Polk personnel and faculty and students at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas initiated a joint monitoring effort of biological (density, height, seed production), cultural, and other characteristics of switchgrass. Both groups have ongoing field and greenhouse plots with selections of switchgrass from throughout the …

A Study Of The Impact Of Prognostic Errors On System Performance, Mauricio Carrasco

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

Condition-based maintenance is growing in popularity as a means of improving equipment maintenance efficiency. Whether it be the maintenance of an airplane, a computer system, or any type of physical system, the prognostic tools associated with condition-based maintenance are subject to statistical error. These errors can lead to unnecessary preventive maintenance due to underestimation of system remaining life and unnecessary system failures due to overestimation of system remaining life. What is not clear is if these statistical errors outweigh the benefits of a condition-based maintenance policy. This study attempts to address this concern through the evaluation and comparison of three …

Class Exercise For Assessing Abilities And Providing A Structure For A Course, Paul Savory

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Instructional Materials

I developed this class exercise to assess students abilities and to highlight the range of questions/issues that they will learn in my IMSE 440/840 (Discrete Event Computer Simulation) course. I draw a picture of the case scenario for students and explain the system’s operation to them. I then ask that they complete the questions regarding the system and/or how they would analyze it. Following class, I develop a summary of the range of student answers. At the next class session, I share the range of answers and share what my answers would be and how these questions/topics relate to what …

Enterprise Resource Planning Survey Of Korean Manufacturing Firms, Lee Taehyung, Young Moon, Lee Heeseok

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering - All Scholarship

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are packaged software designed to integrate and optimise the business processes of an enterprise. The ERP systems have been embraced by industry as a de facto solution to integrate their business functions. The adoption of the ERP concept is a truly global phenomenon. This paper reports a recently completed survey study on Korean manufacturing firms. The study used the same survey questionnaires used in two previous surveys done on US and Swedish manufacturing firms. Our objective is to determine the extent of adoption of the ERP system in the Korean manufacturing firms, their motivations, implementation …

Analyzing Faulty Knowledge Systems In Project-Based Environments: An Empirical Investigation In A R&D Organization, Rafael E. Landaeta, Cesar Ariel Pinto, Timothy G. Kotnour, William R. Peterson

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This investigation contributes a framework of the relationships among the faulty elements of a knowledge system in a project-based organization. The framework was developed during an applied research project at a R&D organization. A knowledge system can be defined as a series of inputs, processes, and outputs that interact with each other with the purpose of enhance the performance and capabilities of an organization or work unit through knowledge. The framework was developed using literature, our experience as applied researchers, and data collected from members of a R&D organization. Data was collected through a survey, interviews, and group meetings. The …

An Integrated Framework For Modeling And Simulation Of The U.S. Southern Border: A Border Patrol Perspective, Shannon R. Bowling, Ghaith Rabadi, Charles Keating

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Border Security is a complex system consisting of many interrelated components that must function as a whole in order to be effective. The efficacy of border security is dependent on several independent agencies; these include U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Department of Justice (DOJ), state and local law enforcement, and many others. Border security is not only a function of how well each of the agencies perform individually but also how well they interact to accomplish a goal. This paper attempts to model border security from a Border Patrol (BP) perspective using discrete …

A Dynamic Heuristic For The Stochastic Unrelated Parallel Machine Scheduling Problem, Jean-Paul Arnaout, Ghaith Rabadi, Ji Hyon Mun

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper addresses the problem of batch scheduling in an unrelated parallel machine environment with sequence dependent setup times and an objective of minimizing the total weighted mean completion time. The jobs' processing times and setup times are stochastic for better depiction of the real world. This is a NP-hard problem and in this paper, new heuristics are developed and compared to existing ones using simulation. The results and analysis obtained from the computational experiments proved the superiority of the proposed algorithm PMWP over the other algorithms presented.

Development Of Integrated Process Simulation System Model For Spent Fuel Treatment Facility (Sftf) Design, Yitung Chen, Sean Hsieh

Separations Campaign (TRP)

The overall goal of this project is the creation of a framework that combines all the strengths of AMUSE’s complicated calculations, well-established commercial system process packages, and TRPSEMPro’s flexible parameter optimization modules. Development of the process simulation code can be done using the solvent extraction process at Argonne National Laboratory in collaboration with the UNLV Nevada Center for Advanced Computational Methods.

The major objectives are the following:

• Develop a framework for simulating the Spent Fuel Treatment Facility (SFTF) process using AMUSE code, commercial process package, such as ASPEN-PLUS, and system engineering model.
• Develop a middleware package that can communicate between …

Effect Of Time-Based Parameters On The Agility Of A Dynamic Mpc System, A. M. Deif, W. H. Elmaraghy

Industrial Technology and Packaging

This paper presents a dynamic manufacturing planning and control (MPC) system that can maintain agility through the ability to dynamically switch between different policies due to varying market strategies. The dynamic behavior of the developed system is investigated by studying the effect of the time based parameters on responsiveness and cost effectiveness of the system reflected in the natural frequency and the damping of its different configurations. Results showed that the agility requirements are directly affected by the time based parameters of the MPC system: production lead time, capacity scalability delay, and shipment time. This resulted in a better understanding …

A Control Approach To Explore The Dynamics Of Capacity Scalability In Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems, Ahmed M. Deif, Waguih H. Elmaraghy

Industrial Technology and Packaging

This paper presents a dynamic model and analysis for one of the major characteristics of reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMSs) capacity scalability. The dynamic model is analyzed using its transfer function. Dynamic characteristics associated with the delay in capacity scalability and how to minimize this delay are discussed using control approaches. The problem of how to supply exact capacity in response to market changes is also examined by solving the dynamic problem of the production offset phenomenon in RMSs. The effect of work in process as a damping factor for production disturbances during capacity scalability is addressed. Finally, a general capacity …

B2b E-Marketplaces In The Airline Industry: A Study On Process Drivers And Performance Indicators, Claudia-Maria Wagner, Bernd Huber, Edward Sweeney

Practitioner Journals

No abstract provided.

Developing A New Program In Marine Engineering Technology, Anthony Dean, Gary Crossman, Alok Verma

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

The Department of Engineering Technology, in the Batten College of Engineering and Technology at Old Dominion University, in conjunction with members of its advisory board and other industry representatives have begun a sustained effort to promote and develop a strong course of study in Marine Engineering Technology. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, Old Dominion University, and particularly the Department of Engineering Technology, is uniquely positioned to develop such a program. With strong ties to the world's largest Naval Base and superlative shipbuilding, maintenance and repair facilities, early qualitative research indicated high interest for development of such a program in support of …

Oxygen Exposure Promotes Fuel Diversity For Shewanella Oneidensis Microbial Fuel Cells, Justin C. Biffinger, Jacqueline N. Byrd, Breanna L. Dudley, Bradley R. Ringeisen

United States Navy: Publications

Miniature microbial fuel cells (mini-MFCs) were used to monitor the current generated by Shewanella oneidensis DSP10 under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions when exposed to glucose as a potential electron donor. In addition to glucose, other carbon fuels including fructose, sucrose, acetate, and ascorbic acid were also tested. When the anolyte containing S. oneidensis was grown in the presence of oxygen, power densities of 270±10, 350±20, and 120±10 W/m³ were recorded from the mini-MFC for glucose, fructose, and ascorbic acid electron donors, respectively, while sucrose and acetate produced no response. The power produced from glucose decreased considerably (≤100 W/m …

High Power Density From A Miniature Microbial Fuel Cell Using Shewanella Oneidensis Dsp10, Bradley R. Ringeisen, Emily Henderson, Peter K. Wu, Jeremy Pietron, Ricky Ray, Brenda J. Little, Justin C. Biffinger, Joanne M. Jones-Meehan

United States Navy: Publications

A miniature microbial fuel cell (mini-MFC) is described that demonstrates high output power per device crosssection (2.0 cm²) and volume (1.2 cm³). Shewanella oneidensis DSP10 in growth medium with lactate and buffered ferricyanide solutions were used as the anolyte and catholyte, respectively. Maximum power densities of 24 and 10 mW/m² were measured using the true surface areas of reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) and graphite felt (GF) electrodes without the addition of exogenous mediators in the anolyte. Current densities at maximum power were measured as 44 and 20 mA/m² for RVC and GF, while short …

Evolution Of The Snow Area Index Of The Subarctic Snowpack In Central Alaska Over A Whole Season. Consequences For The Air To Snow Transfer Of Pollutants, A.S. Taillandier, F. Domine, W.R. Simpson, M. Sturm, T.A. Douglas, K Severin

United States Army: Publications

The detailed physical characteristics of the subarctic snowpack must be known to quantify the exchange of adsorbed pollutants between the atmosphere and the snow cover. For the first time, the combined evolutions of specific surface area (SSA), snow stratigraphy, temperature, and density were monitored throughout winter in central Alaska. We define the snow area index (SAI) as the vertically integrated surface area of snow crystals, and this variable is used to quantify pollutants’ adsorption. Intense metamorphism generated by strong temperature gradients formed a thick depth hoar layer with low SSA (90 cm² g^-1) and density (200 kg …

Management Of System Of Systems Engineering: System Of Systems Engineering Requirements, Charles Keating, Andres Sousa-Poza, Samuel Kovacic

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Traditional systems engineering focuses efforts on developing requirements that are assumed to be objective, definitive, and unwavering. However, the function, development, and utilization of requirements for System of Systems Engineering (SoSE) do not have the level of maturity or sophistication as traditional systems engineering. To avoid miscalculation of the nature and role of requirements in SoSE, a closer examination is necessary. It would be presumptuous to assume that SoSE requirements are a simple extrapolation of traditional systems engineering requirements. The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of requirements from a SoSE perspective. This examination is concentrated in …

Grinding Wheel Condition Monitoring With Boosted Classifiers, Fengming Tang

LSU Master's Theses

In this thesis, two data sets collected in grinding process under different cutting and wheel conditions were studied. One is the cutting forces in three directions, i.e. X, Y and Z, collected under two different cutting conditions. The other one is the acoustic emission (AE) signals collected under different wheel conditions(sharp and dull). For the goal of grinding wheel condition monitoring, the regression model with autocorrelated errors was proved to be effective and was used to extract features from signals in this study. The coefficients of the models served as the features used in the classification step that employed boosting …

Influence Of Circadian Rhythm On The Physical And Mental Performance, Maryam Muhammed Amin

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis studied the temperature circadian rhythm and its relationship with the physical and mental performance of the individuals. The objectives of this study were to determine (1) the effect of temperature circadian rhythm on the mental and physical performance, (2) whether a common oral temperature circadian rhythm pattern exists for all the participants, (3) the times of the day when the participants perform their best and worst in comparison to their highest and lowest temperatures respectively, (4) find out whether the effect of the oral temperature circadian rhythm on the physical and mental performance is different in males and …