Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Roadblocks To Software Modernization, Dyan E. Mcclamma

Theses and Dissertations

Failed or troubled modernization efforts, such as the multi-million dollar 1997-2000 ROCC/SOCC failure, are a serious acquisition problem for the Air Force. Using both historical data and a survey of current Air Force software acquisition program key staff, this research examined the Air Forces ability to modernize legacy software systems. The search of historical program data, to identify trends or similarities between known failed software modernization efforts, failed to uncover sufficient data for analysis. This lack of project data indicates a knowledge management issue (i.e. lessons learned are not recorded and stored so that they can be accessed by other …

Implementing Reliability-Centered Maintenance Analysis In A Revised Preventive Maintenance Program For The F-15, Michael H. Martin

Theses and Dissertations

Reliability-centered maintenance is an approach to analyzing how and when equipment fails in order to maintain a desired level of performance or functionality. It employs the use of failure modes, effects and criticality analysis to rank order potential failures, and combines this rank order with the use of a prescribed decision logic process to determine what preventive maintenance tasks should be performed and when. Reliability-centered maintenance analysis has been used by the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, and commercial airlines to develop and update preventive maintenance programs for their aircraft for many years. While the United States …

Understanding Innovation Adoption In The Air Force, Morgan J. Evans

Theses and Dissertations

Innovation adoption has become a critical issue for organizations in both the public and private sectors. The search for competitive advantage has led to the recognition that innovation is a vital ingredient for an organization's survival and profitability in this information age. The United States Air Force is seeking to adapt to this new information age by transforming its business processes in order to sustain its competitive advantage as the world's most respected air force. Adopting innovations and integrating new or improved technologies, capabilities, concepts, and processes into Air Force planning and acquisition activities, organizations, and operations are goals of …

Discrete Event Simulation Model Of The Ground Maintenance Operations Cycle Of A Reusable Launch Vehicle, John T. Pope Iii

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force uses a family of expendable launch vehicles to meet its spacelift needs. Unfortunately, this method is not responsive: months of preparation are typically required and launch costs are high. Consequently, the Air Force seeks a reusable military launch vehicle that can be launched inexpensively and quickly regenerated between flights. Air Force Research Laboratory personnel desire a tool to help evaluate candidate designs and perform tradeoff studies necessary to acquire a launch vehicle that will achieve Air Force goals. The objective of this research was first to develop a conceptual model of maintenance operations needed to regenerate a …

Optimizing Mean Mission Duration For Multiple-Payload Satellites, John A. Flory

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses the problem of optimally selecting and specifying satellite payloads for inclusion on a satellite bus to be launched into a constellation. The objective is to select and specify payloads so that the total lifetime utility of the constellation is maximized. The satellite bus is limited by finite power, weight, volume, and cost constraints. This problem is modeled as a classical knapsack problem in one and multiple dimensions, and dynamic programming and binary integer programming formulations are provided to solve the problem. Due to the computational complexity of the problem, the solution techniques include exact methods as well …

Assessing Resource Value And Relationships Between Objectives In Effects-Based Operations, Robert D. Jones

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was developing techniques to calculate the value of a resource within the context of campaign objectives, to identify competing objectives, and to identify conflicting objectives to improve a commander’s ability to allocate limited resources. A methodology was developed to express a campaign’s objective hierarchy in terms of a set of desired end states for the campaign’s system of systems. Value theory was used to identify the resource's value in terms of the direct and indirect effects that are produced to achieve the campaign’s objectives. Binding resource constraints within an integer program were used to identify …

Analysis Of Patient Information: An Empirical Modeling Approach, Tony A. Murphy

Theses and Dissertations

With rising costs and increasing complexities, many hospitals seek to better understand the intricate details of their operations. Increasingly, these organizations have a strong desire to accurately predict the resources required to effectively treat their patient load. This research investigates patient length-of-stay in a hospital neurological unit using an empirical modeling approach. Factors significantly affecting patient length of stay were identified and used to construct a regression model. The predictive model provides hospital decision makers with a compact tool to input what-if scenarios and predict future patient treatment lengths, thus, allowing the hospital to properly allocate resources.

A Methodology For Performing Effects-Based Assessments, Benjamin A. Thoele

Theses and Dissertations

In order to bring the doctrine of Effects-Based Operations (EBO) into a fully operational capability, Effects-Based Assessment (EBA) must provide relevant insight to the commander and his planning staff. Assessments of an effects-based plan and execution must include an assessment of the effects of a campaign on the enemy in addition to an assessment of the accomplishment of friendly actions taken to achieve the desired effects. Determining the effects of a campaign requires an analysis of the dynamics of the enemy systems. EBA must be able to recognize the states of the enemy's systems as the system states change over …

Optimization Of A Multi-Echelon Repair System Via Generalized Pattern Search With Ranking And Selection: A Computational Study, Derek D. Tharaldson

Theses and Dissertations

With increasing developments in computer technology and available software, simulation is becoming a widely used tool to model, analyze, and improve a real world system or process. However, simulation in itself is not an optimization approach. Common optimization procedures require either an explicit mathematical formulation or numerous function evaluations at improving iterative points. Mathematical formulation is generally impossible for problems where simulation is relevant, which are characteristically the types of problems that arise in practical applications. Further complicating matters is the variability in the simulation response which can cause problems in iterative techniques using the simulation model as a function …

Strategic Airlift En Route Analysis To Support The Global War On Terrorism Using A Value Focused Thinking Approach, Marykathryn W. Tharaldson

Theses and Dissertations

The Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) has yielded new challenges to the United States' strategic airlift infrastructure. The network of en-route airfields that serve as refueling and maintenance stops were designed primarily to service relatively static Cold War requirements. However, the GWOT has resulted in the need for an infrastructure that is responsive to a highly dynamic environment. This research uses a "value focused" methodology to identify en-route airfield locations that simultaneously maximize cargo throughput capability while possessing a high degree of adaptability to volatile cargo delivery requirements.

An Epidemiological Approach To Terrorism, Kjirstin A. Bentson

Theses and Dissertations

There are many types of models for counterterrorism, explaining different problems that the military faces in the fight against terrorism. This thesis proposes that one of the fundamental assumptions underlying existing models of counterterrorism is that the struggle with terrorists can be understood as a war in the traditional sense of the term. We propose to rethink the struggle against terrorism as a fight against an infection. The epidemic of terrorist ideology within part of the world is a result, from this perspective, of the infectiousness of that ideology. Using the insights of the field of the epidemiology of ideas, …

Optimal Periodic Inspection Of A Stochastically Degrading System, Timothy B. Booher

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis develops and analyzes a procedure to determine the optimal inspection interval that maximizes the limiting average availability of a stochastically degrading component operating in a randomly evolving environment. The component is inspected periodically, and if the total observed cumulative degradation exceeds a fixed threshold value, the component is instantly replaced with a new, statistically identical component. Degradation is due to a combination of continuous wear caused by the component's random operating environment, as well as damage due to randomly occurring shocks of random magnitude. In order to compute an optimal inspection interval and corresponding limiting average availability, a …

Predicting The Effects Of Contingency Contracting On Local Economies, Donald J. Wagoner

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, Air Force personnel have been deployed in support of contingency operations to various points on the globe. The Department of Defense spends millions of dollars to support and sustain forces during contingency operations. The Air Force deploys Contingency Contracting Officers (CCO) to support personnel during these operations. During a contingency operation contracting officers will normally establish short-term contracts as quickly as possible to meet mission requirements with little concern for the local economy. This research concluded that the actions of Air Force CCOs can affect the local economy in a deployed location. By providing contingency contracting officers …

Hazardous Materials Transportation: A Meta-Analysis Of State Level Policy And Regulations, David J. Pastika

Theses and Dissertations

Every day, over 800,000 hazmat transactions take place across the United States. This segment of transportation is expected to grow at a modest two percent a year for the foreseeable future but differences of regulations between the state and Federal level have been a growing concern for both the government and members of the hazmat industry. A patchwork of often inconsistent permits, registration requirements, and hazmat organizational structures at the state level often create barriers to the efficient means of commerce for hazmat carriers and shippers. This thesis explores the history of hazardous regulations since de-regulation of the trucking industry …

Modeling Urban Warfare: Joint Semi-Automated Forces In Urban Resolve, Alexander B. Anastasiou

Theses and Dissertations

The United States military is performing operations in urban environments with increasing frequency. Current Department of Defense doctrine is poorly suited to train and equip today's warriors with the tools and experience necessary to fight and win in modern sprawling cities. In order to "close the gap," the U.S. Joint Forces Command's Joint Experimentation Directorate led an effort to run a massively distributed simulation of a synthetic urban environment utilizing human-in-the-loop operators called URBAN RESOLVE. The synthetic environment simulated the city of Jakarta with over 1,000,000 buildings and structures and over 120,000 civilian entities. A Red force retreated into the …

Acuta Enews February 2006, Vol.35, No. 2

ACUTA Newsletters

ln This Issue

Nominate Now for 2006-07 Board of Directors

From the President:Volunteer and Grow......... Patricia Todus, Northwestern Univ., ACUTA President

Share Your Struggles?

Text Message Marketing Encounters the Law.............. William B. Baker, Wiley Rein & fielding

lnfo Links Randy Hayes, Univ. of Northern lowa

Tech Talk: Short Takes: Interconnects and That Pesky Skype ................ Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

Just for Fun: Predictions from the Past

Web Tip: ACUTA Quick Search................ Aaron Fuehrer, ACUTA lnformation Tech. Mgr.

lnstitutional Excellence Award Deadline

Thanks to Journal Advertisers for 2005

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

DC Update..................... Whitney …

Velocity Distribution Of Helium And Neon Atoms Released From Graphite And Tungsten Limiters In Textor, P. Lindner, M. Brix, Ph Mertens, A. Pospieszczyk, U. Samm, B. Schweer, B. Unterberg

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The release mechanisms of noble gases from plasma-facing components were observed spectroscopically in the TEXTOR plasma boundary by determining the velocity distribution from Doppler broadening. For the first time, three different mechanisms for helium and neon release from graphite and tungsten limiters could be distinguished quantitatively in a tokamak: thermal desorption, ion-induced desorption and particle reflection. Under the assumption that the thermal desorption follows a Maxwellian velocity distribution, the ion-induced desorption can be expressed by a Thompson velocity distribution. Calculating the particle reflection by the Monte-Carlo code TRIM, these processes could be separated in the measured velocity distribution. © 2005 …

Parallel Simulated Annealing For Scheduling Agile Manufacturing Systems, Ahmed Osama Abdulrahman

Archived Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed in this research is the scheduling of an agile manufacturing system comprised of machining and assembly operations with the objective of minimizing the makespan. This problem has been addressed in the literature using heuristics and metaheuristics. In addition, a lower bound has been developed. This research builds upon the findings of the recent literature and proposes two enhanced algorithms, parallel simulated annealing and parallel modified simulated annealing, to solve the addressed problem. The performance of the developed algorithms is compared to that of another simulated annealing algorithm that is available in the literature. Performance comparisons are based …

Patterns In Team Communication During A Simulation Game, David M. Baca, Ray Luechtefeld, Steve Eugene Watkins

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The development of communication skills is a necessary preparation for effective engineering teamwork. Argyris' "Theory of Action" provides a framework for understanding patterns in team dialogue. Students can benefit from an awareness of these patterns. The theory highlights the detection and correction of errors by sharing information during group collaboration and interactions. Quality decision-making can be enhanced when members of a team develop high degrees of openness and interdependence. Quality decision-making can be diminished when members of a team regulate the information shared within the team. This work analyzes team interactions from simulation games used in an interdisciplinary engineering course …

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.