A New Combined Framework for the Cellular Manufacturing Systems Design

Cellular Manufacturing (CM) system has been recognized as an efficient and effective way to improve productivity in a factory. In recent years, there have been continuous research efforts to study different facet of CM system. The literature does not contain much published research on CM design which includes all design aspects. In this paper we provide a framework for the complete CM system design. It combines Axiomatic Design (AD) and Experimental Design (ED) to generate several feasible and potentially profitable designs. The AD approach is used as the basis for establishing a systematic CM systems design structure. ED has been a very useful tool to design and analyze complicated industrial design problems. AD helps secure valid input-factors to the ED. An element of the proposed framework is desmontrate through a numerical example for cell formation with alternative process.Cellular manufacturing; Design methodology Axiomatic Design; Experimental Design.

Electric fields as a means of controlling thin film flow over topography

This paper was presented at the 2nd Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2009), which was held at Brunel University, West London, UK. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, IPEM, the Italian Union of Thermofluid dynamics, the Process Intensification Network, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group and the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.Gravity-driven, steady-state flow of a thin liquid film over a substrate containing topography in the presence of a normal electric field is investigated. The liquid is assumed to be a perfect conductor and the air above it an ideal dielectric. The Navier-Stokes equations are solved using a new depth-averaged approximation that is capable of analysing film flows with inertia, with the flow coupled to the electric field via a Maxwell normal stress term that results from the solution of Laplace’s equation for the electric potential above the film. The latter is solved analytically using separation of variables and Fourier series. The coupled solver is used to analyse the interplay between inertia and electric field effects for flow over onedimensional step and trench topographies and to predict the effect of an electric field on three-dimensional Stokes flow over a two-dimensional trench topography. Sample results are given which investigate the magnitude of the electric fields needed to suppress free surface disturbances induced by topography in each of the cases considered.This study is funded by the European Union via Marie Curie Action Contract MEST-CT-2005-020599

An agent-based dynamic information network for supply chain management

One of the main research issues in supply chain management is to improve the global efficiency of supply chains. However, the improvement efforts often fail because supply chains are complex, are subject to frequent changes, and collaboration and information sharing in the supply chains are often infeasible. This paper presents a practical collaboration framework for supply chain management wherein multi-agent systems form dynamic information networks and coordinate their production and order planning according to synchronized estimation of market demands. In the framework, agents employ an iterative relaxation contract net protocol to find the most desirable suppliers by using data envelopment analysis. Furthermore, the chain of buyers and suppliers, from the end markets to raw material suppliers, form dynamic information networks for synchronized planning. This paper presents an agent-based dynamic information network for supply chain management and discusses the associated pros and cons

Construction vs. Development: Polarizing Models of Human Gestation

This essay argues that the polarization of our public debate over embryo-destructive research may be due, to a large extent, not to different valuations of individual human life but to different conceptions of the process of gestation, with one group treating the process as a making or construction and the other treating it as a development. These two incompatible models of reproduction are shown to explain the various positions commonly encountered in this debate over the treatment of embryos, and to a significant degree those encountered in the debate over abortion as well. Finally, the historical, theoretical, and intuitive strengths of each model are examined

Electricity from photovoltaic solar cells: Flat-Plate Solar Array Project final report. Volume VI: Engineering sciences and reliability

The Flat-Plate Solar Array (FSA) Project, funded by the U.S. Government and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was formed in 1975 to develop the module/array technology needed to attain widespread terrestrial use of photovoltaics by 1985. To accomplish this, the FSA Project established and managed an Industry, University, and Federal Government Team to perform the needed research and development. This volume of the series of final reports documenting the FSA Project deals with the Project's activities directed at developing the engineering technology base required to achieve modules that meet the functional, safety and reliability requirements of large-scale terrestrial photovoltaic systems applications. These activities included: (1) development of functional, safety, and reliability requirements for such applications; (2) development of the engineering analytical approaches, test techniques, and design solutions required to meet the requirements; (3) synthesis and procurement of candidate designs for test and evaluation; and (4) performance of extensive testing, evaluation, and failure analysis to define design shortfalls and, thus, areas requiring additional research and development. During the life of the FSA Project, these activities were known by and included a variety of evolving organizational titles: Design and Test, Large-Scale Procurements, Engineering, Engineering Sciences, Operations, Module Performance and Failure Analysis, and at the end of the Project, Reliability and Engineering Sciences. This volume provides both a summary of the approach and technical outcome of these activities and provides a complete Bibliography (Appendix A) of the published documentation covering the detailed accomplishments and technologies developed

Silicon-sheet and thin-film cell and module technology potential: Issue study

The development of high-efficiency low-cost crystalline silicon ribbon and thih-film solar cells for the energy national photovoltaics program was examined. The findings of an issue study conducted are presented. The collected data identified the status of the technology, future research needs, and problems experienced. The potentials of present research activities to meet the Federal/industry long-term technical goal of achieving 15 cents per kilowatt-hour levelized PV energy cost are assessed. Recommendations for future research needs related to crystalline silicon ribbon and thin-film technologies for flat-plate collectors are also included

Porous composite with negative thermal expansion obtained by photopolymer additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) could be a novel method of fabricating composite and porous materials having various effective performances based on mechanisms of their internal geometries. Materials fabricated by AM could rapidly be used in industrial application since they could easily be embedded in the target part employing the same AM process used for the bulk material. Furthermore, multi-material AM has greater potential than usual single-material AM in producing materials with effective properties. Negative thermal expansion is a representative effective material property realized by designing a composite made of two materials with different coefficients of thermal expansion. In this study, we developed a porous composite having planar negative thermal expansion by employing multi-material photopolymer AM. After measurement of the physical properties of bulk photopolymers, the internal geometry was designed by topology optimization, which is the most effective structural optimization in terms of both minimizing thermal stress and maximizing stiffness. The designed structure was converted to a three-dimensional STL model, which is a native digital format of AM, and assembled as a test piece. The thermal expansions of the specimens were measured using a laser scanning dilatometer. The test pieces clearly showed negative thermal expansion around room temperature.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Conceptual design of harvesting energy system for road application

Energy harvesting becomes more and more important in our life. It refers to the practice of acquiring energy from the environment which would be otherwise wasted and converting it into usable electric energy. For this, every kind of energy can be exploited such as solar, wind or strain and kinetic energy. The idea is to propose a conceptual design that will carry out a suitable energy harvesting conversion to be applied for road application. Harvesting energy using piezoelectric generators has been chosen for this project. The project conduct a simulation analysis using a piezoelectric generator based on a model by S Roundy and P K Wright. The data used from a 15 mm x 3.2 mm x 0.14 mm single layer piezoelectric bending element which produce 0.95mW with a 1.727e6 Nm of input stress. The simulation is done using MATLAB-Simulink-SimPowerSystems which also tested with others value by Luigi Pinna et al.. Piezoelectric generator can be one of the green solutions for sustainable development in energy generation