How to Use This Book The primary purpose of this book is to assist small companies, involved in both hardware and software, to devise and evolve their own quality systems. There are a number of national and now international standards which outline the activities for which procedures and records need to be specified. They are described and compared in Chapter 2, and the subsequent guidance in the book is intended to assist in meeting them. Although, at first sight, the operations of a hardware equipment developer may seem very different from those of a software house, the basic requirements of a quality system, such as the BS 5750 and ISO 1987 series of documents, are the same. For this reason the same standard can be called for in both areas and it will be seen, in Part 2, that suitable procedures can be derived to meet both types of operation. Quality standards (BS 5750, AQAP, ISO 9000 series) distinguish between companies carrying out, on the one hand, both design and manufacturing fixed functions and, on the other hand, those who only manufacture to specifications. In practice, the lesser requirements (those applying to manufacture to fixed specifications) are common to both levels of standard and the additional controls pertaining to design are added to obtain the higher standard. Chapter 2 explains the differences in detail.

This book is intended to address both the quantitative and qualitative issues of programmable controllers for factory automation. It is helpful for both the newcomer to the field and the experienced control engineer requiring a fresh perspective.

This volume chronicles the proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Contact Angle, Wettability and Adhesion held in Providence, Rhode Island, May 2023, 2002.
This symposium was held to provide a forum to update and consolidate the research activity on this topic. The world of wettability is very wide as it plays an extremely important role in a legion of technological areas.
This volume contains a total of 25 papers covering myriad aspects of contact angle and wettability. All manuscripts were rigorously peer-reviewed and all were revised and properly edited before inclusion in this volume. This book is divided into three parts: General Papers; Contact Angle Measurements/Determination and Solid Surface Free Energy; and Wetting and Spreading: Fundamental and Applied Aspects. The topics covered include: fundamental aspects of contact line region; effect of adsorbed vapor on liquidsolid adhesion; molecular origin of contact angles; various factors influencing contact angle measurements; different kinds of contact angles; various ways to measure contact angles; contact angle hysteresis; determination of solid surface free energies via contact angles; contact angle measurements on various materials (smooth, rough, porous, heterogeneous); factors influencing/dictating wetting and spreading phenomena; ultrahydrophobic polymer surfaces; switchable wettability; reactive wetting; wetting by nanocrystallites; dewetting; wetting of self-assembled monolayers; reversible wetting of structured surfaces; wetting in granular and porous media; relationship between wetting and adhesion; relevance/importance of wetting and surface energetics in technological applications, including foodindustry.
This volume and its predecessors containing bountiful information will be of great interest and value to everyone interested in the contemporary R&D activity in the fascinating world of contact angles and wettability. The information garnered in these volumes will hopefully serve as a fountainhead for new research ideas and applications.

New edition of the popular textbook, comprehensively updated throughout and now includes a new dedicated website for gas dynamic calculations The thoroughly revised and updated third edition of Fundamentals of Gas Dynamics maintains the focus on gas flows below hypersonic. This targeted approach provides a cohesive and rigorous examination of most practical engineering problems in this gas dynamics flow regime. The conventional one-dimensional flow approach together with the role of temperature-entropy diagrams are highlighted throughout. The authors--noted experts in the field--include a modern computational aid, illustrative charts and tables, and myriad examples of varying degrees of difficulty to aid in the understanding of the material presented. The updated edition of Fundamentals of Gas Dynamics includes new sections on the shock tube, the aerospike nozzle, and the gas dynamic laser. The book contains all equations, tables, and charts necessary to work the problems and exercises in each chapter. This book's accessible but rigorous style: Offers a comprehensively updated edition that includes new problems and examples Covers fundamentals of gas flows targeting those below hypersonic Presents the one-dimensional flow approach and highlights the role of temperature-entropy diagrams Contains new sections that examine the shock tube, the aerospike nozzle, the gas dynamic laser, and an expanded coverage of rocket propulsion Explores applications of gas dynamics to aircraft and rocket engines Includes behavioral objectives, summaries, and check tests to aid with learning Written for students in mechanical and aerospace engineering and professionals and researchers in the field, the third edition of Fundamentals of Gas Dynamics has been updated to include recent developments in the field and retains all its learning aids. The calculator for gas dynamics calculations is available at https: //www.oscarbiblarz.com/gascalculator gas dynamics calculations

These proceedings contain research papers presented at the 5th International Conference on Dynamics in Logistics, held in Bremen, Germany, February 2016. The conference is concerned with dynamic aspects of logistic processes and networks. The spectrum of topics reaches from modeling, planning and control of processes over supply chain management and maritime logistics to innovative technologies and robotic applications for cyber-physical production and logistic systems. The growing dynamic confronts the area of logistics with completely new challenges: it must become possible to describe, identify and analyze the process changes. Moreover, logistic processes and networks must be redevised to be rapidly and flexibly adaptable to continuously changing conditions. The book primarily addresses researchers and practitioners from the field of industrial engineering and logistics, but it may also be beneficial for graduate students.

Managing Difficult Projects pulls together the principles and practice of project management and presents useful diagnostic approaches, tools and structures in a clear and practical way. The book focuses on the diagnosis and resolution of difficult problems whether in large or small complex projects. The intent is to help corporate executives and project management practitioners apply proven processes, methodologies, systems, structures and tools to rally the information and the resources required for better decisions, faster delivery and improved results.This essential book shows how to plan effectively and to reduce risk at every step of project delivery, particularly vital during project implementation when 90 per cent of project funding is spent. It covers new ground by proposing the use of the project management process as an integral part of setting and updating corporate strategy. In projects, context is everything The text is amply illustrated with international case studies, charts, photos, graphs and data tables. It enables project managers to identify root causes and to apply the right solutions. It shows exactly how to identify project opportunities and then how to apply clear methodologies to set corporate strategy. It case studies the learning process. The reader can skip forward to solutions and help resolve problems at work.

Now a 6-part mini-series called Why the Rest of Us Die airing on VICE TV! The shocking truth about the government's secret plans to survive a catastrophic attack on US soil--even if the rest of us die--is "a frightening eye-opener" (Kirkus Reviews) that spans the dawn of the nuclear age to today, and "contains everything one could possibly want to know" (The Wall Street Journal). Every day in Washington, DC, the blue-and-gold first Helicopter Squadron, codenamed "MUSSEL," flies over the Potomac River. As obvious as the Presidential motorcade, most people assume the squadron is a travel perk for VIPs. They're only half right: while the helicopters do provide transport, the unit exists to evacuate high-ranking officials in the event of a terrorist or nuclear attack on the capital. In the event of an attack, select officials would be whisked by helicopters to a ring of secret bunkers around Washington, even as ordinary citizens were left to fend for themselves. "In exploring the incredible lengths (and depths) that successive administrations have gone to in planning for the aftermath of a nuclear assault, Graff deftly weaves a tale of secrecy and paranoia" (The New York Times Book Review) with details "that read like they've been ripped from the pages of a pulp spy novel" (Vice). For more than sixty years, the US government has been developing secret Doomsday strategies to protect itself, and the multibillion-dollar Continuity of Government (COG) program takes numerous forms--from its potential to evacuate the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to the plans to launch nuclear missiles from a Boeing-747 jet flying high over Nebraska. Garrett M. Graff sheds light on the inner workings of the 650-acre compound, called Raven Rock, just miles from Camp David, as well as dozens of other bunkers the government built for its top leaders during the Cold War, from the White House lawn to Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado to Palm Beach, Florida, and the secret plans that would have kicked in after a Cold War nuclear attack to round up foreigners and dissidents and nationalize industries. Equal parts a presidential, military, and cultural history, Raven Rock tracks the evolution of the government plan and the threats of global war from the dawn of the nuclear era through the War on Terror.

The transfer function approach is widely used in classical control theory for its easy handling and physical meaning. Although the use of transfer functions is well-established for linear time-invariant systems, it is not suitable for non-stationary systems among which are sampled-data systems and processes with periodically varying coefficients. Computer-controlled continuous-time processes are a very important subset of periodic sampled-data systems which are not treatable using ordinary transfer functions.

Having established the ability of the parametric transfer function to solve this problem for single-input, single-output systems in previous work, the authors extend these methods, which incorporate time-dependence, to the idea of the parametric transfer matrix in a complete exposition of analysis and design methods for multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) sampled-data systems.

Multivariable Computer-controlled Systems is divided into three parts:

• Preliminary algebraic material describing the established fundamentals of polynomial and rational matrices necessary for the understanding of later chapters.
• Control problems, important in their own right but which also have a substantial bearing on what follows (eigenvalue assignment and the use of z- and zeta-transforms in discrete systems).
• Frequency methods for the investigation of MIMO sampled-data systems (parametric discrete-time models; stability; stochastic methods; H2 optimization and L2 design).

Appendices covering basic mathematical formulae and the description of two MATLABA(R) toolboxes round out this self-contained guide to multivariable control systems.

Of specialinterest to researchers in automatic control and to development engineers working with advanced control technology, Multivariable Computer-controlled Systems will also interest mathematical control theorists and graduate students studying advanced methods of computer-based control.

More than 800,000 dams and thousands of kilometers of dikes have been constructed around the world. These structures are often designed based on a statistical analysis of the discharge distribution in rivers. However, the history of construction of dams and dikes coexists with the history of failures. Hundreds of dam failure events were reported worldwide in the previous century, while every year dikes breach due to high flows in the rivers or for other reasons leading sometimes to catastrophic consequences. In this book a description is presented of a framework and techniques for modelling structure failure events as well as a proposal to several novel approaches for risk analysis and assessment by numerical, statistical and constrained based methods in particular to the problems of breach modelling and flood water mitigation.

This book reports the elements required for implementing Just in Time (JIT) technique in companies. The main reasons for low implementation processes and the main benefits from the successful implementation of them are highlighted in this book. Structural equation models are presented to help identify the essential elements in JIT.

Originally published in 1967, this title reveals how the missionaries, so often misguided and short-sighted, were in fact pioneers of modernization, science and freedom. The structure of the book allows for comparative analysis and the volume illustrates how some of the social consequences of action through the schools could be foreseen. In addition light is thrown on the results of Imperial rule during the nineteenth century and on the nature of the impact of Western education in Asia and Africa.

This work develops a quantitative structured methodology for managing the development of new products for highly competitive markets. Particular attention has been given to integrating a number of experimental tools and concepts within a common framework including marketing research. Taguchi methods, value benchmarking, value engineering, total quality management, activity based costing, concurrent engineering, statistical quality control, systems engineering, and organization are often treated today as related but separate tools and concepts. The reader should gain an understanding of how these tools complement each other and when they can be used most effectively to aid product decision making.

For today's students, learning to model the dynamics of complex systems is increasingly important across nearly all engineering disciplines. First published in 2001, Forbes T. Brown's Engineering System Dynamics: A Unified Graph-Centered Approach introduced students to a unique and highly successful approach to modeling system dynamics using bond graphs. Updated with nearly one-third new material, this second edition expands this approach to an even broader range of topics. What's New in the Second Edition? In addition to new material, this edition was restructured to build students' competence in traditional linear mathematical methods before they have gone too far into the modeling that still plays a pivotal role. New topics include magnetic circuits and motors including simulation with magnetic hysteresis; extensive new material on the modeling, analysis, and simulation of distributed-parameter systems; kinetic energy in thermodynamic systems; and Lagrangian and Hamiltonian methods. MATLAB(R) figures prominently in this edition as well, with code available for download from the Internet. This code includes simulations for problems that appear in the later chapters as well as code for selected thermodynamic substances. Using a step-by-step pedagogy accompanied by abundant examples, graphs, illustrations, case studies, guided exercises, and homework problems, Engineering System Dynamics: A Unified Graph-Centered Approach, Second Edition is a text that students will embrace and continue to use well into their careers. While the first half of the book is ideal for junior-level undergraduates, the entire contents are suited for more advanced students.

Soft soils present particular challenges to engineers and an understanding of the specific characteristics of these soils is indispensable. Laboratory techniques such as numerical modelling, theoretical analysis and constitutive modelling give new insights into soft soil material behaviour, while large-scale testing in the field provides important information in areas such as slope stability and soft soil improvements.

This collection of papers from the Fourth International Conference on Soft Soil Engineering, Vancouver, 2006, presents an international appraisal of current research and new advances in engineering practices, illustrating the theory with relevant case studies. Geotechnical professionals, engineers, academics and researchers working in the areas of soft ground engineering and soft soil engineering will find this a valuable book.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing many of these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

This thesis reports on an innovative production-scheduling model for virtual computer-integrated manufacturing (VCIM) systems. It also describes a robust genetic algorithm for production scheduling in VCIM systems. The model, which is the most comprehensive of its kind to date, is not only capable of supporting collaborative shipment scheduling and handling multiple product orders simultaneously, but also helps cope with multiple objective functions under uncertainties. In turn, the genetic algorithm, characterised by an innovative algorithm structure, chromosome encoding, crossover and mutation, is capable of searching for optimal/suboptimal solutions to the complex optimisation problem in the VCIM production- scheduling model described. Lastly, the effectiveness of the proposed approach is verified in a comprehensive case study.

Rapid Modelling and Quick Response presents new research developments in the fields of rapid modelling and quick response linked with performance improvements (based on lead time reduction, etc., as well as financial performance measures).

The papers and teaching cases in this book were presented at the second Rapid Modelling Conference: "Quick Response - Intersection of Theory and Practice." The main focus of this collection is the transfer of knowledge from theory to practice, providing the theoretical foundations for successful performance improvement.

This conference volume challenges the traditional notions of rapid modelling, and offers valuable contributions to the scientific communities of operations management, production management, supply chain management, industrial engineering and operations research.

Rapid Modelling and Quick Response will give the interested reader (researcher, as well as practitioner) a good overview of new developments in this field.

The investigation phase is the most important segment of any geotechnical study. Using the correct methods and properly interpreting the results are critical to a successful investigation. Comprising chapters from the second edition of the revered Geotechnical Engineering Investigation Handbook, Geotechnical Investigation Methods offers clear, concise, and hands-on guidance for choosing and executing a variety of field investigations. This practical guide provides an affordable alternative to larger handbooks and condenses the essential elements of a geotechnical investigation into an easily digestible and readily accessible format. Renowned expert Roy E. Hunt discusses preliminary study to predict geologic conditions, applying information from geologic and topographic maps as well as remotely sensed imagery, proper test boring procedures, the various geophysical methods and when each is appropriate, and a variety of methods for determining materials' engineering properties in the lab and in situ. Hunt also covers field instrumentation for surface movements, subsurface deformations, and in situ pressures and stresses, as well as instrument arrays for typical problems such as structure settlement and fault movements. Eliminate the need to search through narrow volumes or large handbooks with Geotechnical Investigation Methods: A Field Guide for Geotechnical Engineers, a convenient and complete guide to the techniques you need.

Ensuring that their work has a positive influence on society is a responsibility and a privilege for engineers, but also a considerable challenge. This book addresses the ways in which engineers meet this challenge, working from the assumption that for a project to be truly ethical both the undertaking itself and its implementation must be ethically sound. The contributors discuss varied topics from an international and interdisciplinary perspective, including l robot ethics; l outer space; l international development; l internet privacy and security; l green branding; l arms conversion; l green employment; and l deliberate misinformation about climate change Important questions are answered, such as l what is meant by engineering ethics and its practical implications; l how decisions made by engineers in their working lives make an impact at the global as well as the local level; and l what ethics-related questions should be asked before making such decisions. Ethical Engineering for International Development and Environmental Sustainability will be a valuable resource for practising and student engineers as well as all who are interested in professional ethics, especially as it relates to engineering. Researchers and policy makers concerned with the effects of engineering decisions on environmental sustainability and international stability will find this book to be of special interest.

During the last two decades, a tremendous growth in the popularity and applications of computers in manufacturing has occurred. Computer aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, flexible manufacturing systems, group technology and many others are considered by many manufacturing executives as the most promising technologies and philosophies that, if successfully implemented, can reduce costs and enable the US manufacturing companies to become more competitive in the global market. In the computer-integrated manufacturing environ ment, the decision processes are often more involved. The decision makers are frequently required to have access to a vast amount of data to support and analyze their complex decision problems at strategic and tactical levels. Decision support systems are often referred to as computer-based information technologies that allow the decision makers to interactively communicate and solve the decision problems. Manufacturing Decision Support Systems is intended to report the latest developments and address the central issues in this area. This volume consists of 14 refereed chapters, written by leading researchers from academia and industry."

With the rapid expansion of the Internet over the last 20 years, event-based distributed systems are playing an increasingly important role in a broad range of application domains, including enterprise management, environmental monitoring, information dissemination, finance, pervasive systems, autonomic computing, collaborative working and learning, and geo-spatial systems. Many different architectures, languages and technologies are being used for implementing event-based distributed systems, and much of the development has been undertaken independently by different communities. However, a common factor is an ever-increasing complexity. Users and developers expect that such systems are able not only to handle large volumes of simple events but also to detect complex patterns of events that may be spatially distributed and may span significant periods of time. Intelligent and logic-based approaches provide sound foundations for addressing many of the research challenges faced and this book covers a broad range of recent advances, contributed by leading experts in the field. It presents a comprehensive view of reasoning in event-based distributed systems, bringing together reviews of the state-of-the art, new research contributions, and an extensive set of references. It will serve as a valuable resource for students, faculty and researchers as well as industry practitioners responsible for new systems development.

Micro and nano-fluidics concerns fluid dynamics occurring in devices or flow configurations with minimum design length measured in micrometers or smaller. The behavior of fluids at these scales is quite different from that at the macroscopic level due to the presence of surface tension effects, wetting phenomena, Brownian diffusion and hydrodynamic interactions with immersed particles and microstructures. These effects cannot be generally represented in a classical homogeneous continuum framework. However, this triggers the development of new tools to investigate and simulate problems at the meso-scopic level.

This book contains a collection of works presented at the IUTAM Symposium on Advances on Micro and Nano-fluidics held in Dresden in 2007. It covers several subjects of wide interest for micro and nano-fluidics applications focusing on both, analytical and numerical approaches. Topics covered in particular include multi-scale particle methods for numerical simulations, liquid-wall interactions and modeling approaches, modeling of immersed nano-scale structures, organized flow behavior at micro and nano-scales, and methods for control of micro- and nano-scale flows.

The book introduces the finite element method (FEM) that is one of the most powerful numerical tools these days. FEM is the analysis tool in most of CAD/CAM systems and it is critical to understand FEM for engineering design. It begins with underlying variational calculus and moves to variational/FEM formulations. It covers all basic procedures of assembly and solution procedures in several programming practices. Finally, it introduecs Ansys and Ansys WB software to apply FEM to advanced topics in various areas of engineering.