This book is written primarily for engineers who want to use statistical designs for quality engineering, and for statisticians who want to know the wide range of applications of experimental design in the manufacturing industry. Significantly, Robust Design and Analysis for Quality Engineering addresses the following techniques: Taguchi's quality engineering approaches, concepts of robustness in experimental designs, response surface design and its applications, Pareto-type ANOVA for analysis of parameter design, and strategies of quality improvement efforts through robust design and analysis. Through a series of real case studies, these important techniques are made readily accessible to all readers. This is also the key text for senior undergraduate and postgraduate students studying engineering and experimental design.

The primary objective of the book is to provide advanced undergraduate or frrst-year graduate engineering students with a self-contained presentation of the principles fundamental to the analysis, design and implementation of computer controlled systems. The material is also suitable for self-study by practicing engineers and is intended to follow a first course in either linear systems analysis or control systerns. A secondary objective of the book is to provide engineering and/or computer science audiences with the material for a junior/senior-level course in modern systems analysis. Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5 have been designed with this purposein rnind. The emphasis in such a course is to develop the rnathernatical tools and methods suitable for the analysis and design of real-time systems such as digital filters. Thus, engineers and/or computer scientists who know how to program computers can understand the mathematics relevant to the issue of what it is they are programrning. This is especially important for those who may work in engineering and scientific environments where, for instance, programrning difference equations for real-time applications is becorning increasingly common. A background in linear algebra should be an adequate prerequisite for the systems analysis course. Chapter 1 of the book presents a brief introduction to computer controlled systems. It describes the general issues and terminology relevant to the analysis, design, and implementation of such systems.

This book comprehensively outlines what a holistic and effective Root Cause Analysis (RCA) system looks like. From the designing of the support infrastructure to the measuring of effectiveness on the bottom-line, this book provides the blueprint for making it happen. While traditionally RCA is viewed as a reactive tool, the authors will show how it can be applied proactively to prevent failures from occurring in the first place. RCA is a key element of any successful Reliability Engineering initiative. Such initiatives are comprised of equipment, process and human reliability foundations. Human reliability is critical to the success of a true RCA approach. This book explores the anatomy of a failure (undesirable outcome) as well as a potential failure (high risks). Virtually all failures are triggered by errors of omission or commission by human beings. The methodologies described in this book are applicable to any industry because the focus is on the human being's ability to think through why things go wrong, not on the industry or the nature of the failure. This book correlates reliability to safety as well as human performance improvement efforts. The author has provided a healthy balance between theory and practical application, wrapping up with case studies demonstrating bottom-line results. Features Outlines in detail every aspect of an effective RCA 'system' Displays appreciation for the role of understanding the physics of a failure as well as the human and system's contribution Demonstrates the role of RCA in a comprehensive Asset Performance Management (APM) system Explores the correlation between Reliability Engineering and Safety Integrates the concepts of Human Performance Improvement, Learning Teams, and Human Error Reduction approaches into RCA

The newest edition of an insightful and practical statistical approach to quality control and management In the newly revised and thoroughly updated Fifth Edition of Fundamentals of Quality Control and Improvement, accomplished academic, consultant, and author Dr. Amitava Mitra delivers a comprehensive and quantitative approach to quality management techniques. The book demonstrates how to integrate statistical concepts with quality assurance methods, incorporating modern ideas, strategies, and philosophies of quality management. You'll discover experimental design concepts and the use of the Taguchi method to incorporate customer needs, improve lead time, and reduce costs. The new edition also includes brand-new case studies at the end of several chapters, references to the statistical software Minitab 19, and chapter updates that add discussions of trending and exciting topics in quality control. The book includes access to supplementary material for instructors consisting of a new instructor's solutions manual and PowerPoint slides, as well as access to data sets for all readers. Readers will also benefit from the inclusion of: A thorough introduction to the evolution of quality and definitions of quality, quality control, quality assurance, quality circles, and quality improvement teams An exploration of customer needs and market share, as well as the benefits of quality control and the total quality system Practical discussions of quality and reliability, quality improvement, product and service costing, and quality costs A concise treatment of how to measure quality costs, the management of quality, and the interrelationship between quality and productivity Perfect for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in quality control and improvement, the Fifth Edition of Fundamentals of Quality Control and Improvement will also earn a place in the libraries of business students and those undertaking training programs in Six Sigma.

For sophomore or junior-level courses in industrial engineering. Divided into two major areas of study - work systems, and work methods, measurement, and management - this guidebook provides up-to-date, quantitative coverage of work systems and how work is analyzed and designed. Thorough, broad-based coverage addresses nearly all of the traditional topics of industrial engineering that relate to work systems and work science. The author's quantitative approach summarizes many aspects of work systems, operations analysis, and work measurement using mathematical equations and quantitative examples.

- includes MATLABr fundamentals, matrices, arrays, general graphics and specialized plots in quality assurance problems, script files, ordinary and partial differential equations - gives calculation of six sigma, total quality management, time series forecasting, reliability, process improvement, metrology, quality control and assurance, measurement and testing techniques - provides tools for graphical presentation, basic and special statistics and testing, ordinary and partial differential solvers, and fitting tools - includes comprehensive command information in tables Many books are available on MATLABr programming for engineers in general or in some specific area, but none in the highly topical field of quality assurance (QA). MATLABr in quality assurance sciences fills this gap as a compact guide for students, engineers, and scientists in this field. It concentrates on MATLABr fundamentals with examples of application to a wide range of current problems from general, nano and bio-technology, and statistical control, to medicine and industrial management. Examples cover both the school and advanced level; comprising calculations of total quality management, six sigma, time series, process improvement, metrology, quality control, human factors in quality assurance, measurement and testing techniques, quality project and function management, and customer satisfaction. The book covers key topics, including: the basics of software with examples; graphics and representations; numerical computation, scripts and functions for QA calculations; ODE and PDEPE solvers applied to QA problems; curve fitting and time series tool interfaces in calculations of quality; and statistics calculations applied to quality testing.

Everything you need to design, implement, and manage a successful QFD program The QFD Handbook is a total how-to guide for companies planning to initiate a QFD program as well as those that already have one in place. Over the course of 23 contributed chapters, organized according to subject area, this book tutors managers and engineers in basic and advanced QFD principles and practices. Among more advanced topics covered are Taguchi methods, FMEA, TRIZ, and Business Process Reengineering. In addition to traditional application areas, you will find in-depth discussions of QFD in ISO 9000, QS 9000, environmental life cycle, service design, robust design, and software design. On the disk Designed to function in conjunction with the book or as a stand-alone tool for everyday use, the QFD/Pathway software helps QFD teams to develop, deploy, and manage a complete QFD program. This user-friendly, interactive software tool provides valuable assistance at each step of the QFD process, helping members define customer needs, establish goals, translate goals into specific actions, overcome common roadblocks, and more. The QFD Handbook is an indispensable resource for executives, managers, engineers, and R&D professionals who want their companies to survive and thrive in today’s supercompetitive industrial marketplace.

Over the years, companies have developed independent systems for managing process safety, environment, health, safety, and quality. Many aspects of these management systems are similar. Integrating EHS management systems can yield economies and improved system effectiveness. This book explains how integration reduces cost of delivery through a reduction in the number of management program steps and avoidance of redundancy; how it results in more effective programs, since the best practices can be combined into a single process; and how this integration brings a faster, and more cost effective response to new demands.

Analyzing maintenance as an integrated system with objectives, strategies and processes that need to be planned, designed, engineered, and controlled using statistical and optimization techniques, the theme of this book is the strategic holistic system approach for maintenance. This approach enables maintenance decision makers to view maintenance as a provider of a competitive edge not a necessary evil. Encompassing maintenance systems; maintenance strategic and capacity planning, planned and preventive maintenance, work measurements and standards, material (spares) control, maintenance operations and control, planning and scheduling, maintenance quality, training, and others, this book gives readers an understanding of the relevant methodology and how to apply it to real-world problems in industry. Each chapter includes a number exercises and is suitable as a textbook or a reference for a professionals and practitioners whilst being of interest to industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and industrial management students. It can also be used as a textbook for short courses on maintenance in industry. This text is the second edition of the book, which has four new chapters added and three chapters are revised substantially to reflect development in maintenance since the publication of the first edition. The new chapters cover reliability centered maintenance, total productive maintenance, e-maintenance and maintenance performance, productivity and continuous improvement.

The classic introduction to engineering optimization theory and practice--now expanded and updated

Engineering optimization helps engineers zero in on the most effective, efficient solutions to problems. This text provides a practical, real-world understanding of engineering optimization. Rather than belaboring underlying proofs and mathematical derivations, it emphasizes optimization methodology, focusing on techniques and stratagems relevant to engineering applications in design, operations, and analysis. It surveys diverse optimization methods, ranging from those applicable to the minimization of a single-variable function to those most suitable for large-scale, nonlinear constrained problems. New material covered includes the duality theory, interior point methods for solving LP problems, the generalized Lagrange multiplier method and generalization of convex functions, and goal programming for solving multi-objective optimization problems. A practical, hands-on reference and text, Engineering Optimization, Second Edition covers:
* Practical issues, such as model formulation, implementation, starting point generation, and more
* Current, state-of-the-art optimization software
* Three engineering case studies plus numerous examples from chemical, industrial, and mechanical engineering
* Both classical methods and new techniques, such as successive quadratic programming, interior point methods, and goal programming
Excellent for self-study and as a reference for engineering professionals, this Second Edition is also ideal for senior and graduate courses on engineering optimization, including television and online instruction, as well as for in-plant training.

INTRODUCTION TO LOGISTICS SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT The updated new edition of the award-winning introductory textbook on logistics system management Introduction to Logistics Systems Management provides an in-depth introduction to the methodological aspects of planning, organization, and control of logistics for organizations in the private, public and non-profit sectors. Based on the authors' extensive teaching, research, and industrial consulting experience, this classic textbook is used in universities worldwide to teach students the use of quantitative methods for solving complex logistics problems. Fully updated and revised, the third edition places increased emphasis on the complexity and flexibility required by modern logistics systems. In this context, the extensive use of data, descriptive analytics, predictive models, and optimization techniques will be invaluable to support the decisions and actions of logistics and supply chain managers. Throughout the book, brand-new case studies and numerical examples illustrate how various methods can be used in industrial and service logistics to reduce costs and improve service levels. The book: includes new models and techniques that have emerged over the past decade; describes methodologies for logistics decision making, forecasting, logistics system design, procurement, warehouse management, and freight transportation management; includes end-of-chapter exercises, Microsoft(R) Excel(R) files and Python(R) computer codes for each algorithm covered; includes access to a companion website with additional exercises, links to video tutorials, and supplementary teaching material. To facilitate creation of course material, additional LaTeX source data containing the formulae, optimization models, tables and algorithms described in the book is available to instructors. Introduction to Logistics Systems Management, Third Edition remains an essential textbook for senior undergraduate and graduate students in engineering, computer science, and management science courses. It is also a highly useful reference for academic researchers and industry practitioners alike.

This book is a general presentation of complex systems, examined from the point of view of management. There is no standard formula to govern such systems, nor to effectively understand and respond to them. The interdisciplinary theory of self-organization is teeming with examples of living systems that can reorganize at a higher level of complexity when confronted with an external challenge of a certain magnitude. Modern businesses, considered as complex systems, ideally know how to flexibly and resiliently adapt to their environment, and also how to prepare for change via self-organization. Understanding sources of potential crisis is essential for leaders, though not all crises are necessarily bad news, as creative firms know how to respond to challenges through innovation: new products and markets, organizational learning for collective intelligence, and more.

Structures that are essential for economy and security such as energy production, transportation and supply, water supply, buildings, are susceptible to failure, because of defects already present in the material, or created at fabrication, or appearing during service. Methods of assesment of the nocivity of these defects are needed, to predict the remaining service life and the eventual emergency of stopping service and repairing, if possible. To reach this objectives, this book presents the last methods derived from the classical linear, non-linear fracture mechanics concepts, including fatigue and notch fracture mechanics. Several examples of structures rehabilitations and repairing are given.

This book gathers the presentation made during the Advanced Research Workshop held in Portoroz (Slovenia) in October 2008, under the auspices of NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme. It is edited by Professor Guy Pluvinage from the University Paul Verlaine Metz (France) and Professor Aleksandar Sedmak from the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Both have a long and rich experience in analysis of theoretical and practical cases in safety and reliability of structures. Other contributors are all known as experts in the areas of fatigue, facture and reliability of structures."

The engineering objective of high performance control using the tools of optimal control theory, robust control theory, and adaptive control theory is more achiev able now than ever before, and the need has never been greater. Of course, when we use the term high peiformance control we are thinking of achieving this in the real world with all its complexity, uncertainty and variability. Since we do not expect to always achieve our desires, a more complete title for this book could be "Towards High Performance Control." To illustrate our task, consider as an example a disk drive tracking system for a portable computer. The better the controller performance in the presence of eccen tricity uncertainties and external disturbances, such as vibrations when operated in a moving vehicle, the more tracks can be used on the disk and the more memory it has. Many systems today are control system limited and the quest is for high performance in the real world."

This book provides the latest research advances in the field of system reliability assurance and engineering. It contains reference material for applications of reliability in system engineering, offering a theoretical sound background with adequate numerical illustrations. Included are concepts pertaining to reliability analysis, assurance techniques and methodologies, tools, and practical applications of system reliability modeling and allocation. The collection discusses various soft computing techniques like artificial intelligence and particle swarm optimization approach for reliability assessment. Importance of differentiating between the optimal release time and testing stop time of the software has been explicitly discussed and presented in the book. Features: Creates understanding of the costs associated with complex systems Covers reliability measurement of engineering systems Incorporates an efficient effort-based expenditure policy incorporating cost and reliability criteria Provides information for optimal testing stop and release time of software system Presents software performance and security layout Addresses reliability prediction and its maintenance through advanced analytics techniques Overall, System Reliability Management: Solutions and Techniques is a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach for better communication of problems and solutions to increase the performance of the system for better utilization and resource management.

Engineering Decisions for Life Quality: How Safe is Safe Enough? provides a foundation and a theoretical basis for managing risk to an acceptable level under the real-world constraint of limited resources. The focus is not on risks as such, but on what can be done to maximize the positive outcomes of risk in terms of improvements to the quality of life.

The principal focus of Engineering Decisions for Life Quality: How Safe is Safe Enough? is on the development of guidance for establishing rational standards of practice. Standards should meet the requirement of utilizing resources to achieve the maximum net overall benefit to society within society's capacity to commit such resources.

The ideas discussed within this book will be of interest to engineers; advanced undergraduate and graduate students; public health officials; and risk specialists.

Every technical investigation involving trial-and-error experimentation embodies a strategy for deciding what experiments to perform, when to quit, and how to interpret the data. This handbook presents several statistically derived strategies which are more efficient than any intuitive approach and will get the investigator to their goal with the fewest experiments, give the greatest degree of reliability to their conclusions, and keep the risk of overlooking something of practical importance to a minimum. Features: Provides a comprehensive desk reference on experimental design that will be useful to practitioners without extensive statistical knowledge Features a review of the necessary statistical prerequisites Presents a set of tables that allow readers to quickly access various experimental designs Includes a roadmap for where and when to use various experimental design strategies Shows compelling examples of each method discussed Illustrates how to reproduce results using several popular software packages on a supplementary website Following the outlines and examples in this book should quickly allow a working professional or student to select the appropriate experimental design for a research problem at hand, follow the design to conduct the experiments, and analyze and interpret the resulting data. John Lawson and John Erjavec have a combined 25 years of industrial experience and over 40 years of academic experience. They have taught this material to numerous practicing engineers and scientists as well as undergraduate and graduate students.

This volume presents a rigorous account of statistical forecasting efforts that led to the successful resolution of the Johns-Manville asbestos litigation. This case, taking 12 years to reach settlement, is expected to generate nearly 500,000 claims at a total nominal value of over $34 billion. The forecasting task, to project the number, timing, and nature of claims for asbestos-related injuries from a set of exposed persons of unknown size, is a general problem: the models in this volume can be adapted to forecast industry-wide asbestos liability. More generally, because the models are not overly dependent on the U.S. legal system and the role of asbestos as a dangerous/defective product, this volume will be of interest in other product liability cases, as well as similar forecasting situations for a range of insurable or compensable events. The volume stresses the iterative nature of model building and the uncertainty generated by lack of complete knowledge of the injury process. This uncertainty is balanced against the Court's need for a definitive settlement, and the volume addresses how these opposing principles can be reconciled. The volume is written for a broad audience of actuaries, biostatisticians, demographers, economists, epidemiologists, environmental health scientists, financial analysts, industrial-risk analysts, occumpational health analysts, product liability analysts, and statisticians. The modest prerequisites include basic concepts of statistics, calculus, and matrix algebra. Care is taken that readers without specialized knowledge in these areas can understand the rationale for specific applications of advanced methods. As a consequence, this volume will be an indispensable reference for all whose work involves these topics. Eric Stallard, A.S.A., M.A.A.A., is Research Professor and Associate Director of the Center for Demographic Studies at Duke University. He is a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries and an Associate of the Society of Actuaries. He serves on the American Academy of Actuaries Committees on Long Term Care and Social Insurance. He also serves on the society of Actuaries' Long Term Care Experience Committee. His research interests include modelling and forecasting for medical demography and health actuarial practice. He was the 1996 winner of the National Institute on Aging's James A. Shannon Director's Award. Kenneth G. Manton, Ph.D., is Research Professor, Research Director, and Director of the Center for Demographic Studies at Duke University and Medical Research Professor at Duke University Medical Center's Department of Community and Family Medicine. Dr. Manton is also a Senior Fellow of the Duke University Medical Center's Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development. His research interests include mathematical models of human aging, mortality, and chronic disease. He was the 1990 recipient of the Mindel C. Sheps Award in Mathematical Demography presented by the Population Association of America; and in 1991 he received the Allied-Signal Inc. Achievement Award in Aging administred by the Johns Hopkins Center on Aging. Joel E. Cohen, Ph.D., Dr. P.H., is Professor of Populations, and Head of the Laboratory of Populations, Rockefeller University. He also is Professor of Populations at Columbia University. His research interests include the demography, ecology, epidemiology, and social organization of human and non-human populations, and related mathematical concepts. In 1981, he was elected Fellow of the MacArthur and Guggenheim Foundations. He was the 1992 recipient of the Mindel C. Sheps Award in Mathematical Demography presented by the Population Association of America; and in 1994, he received the Distinguished Statistical Ecologist Award at the Sixth International Congress of Ecology.

A solid, rigorous, yet comprehensible analysis of process capability indices, this work bridges the gap between theoretical statisticians and quality control practitioners, showing how an understanding of these indices can lead to process improvement.

This book is about how to develop future automotive products by applying the latest methodologies based on a systems engineering approach and by taking into account many issues facing the auto industry such as meeting government safety, emissions and fuel economy regulations, incorporating advances in new technology applications in structural materials, power trains, vehicle lighting systems, displays and telematics, and satisfying the very demanding customer. It is financially disastrous for any automotive company to create a vehicle that very few people want. To design an automotive product that will be successful in the marketplace requires carefully orchestrated teamwork of experts from many disciplines, substantial amount of resources, and application of proven techniques at the right time during the product development process. Automotive Product Development: A Systems Engineering Implementation is intended for company management personnel and graduate students in engineering, business management and other disciplines associated with the development of automotive and other complex products.

This book provides engineers and scientists with a single source introduction to the concepts, models, and case studies for making credible reliability assessments. It satisfies the need for thorough discussions of several fundamental subjects. Section I contains a comprehensive overview of assessing and assuring reliability that is followed by discussions of: * Concept of randomness and its relationship to chaos * Uses and limitations of the binomial and Poisson distributions * Relationship of the chi-square method and Poisson curves * Derivations and applications of the exponential, Weibull, and lognormal models * Examination of the human mortality bathtub curve as a template for components Section II introduces the case study modeling of failure data and is followed by analyses of: * 5 sets of ideal Weibull, lognormal, and normal failure data * 83 sets of actual (real) failure data The intent of the modeling was to find the best descriptions of the failures using statistical life models, principally the Weibull, lognormal, and normal models, for characterizing the failure probability distributions of the times-, cycles-, and miles-to-failure during laboratory or field testing. The statistical model providing the preferred characterization was determined empirically by choosing the two-parameter model that gave the best straight-line fit in the failure probability plots using a combination of visual inspection and three statistical goodness-of-fit (GoF) tests. This book offers practical insight in dealing with single item reliability and illustrates the use of reliability methods to solve industry problems.

A Druid looks at quality control for product and service industries, amplifying from his earlier book Right first time . Some highlights: Quality is a religion, with the same trappings and pitfalls as other religions; humanity can be distorted, but not abolished, by managerial decree and organizatio

Testing of materials and manufactured items is a key element in the process from standard specifications though control and verification during manufacture to trade in actual products. Cooperative agreements and networks are being set up covering reference materials and calibration. This process is becoming more urgent with the development in the European market and other international developments. This book presents international views on this fast changing field, with the main themes of: technical components of test quality; quality assurance in testing laboratories; laboratory accreditation and transnational recognition of test results.

Fresh concrete must be produced with the properties required for its intended applications, for example, it must be workable enough to flow into formwork, and to be compacted. This book deals with the measurement of the flow properties of fresh concrete and the factors which affect its workability. Aspects of concrete mixes and control of manufacture to produce optimum properties which relate to workability are covered.