Tbis book is basicaUy concemed with approaches for improving safety in man-made systems. We caU these approaches, coUectively, fault monitoring, since they are concemed primarily with detecting faults occurring in the components of such systems, being sensors, actuators, controUed plants or entire strucutures. The common feature of these approaches is the intention to detect an abrupt change in some characteristic property of the considered object, by monitoring the behavior of the system. This change may be a slow-evolving effect or a complete breakdoWD. In tbis sense, fault monitoring touches upon, and occasionaUy overIaps with, other areas of control engineering such as adaptive control, robust controller design, reIiabiIity and safety engineering, ergonomics and man-macbine interfacing, etc. In fact, a system safety problem, could be attacked from any of the above angles of view. In tbis book, we don't touch upon these areas, unless there is a strong relationship between the fauIt monitoring approaches discussed and the aforementioned fields. When we set out to write tbis book, our aim was to incIude as much material as possible in a most rigorous, unified and concise format. Tbis would incIude state-of-the-art method as weil as more cIassical techniques, stilI in use today. AB we proceeded in gathering material, however, it soon became apparent that these were contradicting design criteria and a trade-off had to be made. We believe that the completeness vs.

Traceable calibration of test and measurement equipment is a requirement of the ISO 9000 series of standards. Basic Metrology for ISO 9000 Certification provides essential information for the growing number of firms registered for ISO 9000.

Dr. G.M.S. de Silva who has a lifetime of experience in metrology and quality management fields condenses that knowledge in this valuable and practical workbook. The book provides a basic understanding of the principles of measurement and calibration of measuring instruments falling into the following fields; Length, Angle, Mass, Pressure, Force, Temperature and AC/DC Electrical quantities. Basic concepts and definitions, ISO 9001 requirements and uncertainty determinations are also included.

Includes worked examples in the text and solutions to problems which can be compared to real life situations.

Includes basic metrology principles and data that will be useful to test and calibration personnel in their day to day work.
Contains features of the metrology management structure which an organisation needs to set up in order to satisfy ISO 9000 criteria.

Safety of VVER-440 Reactors endeavours to promote an increase in the safety of VVER-440 nuclear reactors via the improvement of fission products limitation systems and the implementation of special non-destructive spectroscopic methods for materials testing. All theoretical and experimental studies performed the by author over the last 25 years have been undertaken with the aim of improving VVER-440 defence in depth, which is one of the most important principle for ensuring safety in nuclear power plants. Safety of VVER-440 Reactors is focused on the barrier system through which the safety principle is organised: * nuclear fuel matrix; * fuel cladding; * integrity of primary circuit; and * confinement system. All these barriers are described in detail and are compared to European standards. Industrial engineers will find Safety of VVER-440 Reactors a useful guide to the safe operation of nuclear power plants and it is an informative source of information for researchers in both industry and academia. Employees of related governmental and regulatory organisations may also benefit from reading this book.

The characteristics of "Co-operative Process Management" covered in this book concern the requirements of the dynamic situation "per se" as well as the requirements of the co-operation. Important factors are that no single person can have an overview of the situation; that expertise is distributed both temporally and qualitatively; that the ongoing process has to be represented in some way whether or not computerized; that co-operation is dependent on formal as well as informal information transfer; that predictions of the developing situation have to be performed; and that knowledge and skills of the participants must develop on different levels. What results is a book which covers analyses, field studies, micro-world studies, training and the creation of computer artefacts under the Co-operative Process Management umbrella.; This book should be of interest to those engaged in research or building applications in a dynamic co-operative information technology environment. It presents the work of some of the world's leading researchers from the four corners of CSCW, HCI, Process Control and Cognitive Ergonomics.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203212673

The interaction between engineering and the law is undergoing dramatic changes. Product liability, laws have been introduced in Japan, patent claims over living organisms have been made in bioengineering and the differing national laws of copyright protection and liability are in the process of harmonisation, especially in the European Union. The pace and complexity of these changes make it essential for technologists, lawyers, engineers and insurance experts to establish a common basis for understanding, co-operation and exchange of expertise. The recently founded International Society for Technology, Law and Insurance aims to foster such co-operation. This volume features 46 selected contributions which address various topical issues and the law. The most important issues relate to engineering risks, quality assurance and assessment and legal implications assiciated with them. Recent failure cases are explained and the technical, legal and insurance-related issues discussed in detail.

Providing an understanding of what is meant by quality and its unique position in a manufacturing environment to improve competitive business performance, this text defines all the fundamental ingredients required to introduce an improvement in quality. Concise and easy to read, the theory is backed up by numerous industrial experiences, illustrating the practical obstacles when implementing any quality change. Focusing on the essentials of quality (strategies, principles and techniques) designing for quality is also discussed and new techniques for assessing the risks and costs of non-conformance are introduced. The result is an insight to quality engineering that will prove invaluable to engineering students and professionals.

Stressing the theory involved in formulating suspensions, emulsions, and colloidal drug products, this Second Edition of a well-received reference test highlights typical formulations, the avoidance of formulation pitfalls, and compliance with established regulatory principles.

Appropriate for beginning graduate level courses on linear systems, graduate courses introducing linear control, and for self-study.

The basic theory of linear systems is developed in a unified, accessible, and careful manner, with parallel, independent treatment of continuous-time and discrete-time linear systems. Modest mathematical background is assumed, and the technical presentation is explicit and step-by-step. There are many examples to help the reader, and carefully chosen exercises. Includes extensive, annotated citations. The presentation has been repeatedly class tested and refined.

Discusses the requirements for establishing, maintaining and revitalizing an efficient engineering documentation control system for use by technical and manufacturing personnel in private industry. The book stresses simplicity and common sense in the development and implementation of all control practices, procedures and forms. A list of effective interchangeability rules, a glossary of essential engineering documentation terms and an extensive bibliography of key literature sources are provided.;This work is intended for mechanical, computer, design, manufacturing and civil engineers; program, purchasing and documentation and production control managers; and upper-level undergraduate, graduate and continuing-education students in these fields.

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.

Completely updated and enlarged to three volumes (originally published as two volumes), the Second Edition of Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms: Parenteral Medications examines every important aspect of sterile drug products. This volume (3) offers comprehensive coverage of medical devices, quality assurance and regulatory issues.;This in-depth reference and text: discusses regulatory requirements in record-keeping based on the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Current Good Manufacturing Practices; places special emphasis on methods of detecting, counting and sizing particles; offers new perspectives on contemporary validation concepts and how they affect the validation process; explains current FDA enforcement activities, the voluntary compliance policy, select court cases, and how these relate to parenterals; provides recent materials on the use of audits as a means of verifying the efficacy of manufacturing control systems; highlights new US regulations for medical devices; and examines quality assurance, including new information on biological control tests for medical device materials.;With the contributions of leading experts, volume 3 of Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms: Parenteral Medications is intended as a day-to-day reference for pharmacists, medical device manufacturers, quality control and regulatory personnel, chemists and drug patent and litigation attorneys, as well as a text for upper-level undergraduate, graduate and continuing-education students in the pharmaceutical sciences.

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.

Replacement Models with Minimal Repair is a collection of works by several well-known specialists on the subject of minimal repair in replacement policies. It gives an exhaustive list of minimal repair models for the effective planning of minimal repair and maintenance actions. Written in an engaging style, Replacement Models with Minimal Repair balances complex mathematical models with practical applications. It is divided into six parts that cover: mathematical modeling of minimal repair; preventive maintenance models and optimal scheduling of imperfect preventive maintenance activities; a new warranty servicing strategy with imperfect repair; mathematical models combining burn-in procedure and general maintenance policies; methods for parameters' estimation of minimal repair models; and product support. Replacement Models with Minimal Repair is for anyone with an interest in minimal repair and its impact on maintenance policies and strategies. It is a particularly useful resource for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students.

This text is a successor to the author's "Workability of Concrete" published in 1976 and, again, is written specifically for practising engineers and concrete technologists. It incorporates the results of a further 15 years research and develops the treatment of workability as a property to be measured in terms of two constants, which was introduced in the earlier book. The scientific basis is simply explained and used for the description of practical methods and apparatus. This leads to elucidation of problems surrounding the topic of workability and to an account of the potential for quality control. The validity and limitations of standard methods of workability assessment are fully considered and there are several chapters on the effects on workability of the properties and proportions of mix constituents. This book should be of interest to concrete technologists in universities and colleges, ready-mixed concrete, precast concrete and admixture suppliers, testing laboratories, consultants, contractors and specifying authorities.

Concrete is one of the principal construction materials used world-wide. Although developments in materials and performance have widened the scope for the use of concrete, they have also affected its properties, particularly in the long term. From this it becomes clear that quality control, which is of vital importance for the building industry in general, needs special attention in its application to concrete structures. The importance of establishing comprehensive quality assurance systems both nationally and internationally is becoming increasingly recognized. Such systems need to take account of the contractual relationships in the industry in order to function effectively. International harmonization of standards and regulations is also putting greater emphasis on such systems. This book forms the proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Quality Control of Concrete Structures which was held in Ghent, Belgium, in June 1991. The volume brings together new information on technical developments, research and practical experience on the following topics: quality management, early age properties of concrete, durability, quality assessment, statistical approaches.

Testing of materials and manufactured items is a key element in the process from standard specification through control and verification during manufacture to trade in actual products. In particular, the validity, reliability and economic aspects of testing are of importance. This process is becoming more urgent with the development of the European market and other developments in international trade. Considerable progress is being made in setting up cooperative agreements and networks both bilaterally and multilaterally between countries, covering reference materials, and calibration, accreditation and quality assurance of laboratories, equipment and staff. This book contains invited contributions from many of the individuals and organizations most closely involved in these international developments. Also included are papers and case studies from all parts of the world discussing particular aspects of test quality of construction, materials and structures. The volume should be useful for those responsible for managing and carrying out testing in commercial, industrial and research laboratories, and also for anyone with an interest in international harmonization of technical stand

This book is concerned with Intelligent Control methods and applications. The field of intelligent control has been expanded very much during the recent years and a solid body of theoretical and practical results are now available. These results have been obtained through the synergetic fusion of concepts and techniques from a variety of fields such as automatic control, systems science, computer science, neurophysiology and operational research. Intelligent control systems have to perform anthropomorphic tasks fully autonomously or interactively with the human under known or unknown and uncertain environmental conditions. Therefore the basic components of any intelligent control system include cognition, perception, learning, sensing, planning, numeric and symbolic processing, fault detection/repair, reaction, and control action. These components must be linked in a systematic, synergetic and efficient way. Predecessors of intelligent control are adaptive control, self-organizing control, and learning control which are well documented in the literature. Typical application examples of intelligent controls are intelligent robotic systems, intelligent manufacturing systems, intelligent medical systems, and intelligent space teleoperators. Intelligent controllers must employ both quantitative and qualitative information and must be able to cope with severe temporal and spatial variations, in addition to the fundamental task of achieving the desired transient and steady-state performance. Of course the level of intelligence required in each particular application is a matter of discussion between the designers and users. The current literature on intelligent control is increasing, but the information is still available in a sparse and disorganized way.

Model based control has emerged as an important way to improve plant efficiency in the process industries, while meeting processing and operating policy constraints. The reader of Methods of Model Based Process Control will find state of the art reports on model based control technology presented by the world's leading scientists and experts from industry. All the important issues that a model based control system has to address are covered in depth, ranging from dynamic simulation and control-relevant identification to information integration. Specific emerging topics are also covered, such as robust control and nonlinear model predictive control. In addition to critical reviews of recent advances, the reader will find new ideas, industrial applications and views of future needs and challenges. Audience: A reference for graduate-level courses and a comprehensive guide for researchers and industrial control engineers in their exploration of the latest trends in the area.

This richly illustrated book describes statistical extreme value theory for the quantification of natural hazards, such as strong winds, floods and rainfall, and discusses an interdisciplinary approach to allow the theoretical methods to be applied. The approach consists of a number of steps: data selection and correction, non-stationary theory (to account for trends due to climate change), and selecting appropriate estimation techniques based on both decision-theoretic features (e.g., Bayesian theory), empirical robustness and a valid treatment of uncertainties. It also examines and critically reviews alternative approaches based on stochastic and dynamic numerical models, as well as recently emerging data analysis issues and presents large-scale, multidisciplinary, state-of-the-art case studies. Intended for all those with a basic knowledge of statistical methods interested in the quantification of natural hazards, the book is also a valuable resource for engineers conducting risk analyses in collaboration with scientists from other fields (such as hydrologists, meteorologists, climatologists).

Since the emerging discipline of engineering enterprise systems extends traditional systems engineering to develop webs of systems and systems-of-systems, the engineering management and management science communities need new approaches for analyzing and managing risk in engineering enterprise systems. Advanced Risk Analysis in Engineering Enterprise Systems presents innovative methods to address these needs. With a focus on engineering management, the book explains how to represent, model, and measure risk in large-scale, complex systems that are engineered to function in enterprise-wide environments. Along with an analytical framework and computational model, the authors introduce new protocols: the risk co-relationship (RCR) index and the functional dependency network analysis (FDNA) approach. These protocols capture dependency risks and risk co-relationships that may exist in an enterprise. Moving on to extreme and rare event risks, the text discusses how uncertainties in system behavior are intensified in highly networked, globally connected environments. It also describes how the risk of extreme latencies in delivering time-critical data, applications, or services can have catastrophic consequences and explains how to avoid these events. With more and more communication, transportation, and financial systems connected across domains and interfaced with an infinite number of users, information repositories, applications, and services, there has never been a greater need for analyzing risk in engineering enterprise systems. This book gives you advanced methods for tackling risk problems at the enterprise level.

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.