This thesis addresses selected unsolved problems in the chemical mechanical polishing process (CMP) for integrated circuits using ruthenium (Ru) as a novel barrier layer material. Pursuing a systematic approach to resolve the remaining critical issues in the CMP, it first investigates the tribocorrosion properties and the material removal mechanisms of copper (Cu) and Ru in KIO4-based slurry. The thesis subsequently studies Cu/Ru galvanic corrosion from a new micro and in-situ perspective, and on this basis, seeks ways to mitigate corrosion using different slurry additives. The findings presented here constitute a significant advance in fundamental and technical investigations into the CMP, while also laying the groundwork for future research.

This book introduces several simple analytical approaches to aid the seamless integration of renewable distributed generation. It focuses on the idea of intelligent integration, which involves locating and developing suitable operational characteristics of renewable distributed generation. After reviewing the options available, the best location should be chosen, an appropriately sized operation should be installed and the most suitable operational characteristics should be adopted. Presenting these simple analytical approaches, their step-by-step implementation and a number of cases studies using test distribution systems, the book clearly demonstrates the technical, economic and environmental benefits of intelligent integration.

This thesis studied the effect of aging of intumescent coatings (ICs) on the reliability of protected steel columns in fire condition and developed a probabilistic approach to assess the service life of ICs applied on steel columns. In the study, Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to obtain the reliability index or failure probability of steel columns protected by ICs subjected to compartment fires. The effect of aging of intumescent coatings on the failure probability of protected steel columns was investigated by using variable insulation property of intumescent coatings in the simulation. The test data on aging effect on insulation property of intumescent coatings from literature was used. Based on the reliability analysis, a probabilistic approach is given to determine the service life of intumescent coatings for steel columns. In that approach, the failure probability of the protected steel columns is compared with the target probability of the structural fire design. The approach can also be used for probabilistic analysis of steel columns protected by conventional inert fire protection materials.

The book offers a snapshot of the theories and applications of soft computing in the area of complex systems modeling and control. It presents the most important findings discussed during the 5th International Conference on Modelling, Identification and Control, held in Cairo, from August 31-September 2, 2013. The book consists of twenty-nine selected contributions, which have been thoroughly reviewed and extended before their inclusion in the volume. The different chapters, written by active researchers in the field, report on both current theories and important applications of soft-computing. Besides providing the readers with soft-computing fundamentals, and soft-computing based inductive methodologies/algorithms, the book also discusses key industrial soft-computing applications, as well as multidisciplinary solutions developed for a variety of purposes, like windup control, waste management, security issues, biomedical applications and many others. It is a perfect reference guide for graduate students, researchers and practitioners in the area of soft computing, systems modeling and control.

This book presents a comprehensive approach to address the need to improve the design of tailings dams, their management and the regulation of tailings management facilities to reduce, and eventually eliminate, the risk of such facilities failing. The scope of the challenge is well documented in the report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and GRID Arendal entitled "Mine Tailings Storage: Safety Is No Accident," which was released in October 2017. The report recommends that "Regulators, industry and communities should adopt a shared, zero-failure objective to tailings storage facilities..." and identifies several areas where further improvements are required. In this context, the application of cutting-edge risk-assessment methodologies and risk-management practices can contribute to a significant reduction and eventual elimination of dam failures through Risk Informed Decision Making. As such, the book focuses on identifying and describing the risk-assessment approaches and risk-management practices that need to be implemented in order to develop a way forward to achieve socially acceptable levels of tailings dam risk.

This book focuses on advanced optical finishing techniques and design for high-performance manufacturing systems. It provides numerous detailed examples of how advanced automation techniques have been applied to optical fabrication processes. The simulations, removal rate and accurate experimental results offer useful resources for engineering practice. Researchers, engineers and graduate students working in optical engineering and precision manufacture engineering will benefit from this book.

This book presents the latest developments and breakthroughs in fuzzy theory and performance prediction of queuing and reliability models by using the stochastic modeling and optimization theory. The main focus is on analytics that use fuzzy logic, queuing and reliability theory for the performance prediction and optimal design of real-time engineering systems including call centers, telecommunication, manufacturing, service organizations, etc. For the day-to-day as well as industrial queuing situations and reliability prediction of machining parts embedded in computer, communication and manufacturing systems, the book assesses various measures of performance and effectiveness that can provide valuable insights and help arrive at the best decisions with regard to service and engineering systems. In twenty chapters, the book presents both theoretical developments and applications of the fuzzy logic, reliability and queuing models in a diverse range of scenarios. The topics discussed will be of interest to researchers, educators and undergraduate students in the fields of Engineering, Business Management, and the Mathematical Sciences.

This contributed volume presents the research results of the program "Small machine tools for small work pieces" (SPP 1476), funded by the German Research Society (DFG). The book contains the final report of the priority program, presenting novel approached for size-adapted, reconfigurable micro machine tools. The target audience primarily comprises research experts and practitioners in the field of micro machine tools, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students.

This book presents a novel framework, known as Active Robust Optimization, which provides the tools for evaluating, comparing and optimizing changeable products. Since any product that can change its configuration during normal operation may be considered a "changeable product," the framework is widely applicable. Further, the methodology enables designers to use adaptability to deal with uncertainties and so avoid over-conservative designs. Offering a comprehensive overview of the framework, including its unique features, such as its ability to optimally respond to uncertain situations, the book also defines a new class of optimization problem and examines the effects of changes in various parameters on their solution. Lastly, it discusses innovative approaches for solving the problem and demonstrates these with two examples from different fields in engineering design: optimization of an optical table and optimization of a gearbox.

This work examines the relationships among engineering leadership, technological change, and economic development. Specifically, it reviews the role and contribution of engineers--through their education and work--in the pursuit of excellence and effectiveness in our increasingly pervasive technological development. The relationship between the rate of technological development, technological diffusion, and success in its application, and the role or position of engineers in industry and government is interdependent. Frankel concludes that while the United States continues its dominance in basic scientific research and technology development, the growing lag in developing and applying technology in a timely and effective manner is largely a result of the lack of engineers in senior decisionmaking positions in industry and government.

This work will be of interest to practicing engineers, practicing managers, and scholars and students of economics and technology development.

This book covers a variety of topics in mechanics, with a special emphasis on material mechanics. It reports on fracture mechanics, fatigue of materials, stress-strain behaviours, as well as transferability problems and constraint effects in fracture mechanics. It covers different kind of materials, from metallic materials such as ferritic and austenitic steels, to composites, concrete, polymers and nanomaterials. Additional topics include heat transfer, quality control and reliability of structures and components. Furthermore, the book gives particular attention to new welding technologies such as STIR welding and spray metal coating, and to novel methods for quality control, such as Taguchi design, fault diagnosis and wavelet analysis. Based on the 2015 edition of the Algerian Congress of Mechanics (Congres Algerien de Mecanique, CAM), the book also covers energetics, in terms of simulation of turbulent reactive flow, behaviour of supersonic jet, turbulent combustion, fire induced smoke layer, and heat and mass transfer, as well as important concepts related to human reliability and safety of components and structures. All in all, the book represents a complete, practice-oriented reference guide for both academic and professionals in the field of mechanics.

This book offers a comprehensive introduction to intelligent control system design, using MATLAB simulation to verify typical intelligent controller designs. It also uses real-world case studies that present the results of intelligent controller implementations to illustrate the successful application of the theory. Addressing the need for systematic design approaches to intelligent control system design using neural network and fuzzy-based techniques, the book introduces the concrete design method and MATLAB simulation of intelligent control strategies; offers a catalog of implementable intelligent control design methods for engineering applications; provides advanced intelligent controller design methods and their stability analysis methods; and presents a sample simulation and Matlab program for each intelligent control algorithm. The main topics addressed are expert control, fuzzy logic control, adaptive fuzzy control, neural network control, adaptive neural control and intelligent optimization algorithms, providing several engineering application examples for each method.

The advent of reliability engineering tools coupled with the cost of oil and gas operations has changed the paradigm of maintenance technology. A simple strategy of efficient replacement of failed equipment/component has been transformed into a more complex but proactive approach for keeping equipment running at peak efficiency concept of "total process" reliability engineering and maintenance. Applied Oil and Gas Reliability Engineering: Modeling and Analysis is the first book to apply reliability value improvement practices and process enterprises lifecycle analysis to the Oil and gas Industry. With this book in hand, engineers also gain a powerful guide to the most commonly used software modeling tools which aid in the planning and execution of an effective maintenance program.

Easy to understand, the book identifies equipment and procedural problems inherent to oil and gas operations then applied a systematic approach for solving them. In this book, the author combines qualitative and quantitative methods with powerful software modeling tools to assist engineers in formulating a custom maintenance policy which will ensure process efficiency, reduce projects cost, reduce redundancies and optimum equipment replacement time.
Mathematic methods for analyzing failure historical data

Instruction for utilizing modeling systems such as MAROS, TARO, and BLOCKSIM and interpret results

Step by Step approach for formulating an cost effective maintenance program

Identifies equipment and procedural problems inherent to oil and gas operations

Easily understood methods and software tools that will save time and money

Provides a tutorial for using the most used software programs such as: MAROS, TARO, and BLOCKSIM

Step by step instruction to create a custom maintenance policy

Reduce project cost, reduce redundancies and optimize equipment life

This is the first book of a series that will focus on MMS (Mechanism and Machine Science). This book also presents IFToMM, the International Federation on the Promotion of MMS and its activity. This volume contains contributions by IFToMM officers who are Chairs of member organizations (MOs), permanent commissions (PCs), and technical committees (TCs), who have reported their experiences and views toward the future of IFToMM and MMS. The book is composed of three parts: the first with general considerations by high-standing IFToMM persons, the second chapter with views by the chairs of PCs and TCs as dealing with specific subject areas, and the third one with reports by the chairs of MOs as presenting experiences and challenges in national and territory communities. This book will be of interest to a wide public who wish to know the status and trends in MMS both at international level through IFToMM and in national/local frames through the leading actors of activities. In addition, the book can be considered also a fruitful source to find out "who's who" in MMS, historical backgrounds and trends in MMS developments, as well as for challenges and problems in future activity by IFToMM community and in MMS at large.

As the main theme of "Improving Complex Systems Today" implies, this book is intended to provide readers with a new perspective on concurrent engineering from the standpoint of systems engineering. It can serve as a versatile tool to help readers to navigate the ever-changing state of this particular field.

The primary focus of concurrent engineering was, at first, on bringing downstream information as far upstream as possible by introducing parallel processing in order to reduce time to market and to prevent errors at a later stage which would sometimes cause irrevocable damage. Up to now, numerous new concepts, methodologies and tools have been developed, but over concurrent engineering's 20-year history the situation has changed extensively. Now, industry has to work in the global marketplace and to cope with diversifying requirements and increasing complexities. Such globalization and diversification necessitate collaboration across different fields and across national boundaries. Thus, the new concurrent engineering calls for a systems approach to gain global market competitiveness. "Improving Complex Systems Today" provides a new insight into concurrent engineering today.

This is a unique book addressing the integration of risk methodology from various fields. It will stimulate intellectual debate and communication across disciplines, promote better risk management practices and contribute to the development of risk management methodologies. Individual chapters explain fundamental risk models and measurement, and address risk and security issues from diverse areas such as finance and insurance, the health sciences, life sciences, engineering and information science. Integrated Risk Sciences is an emerging discipline that considers risks in different fields, aiming at a common language, and at sharing and improving methods developed in different fields. Readers should have a Bachelor degree and have taken at least one basic university course in statistics and probability. The main goal of the book is to provide basic knowledge on risk and security in a common language; the authors have taken particular care to ensure that all content can readily be understood by doctoral students and researchers across disciplines. Each chapter provides simple case studies and examples, open research questions and discussion points, and a selected bibliography inviting readers to further study.

These proceedings present the latest information on software reliability, industrial safety, cyber security, physical protection, testing and verification for nuclear power plants. The papers were selected from more than 80 submissions and presented at the First International Symposium on Software Reliability, Industrial Safety, Cyber Security and Physical Protection for Nuclear Power Plants, held in Yinchuan, China on May 30 - June 1, 2016. The primary aim of this symposium was to provide a platform to facilitate the discussion for comprehension, application and management of digital instrumentation, control systems and technologies in nuclear power plants. The book reflects not only the state of the art and latest trends in nuclear instrumentation and control system technologies, but also China's increasing influence in this area. It is a valuable resource for both practitioners and academics working in the field of nuclear instrumentation, control systems and other safety-critical systems, as well as nuclear power plant managers, public officials and regulatory authorities.

The book summarizes the findings and contributions of the European ARTEMIS project, CESAR, for improving and enabling interoperability of methods, tools, and processes to meet the demands in embedded systems development across four domains - avionics, automotive, automation, and rail. The contributions give insight to an improved engineering and safety process life-cycle for the development of safety critical systems. They present new concept of engineering tools integration platform to improve the development of safety critical embedded systems and illustrate capacity of this framework for end-user instantiation to specific domain needs and processes. They also advance state-of-the-art in component-based development as well as component and system validation and verification, with tool support. And finally they describe industry relevant evaluated processes and methods especially designed for the embedded systems sector as well as easy adoptable common interoperability principles for software tool integration.

This book offers a thorough and systematic introduction to the modified failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) models based on uncertainty theories (e.g. fuzzy logic, intuitionistic fuzzy sets, D numbers and 2-tuple linguistic variables) and various multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) approaches such as distance-based MCDM, compromise ranking MCDM and hybrid MCDM, etc. As such, it provides essential FMEA methods and practical examples that can be considered in applying FMEA to enhance the reliability and safety of products and services. The book offers a valuable guide for practitioners and researchers working in the fields of quality management, decision making, information science, management science, engineering, etc. It can also be used as a textbook for postgraduate and senior undergraduate students.

This book presents physical understanding, modeling and simulation, on-chip characterization, layout solutions, and design techniques that are effective to enhance the reliability of various circuit units. The authors provide readers with techniques for state of the art and future technologies, ranging from technology modeling, fault detection and analysis, circuit hardening, and reliability management.

In this book, the author points out that anyone who performs a management function, must have some reliable method of adding value to the products and services of the organization. One way to do this is by properly understanding and using Design of Experiments (DoE). This book is not a DoE text. The main emphasis of the book is to expand the horizons of those who manage, in order for them to see new possibilities of adding value themselves, and of managing value-added operations. It shows how to use this versatile, effective and efficient tool in applications beyond traditional manufacturing and design engineering and how DoE can be used as a unifying theory throughout an organization. This book should be of interest to practising industrial and manufacturing engineers, quality professionals, senior undergraduate and graduate IE students, and MBAs.

This book presents various computationally efficient component- and system-level design optimization methods for advanced electrical machines and drive systems. Readers will discover novel design optimization concepts developed by the authors and other researchers in the last decade, including application-oriented, multi-disciplinary, multi-objective, multi-level, deterministic, and robust design optimization methods. A multi-disciplinary analysis includes various aspects of materials, electromagnetics, thermotics, mechanics, power electronics, applied mathematics, manufacturing technology, and quality control and management. This book will benefit both researchers and engineers in the field of motor and drive design and manufacturing, thus enabling the effective development of the high-quality production of innovative, high-performance drive systems for challenging applications, such as green energy systems and electric vehicles.

The world is witnessing a rapid growth in wind and other renewable based electricity generation due to environmental concerns associated with electricity generation from the conventional sources. Wind power behaves quite differently than conventional electric power generating units due to its intermittent and diffuse nature. System planners and operators face the variability and uncertainty of wind power availability, and therefore, encounter considerable challenges in making decisions to maintain the adequacy and security of wind integrated power systems. This volume intends to bring out the original research work of researchers from academia and industry in understanding, quantifying and managing the risks associated with the uncertainty in wind variability in order to plan and operate a modern power system integrated with a significant proportion of wind power generation with an acceptable level of reliability. Accurate modeling of wind power variability and proper incorporation of the models in reliability and risk evaluation is very important for the planning and operation of electric power systems, and will play a crucial role in defining the requirement of various types of resources and services, such as storage and ancillary services in power systems."

Putting forward a unified presentation of the features and possible applications of probabilistic preferences composition, and serving as a methodology for decisions employing multiple criteria, this book maximizes reader insights into the evaluation in probabilistic terms and the development of composition approaches that do not depend on assigning weights to the criteria. With key applications in important areas of management such as failure modes, effects analysis and productivity analysis - together with explanations about the application of the concepts involved -this book makes available numerical examples of probabilistic transformation development and probabilistic composition. Useful not only as a reference source for researchers, but also in teaching classes of graduate courses in Production Engineering and Management Science, the key themes of the book will be of especial interest to researchers in the field of Operational Research.

Reliability and Safety of Complex Technical Systems and Processes offers a comprehensive approach to the analysis, identification, evaluation, prediction and optimization of complex technical systems operation, reliability and safety. Its main emphasis is on multistate systems with ageing components, changes to their structure, and their components reliability and safety parameters during the operation processes. Reliability and Safety of Complex Technical Systems and Processes presents integrated models for the reliability, availability and safety of complex non-repairable and repairable multistate technical systems, with reference to their operation processes and their practical applications to real industrial systems. The authors consider variables in different operation states, reliability and safety structures, and the reliability and safety parameters of components, as well as suggesting a cost analysis for complex technical systems. Researchers and industry practitioners will find information on a wide range of complex technical systems in Reliability and Safety of Complex Technical Systems and Processes. It may prove an easy-to-use guide to reliability and safety evaluations of real complex technical systems, both during their operation and at the design stages.