This book surveys reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS) analyses of various engineering systems. It highlights their role throughout the lifecycle of engineering systems and explains how RAMS activities contribute to their efficient and economic design and operation. The book discusses a variety of examples and applications of RAMS analysis, including: * software products; * electrical and electronic engineering systems; * mechanical engineering systems; * nuclear power plants; * chemical and process plants and * railway systems. The wide-ranging nature of the applications discussed highlights the multidisciplinary nature of complex engineering systems. The book provides a quick reference to the latest advances and terminology in various engineering fields, assisting students and researchers in the areas of reliability, availability, maintainability, and safety engineering.

This book provides a comprehensive and practically minded introduction into serious games for law enforcement agencies. Serious games offer wide ranging benefits for law enforcement with applications from professional trainings to command-level decision making to the preparation for crises events. This book explains the conceptual foundations of virtual and augmented reality, gamification and simulation. It further offers practical guidance on the process of serious games development from user requirements elicitation to evaluation. The chapters are intended to provide principles, as well as hands-on knowledge to plan, design, test and apply serious games successfully in a law enforcement environment. A diverse set of case studies showcases the enormous variety that is possible in serious game designs and application areas and offers insights into concrete design decisions, design processes, benefits and challenges. The book is meant for law enforcement professionals interested in commissioning their own serious games as well as game designers interested in collaborative pedagogy and serious games for the law enforcement and security sector.

This book provides insights into surface quality control techniques and applications based on high-definition metrology (HDM). Intended as a reference resource for engineers who routinely use a variety of quality control methods and are interested in understanding the data processing, from HDM data to final control actions, it can also be used as a textbook for advanced courses in engineering quality control applications for students who are already familiar with quality control methods and practices. It enables readers to not only assimilate the quality control methods involved, but also to quickly implement the techniques in practical engineering problems. Further, it includes numerous case studies to highlight the implementation of the methods using measured HDM data of surface features. Since MATLAB is extensively employed in these case studies, familiarity with this software is helpful, as is a general understanding of surface quality control methods.

This book mainly introduces some basic phenomena and laws of highly ductile materials during elastoplastic deformation, and their engineering applications, such as the transfer and relief of stress concentration in the notch root, the mitigation of possible brittle fracture, the ductile deformation and damage, fatigue, energy absorption, plastic buckling, thermal stress problems, etc. It shows a number of revolutions in modern applications and design, which are beneficial to the safety of modern equipment, and improve applicability. In addition, the first three chapters of this book also briefly introduce the basic knowledge of elastoplastic deformation and analysis as a preliminary knowledge. This book can be used as a textbook for advanced undergraduate students and postgraduate in non-mechanics majors such as mechanical engineering, power, material or civil engineering, as well as scholars and engineers in related fields.

This book helps professionals to turn their own Six Sigma projects into reality. Using a sample project, the book guides readers through all aspects of Six Sigma, from identifying and defining a suitable project topic, to sustainably managing its success in the control phase. By demonstrating all the necessary steps supported by a DMAIC software guide, it makes the application of the sequentially linked DMAIC tools easy to understand and directly transferable to typical Six Sigma business projects. Further, each chapter provides numerous questions and answers, tasks and the framework for an environmental standard project. This book is an essential part of the author's teaching material on the topic, which also includes the software 'sigmaGuide', a template for project documentation and several hours of video content featuring course materials on edX Learning Community.

This book presents central problems in the design, research and maintenance of large-size mining machines for open pits, mobile earth-moving machinery, hydraulic hammers for mining and civil engineering, and screening processes for bulk materials. It brings together the insights of numerous respected academics to offer a thorough and multifaceted overview of the topic. The first few chapters of the book deal with specific problems that frequently occur in machinery for open-pit mining. They focus on the resilience of large-size mining machines, degradation of steels used for supporting structures, and modelling of large-size rotary joints, as well as the noise hazards in connection with degradation processes. The book then moves on to discuss problems arising in earth-moving machinery, such as new approaches to the assessment of operation and maintenance, dynamic loads in front-end loader booms, and synchronic transfer of power from the engine to the driven wheels. The book concludes by discussing hydraulic hammers for mining and civil engineering, and screening processes for bulk materials that combine a vibroscreen with additional feed elements. The book is primarily intended for undergraduate and graduate mechanical engineering courses, but will also be of interest to researchers and mechanical engineers.

This book gathers selected, extended and revised papers presented at the 5th Iberian-Latin American Congress on Fire Safety, CILASCI 5, held on 15-17 July 2019, in Porto, Portugal. The respective chapters address experimental efforts and the computational and numerical modelling of materials (e.g. wood, concrete, and steel) and structures to assess their fire behavior and/or improve their fire resistance. In addition, they present simulation studies on fire events and findings from fire performance tests on walls. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable resource for researchers, graduate students, and practitioners whose work involves fire safety-related topics.

This book discusses relevant topics in field of corrosion, from sensing strategies to modeling of control processes, corrosion prevention, detection of corrosion initiation, prediction of corrosion growth and evolution, to maintenance practices and return on investment.Written by leading international experts, it combines mathematical and scientific rigor with multiple case studies, examples, colorful images, case studies and numerous references exploring the essentials of corrosion in depth. It appeals to a wide readership, including corrosion engineers, managers, students and industrial and government staff, and can serve as a reference text for courses in materials, mechanical and aerospace engineering, as well as anyone working on corrosion processes.

This volume collects the papers from the World Conference on Acoustic Emission 2017 (WCAE-2017) in Xi'an, China. The latest research and applications of acoustic emission (AE) are explored, with a particular emphasis on detecting and processing AE signals, the development of AE instrument and testing standards, AE of materials, engineering structures and systems, including the processing of collected data and analytical techniques. Numerous case studies are also included. This proceedings volume will appeal to students, professors and researchers working in these fields as physicists and/or engineers.

Technology has made human lives incomparably better. Civilization as we know it would utterly collapse without it. However, if not properly managed, technology can and will be systematically abused and misuse and thereby become one of the biggest threats to humankind. This open access book applies proactive crisis management to the management of technology organizations to make them more sustainable and socially responsible for the betterment of humankind. It forecasts the unintended consequences of technology and offers methods to counteract it.

This book reports on the state of the art in physical ergonomics and addresses the design of products, processes, services, and work systems to ensure they are productive, safe, and enjoyable for people to use. The human body's responses to physical and physiological work demands, strain injuries from repetition, vibration, force, and posture are the most common types of issues examined, along with their design implications. The book explores a wide range of topics in physical ergonomics, including the consequences of repetitive motion, materials handling, workplace safety, the usability of portable devices, design, working postures, and the work environment. Mastering physical ergonomics and safety engineering concepts is fundamental to creating products and systems that people can safely and conveniently use, as well as avoiding stresses and minimizing the risk of accidents. Based on the AHFE 2019 Conference on Physical Ergonomics and Human Factors, held on July 24-28, 2019, in Washington D.C., USA, this book provides readers with a comprehensive perspective on the current challenges in physical ergonomics, which is a critical aspect in the design of any human-centered technological system, and for factors influencing human performance.

This graduate-level textbook elucidates low-risk and fail-safe systems in mathematical detail. It addresses, in particular, problems where mission-critical performance is paramount, such as in aircraft, missiles, nuclear reactors and weapons, submarines, and many other types of systems where "failure" can result in overwhelming loss of life and property. The book is divided into four parts: Fundamentals, Electronics, Software, and Dangerous Goods. The first part on Fundamentals addresses general concepts of system safety engineering that are applicable to any type of system. The second part, Electronics, addresses the detection and correction of electronic hazards. In particular, the Bent Pin Problem, Sneak Circuit Problem, and related electrical problems are discussed with mathematical precision. The third part on Software addresses predicting software failure rates as well as detecting and correcting deep software logical flaws (called defects). The fourth part on Dangerous Goods presents solutions to three typical industrial chemical problems faced by the system safety engineer during the design, storage, and disposal phases of a dangerous goods' life cycle.

This book explores the application of breakthrough technologies to improve transportation performance. Transportation systems represent the "blood vessels" of a society, in which people and goods travel. They also influence people's lives and affect the liveability and sustainability of our cities. The book shows how emergent technologies are able to monitor the condition of the structure in real time in order to schedule the right moment for maintenance activities an so reduce the disturbance to users. This book is a valuable resource for those involved in research and development in this field. Part I discusses the context of transportation systems, highlighting the major issues and challenges, the importance of understating human factors that could affect the maintenance operations and the main goals in terms of safety standards. Part II focuses on process-oriented innovations in transportation systems; this section stresses the importance of including design parameters in the planning, offering a comparison between risk-based and condition-based maintenance and, lastly, showing applications of emergent technologies. Part III goes on to reflect on the technical-oriented innovations, discussing the importance of studying the physical phenomena that are behind transportation system failures and problems. It then introduces the general trend of collecting and analyzing big data using real-world cases to evaluate the positive and negative aspects of adopting extensive smart sensors for gathering information on the health of the assets. The last part (IV) explores cultural and behavioural changes, and new knowledge management methods, proposing novel forms of maintenance and vocational training, and introduces the need for radical new visions in transportation for managing unexpected events. The continuous evolution of maintenance fields suggests that this compendium of "state-of-the-art" applications will not be the only one; the authors are planning a collection of cutting-edge examples of transportation systems that can assist researchers and practitioners as well as students in the process of understanding the complex and multidisciplinary environment of maintenance engineering applied to the transport sector.

This book presents intuitive explanations of the principles of microgrids, including their structure and operation and their applications. It also discusses the latest research on microgrid control and protection technologies and the essentials of microgrids as well as enhanced communication systems. The book provides solutions to microgrid operation and planning issues using various methodologies including planning and modelling; AC and DC hybrid microgrids; energy storage systems in microgrids; and optimal microgrid operational planning. Written by specialists, it is filled in innovative solutions and research related to microgrid operation, making it a valuable resource for those interested in developing updated approaches in electric power analysis, design and operational strategies. Thanks to its in-depth explanations and clear, three-part structure, it is useful for electrical engineering students, researchers and technicians.

This open access book explores the synergies and tensions between safety and security management from a variety of perspectives and by combining input from numerous disciplines. It defines the concepts of safety and security, and discusses the methodological, organizational and institutional implications that accompany approaching them as separate entities and combining them, respectively. The book explores the coupling of safety and security from different perspectives, especially: the concepts and methods of risk, safety and security; the managerial aspects; user experiences in connection with safety and security. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to researchers and practitioners in the fields of safety and security, and to anyone working at a business or in an industry concerned with how safety and security should be managed.

This updated edition retains its introduction to applied fundamental statistics, probability, reliability, and decision theory as these pertain to problems in Civil Engineering. The new edition adds an expanded treatment of systems reliability, Bayesian methods, and spatial variabililty, along with additional example problems throughout. The book provides readers with the tools needed to determine the probability of failure, and when multiplied by the consequences of failure, illustrates how to assess the risk of civil engineering problems. Presenting methods for quantifying uncertainty that exists in engineering analysis and design, with an emphasis on fostering more accurate analysis and design, the text is ideal for students and practitioners of a range of civil engineering disciplines. Expands on the class-tested pedagogy from the first edition with more material and more examples; Broadens understanding with simulations coded both in Matlab and in R; Features new chapters on spatial variability and Bayesian methods; Emphasizes techniques for estimating the influence of uncertainty on the probability of failure

This proceedings of the 13th World Congress on Engineering Asset Management covers a range of topics that are timely, relevant and practically important in the modern digital era towards safer, cost effective, efficient, and secure engineered assets such as production and manufacturing plants, process facilities, civil structures, equipment, machinery, and infrastructure. It has compiled some pioneering work by domain experts of the global Engineering Asset Management community representing both public and private sectors. The professional coverage of the book includes: Asset management in Industry 4.0; Standards and models; Sustainable assets and processes; Life cycle perspectives; Smart and safer assets; Applied data science; Workplace safety; Asset health; Advances in equipment condition monitoring; Critical asset processes; and Innovation strategy and entrepreneurship The breadth and depth of these state-of-the-art, comprehensive proceedings make them an excellent resource for asset management practitioners, researchers and academics, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students.

This book describes principles, industry practices and evolutionary methodologies for advanced safety studies, which are helpful in effectively managing volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments within the framework of quantitative risk assessment and management and associated with the safety and resilience of structures and infrastructures with tolerance against various types of extreme conditions and accidents such as fires, explosions, collisions and grounding. It presents advanced computational models for characterizing structural actions and their effects in extreme and accidental conditions, which are highly nonlinear and non-Gaussian in association with multiple physical processes, multiple scales, and multiple criteria. Probabilistic scenario selection practices and applications are presented. Engineering practices for structural crashworthiness analysis in extreme conditions and accidents are described. Multidisciplinary approaches involving advanced computational models and large-scale physical model testing are emphasized. The book will be useful to students at a post-graduate level as well as researchers and practicing engineers.

These proceedings showcase the best papers selected from more than 500 submissions, and introduce readers to the latest research topics and developmental trends in the theory and application of MMESE. The integrated research topic Man-Machine-Environment System Engineering (MMESE) was first established in China by Professor Shengzhao Long in 1981, with direct support from one of the greatest modern Chinese scientists, Xuesen Qian. In a letter to Long from October 22nd, 1993, Qian wrote: "You have created a very important modern science and technology in China!" MMESE studies the optimum combination of man-machine-environment systems. In this system, "man" refers to the people in the workplace (e.g. operators, decision-makers); "machine" is the general name for any object controlled by man (including tools, machinery, computers, systems and technologies), and "environment" describes the specific working conditions under which man and machine interact (e.g. temperature, noise, vibration, hazardous gases, etc.). The three main goals of optimizing man-machine-environment systems are to ensure safety, efficiency and economy. These proceedings present interdisciplinary studies on concepts and methods from physiology, psychology, system engineering, computer science, environmental science, management, education, and other related disciplines. They offer a valuable resource for all researchers and professionals whose work involves interdisciplinary areas touching on MMESE subjects.

This is the first textbook to address quantified risk assessment (QRA) as specifically applied to offshore installations and operations. As the first part of the two-volume updated and expanded fourth edition, it adds a new focus on the EU Offshore Safety Directive, and discusses the new perspective on risk from the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority, followed by new and updated international standards. New safety statistics for the Norwegian sectors are presented, as well as new case studies on international offshore accidents, such as the explosion on FPSO Sao Mateus in 2015, which involved 9 fatalities. Separate chapters analyse the main hazards for offshore structures: fire, explosion, collision, and falling objects, as well as structural and marine hazards. Risk mitigation and control are discussed, as well as how the results of quantitative risk assessment studies should be presented. The fourth edition presents updated hydrocarbon release statistics, together with new methods for modelling the risk from ignited hydrocarbon releases. There have been recent advances in the modelling of collision risk from passing and attending vessels, based on extensive research; these advances are described in detail, in addition to new developments in the safety of Dynamic Positioning vessels. In closing, the book provides updated statistics and lessons learned from accidents involving offshore helicopter transportation of personnel. The book offers a comprehensive reference guide for academics and students of marine/offshore risk assessment and management. It will also be of interest to professionals in the industry, as well as contractors, suppliers, consultants and regulatory authorities.

This is the first textbook to address quantified risk assessment (QRA) as specifically applied to offshore installations and operations. As the second part of the two-volume updated and expanded fourth edition, it adds a new focus on the recent development of Normally Unattended Installations (NUIs), which are essentially autonomous installations that combine digitalization, big data, drones and machine learning, and can be supported by W2W (walk-to-work) vessels. These minimalistic installations with no helideck and very limited safety systems will require a new approach to risk assessment and emergency planning, especially during manned periods involving W2W vessels. Separate chapters analyse the main hazards for offshore structures: fire, explosion, collision, and falling objects, as well as structural and marine hazards. The book explores possible simplifications of risk assessment for traditional manned installations. Risk mitigation and control are also discussed, as well as how the results of quantitative risk assessment studies should be presented. In closing, the book provides an updated approach to environmental risk assessment. The book offers a comprehensive reference guide for academics and students of marine/offshore risk assessment and management. It will also be of interest to professionals in the industry, as well as contractors, suppliers, consultants and regulatory authorities.

This book presents a technical approach to promoting the development of disaster and climate change risk financing and transfer strategies, and discusses several practical issues, chiefly focusing on Latin America and the Caribbean. Innovative risk financing and insurance mechanisms are vital for governments around the world, in order to provide financial protection and reduce the economic costs and social and developmental impacts of natural disasters and climate change. The book's main content is complemented by a wealth of graphics, diagrams and tables that illustrate the concepts discussed and make the text accessible for practitioners and non-practitioners alike. The book offers proven, creative and innovative ideas on how to tackle risk financing and management for natural disasters and climate change. Strategic topics such as sovereign disaster risk financing, property catastrophe risk insurance, and agricultural insurance are also discussed.

This book comprises select proceedings of the International Conference on Production and Industrial Engineering (CPIE) 2018. The book focuses on the latest developments in the domain of operations management and systems engineering, and presents analytical models, case studies, and simulation approaches relevant to a wide variety of systems engineering problems. Topics such as decision sciences, human factors and ergonomics, transport and supply chain management, manufacturing design, operations research, waste management, modeling and simulation, reliability and maintenance, and sustainability in operations and manufacturing are discussed in this book. The contents of this book will be useful to academics, researchers and practitioners working in the field of systems engineering and operations management.

This book presents the comprehensive results of experimental and numerical investigations of glass facade breakage behavior under fire conditions. First of all, full-scale frame and point-supported glass facades, incorporating single, double and coated glazing, were tested under pool fire conductions. The results determined the effects of different glass frames, types of glass, and thermal shocks on breakage behavior. Small-scale tests, using the Material Testing System (MTS) 810, Netzsch Dilatometer and FE-SEM, were also performed at different temperatures to determine the basic mechanical properties of glazing. In addition, a three-dimensional dynamic model was developed to predict stress distribution, crack initiation and propagation, and has since been employed to identify the breakage mechanisms of different types of glass facade. The numerical results showed very good agreement with the experimental results and verified the model's ability to accurately predict breakage. Lastly, a theoretical model based on incident heat flux was developed to predict the breakage time and heat transfer in glazing, which served to reveal the nature of interactions between fire and glass.

This book presents a bibliographical review of the use of Bayesian networks in reliability over the last decade. Bayesian network (BN) is considered to be one of the most powerful models in probabilistic knowledge representation and inference, and it is increasingly used in the field of reliability. After focusing on the engineering systems, the book subsequently discusses twelve important issues in the BN-based reliability methodologies, such as BN structure modeling, BN parameter modeling, BN inference, validation, and verification. As such, it is a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners in the field of reliability engineering.