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[Formulae and special characters can only be approximated here. Please see the pdf version of the abstract for an accurate reproduction.] Ball-impact injuries in baseball, while relatively rare, have the potential to be catastrophic. These injuries are primarily attributed to impact by the ball after it has been hit, pitched or thrown. As the closest infielder to the hitter, the pitcher is at greatest risk of being struck by the batted ball. This thesis investigated the influence of bat and ball design on ball exit velocity (BEV) and the potential for impact injury to pitchers. Finite element analysis (FEA) was used to quantify the dynamics of bat-ball impact for bats of various moment of inertia and baseballs with different mechanical properties. The analysis was conducted using ANSYS/LSDYNA explicit dynamics software. To replicate a typical bat-ball impact in the field, the model required input of bat linear and angular velocity and orientation in three-dimensional (3-D) space, at the instant prior to impact. This data was obtained from 3-D kinematic analysis using two high-speed video cameras operating at 200 Hz. Seventeen high-performance batters used a wood bat and a metal bat of equal length and mass to hit baseballs thrown by a pitcher. Hitters developed significantly higher resultant linear velocity for both the proximal (38.3 ± 1.8 ms-1;) and distal (8.1 ± 1.8 ms-1) ends of the metal bat (compared with 36.4 ± 1.7 ms-1 and 6.9 ± 2.1 ms-1 respectively for the wood bat). They also achieved a significantly more “square” bat position just prior to impact with the ball (264.3 ± 9.1 deg compared with 251.5 ± 10.4 deg). These factors are important in transferring momentum to the batted ball. Mathematical description of the large-deformation material behaviour of the baseball was also required for this analysis. Previous research is limited to compression tests to 10 % of ball diameter, despite conjecture that during impact with the bat, the ball might deform to 50 % of its original diameter. Uniaxial quasi-static compression tests on seven models of baseballs investigated baseball behaviour during deformation to 50 % of ball diameter. The resulting force-displacement relationship was highly non-linear. Hence FEA was used to derive and verify a relationship to describe the time-dependent and elastic behaviour of the ball during the 1 ms period typical of bat-ball impact. The results of the bat-ball impact analysis indicated that for hits made at the point of maximum momentum transfer on the bat, the metal bat produced greater BEV than the wood bat (61.5 ms-1 and 50.9 ms-1 respectively). The higher BEV from the metal bat was attributed to greater pre-impact bat linear velocity, and bat orientation during impact. The more perpendicular horizontal orientation of the metal bat at the instant of impact resulted in a greater proportion of resultant BEV being directed in the global x-direction (toward the pitcher), compared with the wood bat. This indicates increasing bat moment of inertia (the relative mass of the bat barrel) may be a potential control strategy for BEV. BEV was also reduced for impacts using a baseball with values for instantaneous shear and relaxed modulii approximately 33 % less (9.9 % reduction in BEV for metal bat, 9.7 % for the wood bat).

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2001. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2004. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

There is a world-wide drive to optimize maintenance decisions in an increasingly competitive manufacturing industry. Preventive maintenance if often the most organized and cost efficient strategy to follow, but a decision still has to be made on the optimal instant to perform preventive maintenance. Use based preventive maintenance decisions have been optimized through statistical analysis of failure date while predictive preventive maintenance (condition monitoring) has been optimized by utilizing more sophisticated technology. Very little work has however been done to combine the advantages of the two schools of thought. This thesis originated from a realization of the potential improvement in maintenance practice by combining use based preventive maintenance optimization techniques with high technology condition monitoring. In this thesis an approach is developed to estimate residual life of industrial equipment dynamically by combining statistical failure analysis and sophisticated condition monitoring technology. The approach is based on failure intensity proportions determined from historic survival time information and corresponding diagnostic information such as condition monitoring. Combined Proportional Intensity Models (PIMs) for non-repairable and repairable systems, containing the majority of conventional PIM enhancements as special cases, with numerical optimization techniques to solve for the regression coefficients, are derived. In addition to the residual life estimation approach, a user-friendly graphical method with which residual life estimates can be presented was also developed. This method is natural and easy to comprehend, even by inexperienced data analysts. The residual life estimation approach is applied to a typical data set from a South African industry and results are compared to those obtained from a similar, established maintenance decision support tool. This comparison showed that the approach developed in this thesis is relevant, practical and marginally better than the established decision support tool for certain criteria. / Thesis (PhD (Industrial Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Industrial and Systems Engineering / unrestricted

In order to make a profit in any earthmoving operation it is important to plan the operation, select the appropriate equipment and use the haul units efficiently in order to obtain the maximum productivity. Maximizing productivity is one of construction project management personnel's primary objectives, but can also be one of their greatest challenges. The need for effective productivity planning is obvious since productivity ultimately translates into profit. In order to plan an earthmoving operation it is important to understand the travel times of the hauling equipment. Travel time is a variable that, in turn, depends upon other variables associated with the haul unit, and the haul road conditions. Presently there is no travel time model that appropriately considers these factors and simulates the interactions among them such that more detailed analysis could be performed. Such a model needs to be developed. The objective of this research is to develop a detailed model to simulate the travel time considering, in the amount of detail needed, the variables upon which travel time is dependent. The key in the development of the model is the calculation of acceleration. The simulation of how instantaneous acceleration varies may be a complex procedure because instantaneous acceleration is a function of numerous variables, many of which are in turn functions of the velocity and position, which are themselves integral functions of acceleration. The acceleration of a vehicle is dependent on the vehicle characteristics, road conditions, and operator. It is very difficult to consider changes in instantaneous acceleration by using analytical procedures. A numerical method should be used in order to analyze the complex system and determine the travel time or velocity profile of the vehicle. MATLAB software was used to analyze and solve the complex system numerically. A model that considers that the machine is working at full capacity was developed. It considers the variables that affect travel time in the amount of detail needed. The impact that the operator has in the machine performance can be highlighted after a comparison of the results obtained with actual field data, once the model is calibrated. / Master of Science

Nowadays, by increasing competitions in business, decision-making in maintenance management gets higher priorities. While maintenance in many industries is known as a necessary evil, making cost-effective decisions constructed based on analytical and quantitative assessments improve maintenance position from a cost center into a profit generating one. Within the scope of rotating equipment maintenance, it is vital to consider both economic and technical variables integrated to survive in the competitive market. Taking the role of improving rotating equipment performance within a cost-effective approach into account, this project proposes a consistent model followed by substantial results. The model application can be briefed in improvement of decision-making processes from technical and economic perspectives to direct them into the company profitability aligned with the company goals. Further, it proposes technical and economic indicators and improves utilization of maintenance resources including personnel skills and experience to enhance maintenance performance and develop cost-effective scenarios. Within the model, eMDSS (software) is used as an intelligent facilitator/tool which improves accurate decision-making and identifying and prioritizing maintenance problems. To ensure from the model and its tool applicability, it is applied on a real case study and reliability of the achieved results are tested and approved in detail. In result, the project is successful in evaluating previous technical and economic decisions and selecting the most cost-effective scenario for future with a saving value exceeding 133K€ and profit of 114K€ for the case equipment.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2007. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.