The liquid and gas pipeline community has recently been faced with the challenge of new governmental regulations set forth by congress which are being implemented by PHMSA (an arm of the DOT). These new governmental regulations need to understand the role of the human in the loop as part of alarm management systems. To investigate alarm rate standards a repeated measures design was developed that included a series of ten (10) simulated liquid pipeline operator scenarios utilizing high fidelity liquid pipeline simulation software (Stoner Pipeline Simulator). A total of 39 participants volunteered for this study. Participants completed two subsets of experiments, five were completed using an alarm display presenting alarms by time (chronological) and the remaining five experiments were completed using a categorical alarm display. Statistically significant differences were found to exist in participant response time, acknowledgement time, and accuracy of response given different alarm display types and alarm rates. Use of the categorical alarm display resulted in significantly reduced alarm acknowledgement and response times. Also, a severe operator performance reduction with regard to alarm handling was observed when the alarm rate was increased from ten alarms per ten minutes (10-alarms/10-minutes) to twenty alarms per ten minutes (20-alarms/10-minutes).

The process of joining metals is called welding. At times, selecting a poor quality material or improper usage of welding technologies may cause defects in welded joints. Some of these welded joints have to be tested nondestructively, because their failure can cause lot of damage, for instance in power plants. Radiography is a very common method for non-destructive testing of welds. It is done by certified weld inspectors who have knowledge about weld flaws, looking at the radiograph of the welded joint with naked eye. The judgment of the weld inspector can be biased; subjective, because it is dependent on his/her experience. This manual method can also become very time consuming. Many researches were exploring computer aided examination of radiographic images in early 1990s. With much advancement in computer vision and image processing technologies, they are being used to find more effective ways of automatic weld inspection. These days, fuzzy based methods are being widely used in this area too. The first step in automatic weld inspection is to locate the welds or find a Region of Interest (ROI) in the radiographic image [7]. In this thesis, a Standard Hough Transform (SHT) based methodology is developed for weld extraction. Firstly, we have done binarization of image to remove the background and non-welds. For binarization, optimal binary threshold is found by a metaheuristic Simulated annealing. Secondly, we use SHT to generate the Hough Transform matrix of all non-zero points in the binary image. Thirdly, we have explored two different paths to find a meaningful set of lines in the binarized image that are welds. Finally, these lines are verified as weld using a weld-peak detection procedure. Weld-peak detection is also helpful to remove any non-welds that were remaining. We have used 25 digitized radiographic images containing 100 welds to test the method in terms of true detection and false alarm rate.

Since its introduction, the concept of integrated inventory supply chain has received a considerable amount of attention. The majority of studies in the last three decades revealed an increase in holding cost as product moves further down the chain or up the chain. A recent study Hoque (2008) considered vendors setup cost and inventory holding cost. Some research also considered fixed transportation cost, which is unrealistic. This study focuses on a single-vendor, multi-buyer scenario and presents three models. First, two models illustrate the transferring of equally-sized batches. Then, a third model considers the transferring of unequally-sized batches in a lot. This study relaxes the assumption that vendors holding cost must be greater than or less than all buyers holding costs in the system. Also, this research facilitates unequal transportation time and cost for different buyers for greater flexibility. The total system cost is calculated by summing the annual operational cost for all the parties in the system. Optimum values of the decision variables are determined using a direct search method. As presented by the third model, a numerical example demonstrates that the total system cost is less when compared with other two models presented. This study also presents the following: solution procedures to solve each model, many numerical examples to support mathematical findings, and performance comparisons among three findings. In order to justify the lot-splitting approach for solving the integrated inventory problem, alternative models with no lot splitting are devised and tested under the same circumstances. Alternative models with no lot splitting produce similar or better results. Under the same circumstances, the alternate third model is observed to be offering the least total cost for the system. This study also presents a sensitivity analysis to check the robustness of the three models. The future extension of this research may involve considering storage capacity constraint and random demand.

Safety research and practice have shifted focus away from accident rates and accident causal information to a more proactive approach that may predict organizational safety trends. This proactive approach involves the concept of an organizational safety culture and the use of surveys to measure organizational safety climate or snapshot‟ of the organizational safety culture. Surveys were administered to line workers, supervisors, and managers at a modular home manufacturing company before and after safety climate information was presented to supervisors and managers in an attempt to measure the effect of the supervisors‟ and managers‟ increased awareness of the factors that define organizational safety climate as well as investigate potential differences between line workers and supervisors/managers perceptions of the organizational safety climate. Two-way, mixed design analysis of variance (ANOVA) found no significant differences in the survey responses within each group (line workers, supervisors/managers) between two surveys, and between the groups in each survey. Additionally, the survey responses were divided into groups based on the nine safety climate factors that the questions measured and the same analysis was conducted, with no significant differences found. While the safety climate information presentation led to no significant changes in the overall perceived safety climate of the company, the time factor in the study was a limitation and the potential for the application of similar methods in additional studies exists.

Many organizational problems are related to job dissatisfaction, job-related stress, and lack of commitment in workers. Employees Affective Attitude (EAA) involves these three factors: job satisfaction, job stress, and commitment. This research is aimed at measuring the impact of Lean concepts on EAA factors. While providing an overview of Lean production and construction, this study focuses on one fundamental Lean concept, Kaizen. This thesis describes a case study showcasing the application of Lean concepts through Kaizen events and its impact on EAA for a modular homebuilder company. Based on previous literature a conceptual model was developed describing the potential links between Kaizen events and EAA factors. The conceptual model also took into account employees seniority level (work experience) which might have an impact on the three factors of EAA. To measure three factors of EAA, an Employees Affective Attitude Questionnaire (EAAQ) was compiled from other validated questionnaires. The research methodology entailed two phases Phase I aimed at developing a company-wide baseline of the current levels of EAA at a modular homebuilding company without Lean practices. In addition, Phase I analyzed any variation due to employees seniority level on their EAA factors. Phase II aimed to characterize the state of EAA factors after implementing Lean concepts through a Kaizen event. After surveying 82 employees in Phase I and conducting a Kaizen event at one department in Phase II, results revealed an increase in job satisfaction (11.5%) and commitment level (15.9%); whereas there a decrease in job stress level (6.7%). Results from Phase I- (pre- Kaizen), indicated that employees had moderate level of job satisfaction, commitment, and job stress for all seniority level. After conducting the Kaizen event, results of Phase II revealed that employee experienced increase in their job satisfaction and commitment level, and a decrease in job stress level among all seniority levels. In general, the case study results suggested that Lean concepts (e.g. eliminating production waste, improving productivity, and enhancing workers role perception) were also good concepts for improving EAA factors among different seniority levels at the modular homebuilder company.

While many residential contractors, architects, and home-buyers today are concerned about the environment and interested in sustainable construction technologies, the perceived higher initial costs of innovative materials and methodologies and a lack of life-cycle cost and performance data present significant barriers in the implementation of such techniques. Research regarding an integrated design process has suggested that performance based decision making is key to the successful implementation of sustainable building practices. Therefore, a need exists for the development of whole building design and evaluation models to allow decision making in all phases of a building project. This research seeks information regarding residential framing systems and the corresponding expected energy performance, as well as to present a case-study utilizing the integration of building information modeling and energy simulation. The primary goals of this research are 1) assess the ability of BIM integrated energy simulation modeling to accurately predict the energy performance of a building and 2) compare the predicted energy performance for four different residential framing systems through the integration of BIM, energy simulation and performance monitoring. These research goals will be accomplished through a case-study approach utilizing the Louisiana State University Agricultural Centers showcase home, known as the LaHouse, which serves as a display of sustainable construction materials and technologies. This research focuses on the integration of design software Autodesk® Revit Architecture with energy simulation modeling. Models based on the LaHouse were created in Autodesk® Revit Architecture and will be used to simulate the energy utilization of four different framing systems: insulated concrete forms, structural insulated panels, advanced framing and standard framing, all of which were used in the construction of LaHouse. The energy utilization obtained by the performance monitoring systems installed in the LaHouse Garage will be compared with simulation results.

One of the common goals which most companies have is to maximize profits. There are two way to increase profit: increasing revenue or reducing cost. Lacking of ability to keep the cost down could potentially drive the companies out of the business. In recent years, many researchers have been paying more attention on improving supply chain system due to high potential of creating cost savings. The supply chain network considered in this research is a tree-type, three-echelon single producer, multiple distributors, and multiple retailers system. The goal of this research is to develop a replenishment policy which satisfies customers demand and minimizes the total production-inventory system cost. Three inventory models are developed here. First, tree-type, three-echelon distribution (producer, distributor and retailers) model with end customers backorders (TDB) at retailers level is developed. Second, the variation of downstream holding cost (DHV) is studied and a model is developed to investigate the effect downstream holding cost structure. Third, a model is developed to improve the retailers service rate (ISR). This model combines the features of TDB and DHV models together (allowable backorder and reduced delivery interval at retailers level). Operational schedules of TDB are constructed and the limitations of DHV model are established. The improvement in the ISR model is confirmed and demonstrated through numerical examples. Significance and conclusions of this research are highlighted along with an indication of future research.

Lean strategies in healthcare aim at improving patient throughput, reducing medication errors, redesigning work flow, improving patient safety, and reducing cycle time. Documented studies to improve healthcares warehouse operation are not common in the literature. Managing types of medical supplies has always been a priority due to demand uncertainties and the risk of shortages that would profoundly affect patient safety. This study showcases two implementation approaches for the Lean tool 5S (Hybrid and Traditional) conducted in three different hospitals central warehouses at Ochsner Health System. These warehouses store similar medical products with over 1000 types of supplies (e.g. syringes, gloves, primary IV) that supply different departments within hospitals and clinics. The participating warehouses faced similar problems due to over/under stocked inventories, space constraints, and poor layouts. The objective of this study was to compare the impact of implementing a Hybrid 5S (integrated with inventory management techniques and process improvement tools) along with two Traditional 5Ss to improve healthcare warehouse operations. Although the two approaches improved the baseline warehouse process, the warehouse that used the Hybrid 5S showed the greatest improvement with an increase of 59.5% in inventory turnover, 15.7% space saved, and least number of non-conformities in the 5S audit tool.

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) emitted from vehicle exhaust are associated with negative health impacts and are a precursor to ozone. Self-cleaning, air-purifying concrete pavement is a rapidly emerging technology that can degrade pollutants such as NOx through heterogeneous photocatalysis. Although this technology has the potential to support environmentally friendly road infrastructure, a number of design and operational parameters may affect its effectiveness and thus need to be evaluated. The goal of this study was to measure the NOx reduction efficiencies from photocatalytic pavements under various environmental conditions common to highways. To achieve this goal, the objectives were to: (a) evaluate the influence of photocatalytic layer design and operating parameters on the efficiency of photocatalytic concrete pavement; (b) measure the impact of mixed pollutants on NOx reduction efficiency; and (c) measure the impact of roadway contaminants on NOx reduction. To achieve the first objective, the effects of relative humidity level, pollutants flow rate, and photocatalytic layer design parameters, including titanium dioxide (TiO2) percent content and aggregate sizes, were investigated. The environmental efficiency of the samples to remove NOx from the atmosphere was measured using a newly developed laboratory setup. The photocatalytic layer designs without fines achieved the highest photodegradation rates. In addition, the increase from 3% to 5% TiO2 resulted in minimal improvement to the NOx removal efficiency. To achieve the second objective, NOx reduction efficiencies were measured for various NO2/NOx ratios at various flow rates and humidity levels. Increasing the flow rate and NO2/NOx ratio negatively affects the effectiveness of the photocatalytic process. The highest photodegradation rate was observed at 25% relative humidity, which balances the availability of hydroxyl radicals at the surface with NOx contact with the photocatalytic surface. To achieve the third objective, three common roadway contaminants were tested - dirt, de-icing salt, and motor oil - at two contrasting coverage levels. The contaminants had a strong, negative impact on the photocatalytic NOx removal efficiency. The impact of contaminants coverage was largely dependent on the soilure type, with oil having the largest negative impact. An increase in the flow rate and air relative humidity also resulted in lower NOx efficiencies.

Traditional two-dimensional (2D) delivery systems in the construction industry can hinder the way information is communicated between owners, architects, and contractors. This hindrance exists in all phases of a project, from design and construction to the operation and maintenance of the completed facility. Building Information Management (BIM) is an emerging information technology that promotes a collaborative process for the Architectural, Engineering, Construction and Facilities Management (AECFM) industry; it can aid the exchange of information and provide improved project data accessibility to all stakeholders of a construction project. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), in conjunction with the facility management (FM) chiefs of the other Department of Defense (DoD) agencies, is committed to adopting the standards and technologies used in the private sector that promote efficient and effective business and construction management practices. The AECFM industry shift to BIM is resonating to the public sector and implementation plans to accommodate the shift are being developed by many public agencies at all levels of government. NAVFAC recognizes the need to develop and adopt BIM technologies in order to keep pace with private sector advances and has drafted a BIM Road Map document (NAVFAC, 2009) to provide BIM implementation guidance to the NAVFAC organizations responsible for providing and maintaining facilities and infrastructure to Supported Commanders. The objective of this thesis is to evaluate the NAVFAC BIM Road Map, analyze BIM tools and processes currently used in the construction industry, and provide recommendations for best practices and improvements to the NAVFAC BIM Road Map. The methodologies used in this research includes three phases: Phase 1- evaluate the current NAVFAC BIM Road Map, Phase 2: Case Study and Phase 3: Develop recommendations to improve BIM Road Map. The outcome of this research effort will be a set of recommendations that ensure that all parties are clearly aware of the opportunities and responsibilities associated with incorporation of BIM into the organizational workflow for naval construction projects.