This report focuses on potential ways to improve the reliability of the production process at the wood refining company Dicomad S.R.L. in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. The main theory used has been Lean Production, as this theory suits the circumstances of the company well. Disorder has been the biggest problem, which has caused the safety in the factory to be below an acceptable level. Dicomad has two different businesses – producing decking and furniture. The decking production is fairly standardized whereas the furniture production is customized. The study was carried out during the summer and fall of 2009.The analysis has resulted in changes in the layout of the factory such that a clearer work flow as well as proper order can be maintained. More specifically, three new layout suggestions have been made. The first suggestion makes big changes in the layout creating the “optimal” layout for the current situation. The second makes slightly smaller changes and the third makes small, but important changes to the layout. Our choice of the three is the second suggestion which constitutes the best compromise given the current layout. This suggestion will bring substantial benefits in form of a clearer flow, more organized inventory and separation of the two businesses but does not include a strenuous movement of the molder. Furthermore, each operation in the factory has been scrutinized and suggested improvements have been made to banish disorganization. Suggestions include redesign of machines, addition of collecting mechanisms for material and creation of best practices for machines. The greatest improvements have been possible within the furniture manufacturing as the factory was originally designed for decking production only. Additionally, proposals about improving the light, the air quality and the general organization and cleanliness of the factory have been made.Only suggestions are presented, as the time available for the study was limited and any implementations were beyond our scope.

No / This paper presents the experimental and numerical investigation into the behaviour of headed shear studs in composite beams with profiled metal deck flooring. A new single-sided horizontal push test arrangement is proposed to evaluate the shear capacity of the headed shear connectors in pairs with metal deck profiled sheeting. The characteristic resistance obtained from the horizontal push test is compared with Eurocode 4. A three-dimensional finite element model was developed using general purpose finite element program ABAQUS/Explicit. The shear connector capacity, load-slip behaviour and failure modes are validated against experimental results and close correlations were obtained.

Yes / This paper presents experimental and numerical investigation on an innovative composite floor system with deconstructability. In this system, a composite slab formed with metal profiled decking is connected to a steel beam using demountable shear connectors. A series of push tests was conducted to investigate the behaviour of this form of shear connectors. In addition to the push tests, a full-scale composite beam was tested to failure in the laboratory under a number of cycles of monotonic loading. For direct comparison, a similar composite beam test was conducted using same section size, concrete strength, but using the conventional welded headed stud connectors. Test results showed that the behaviour of the composite beam with demountable shear connectors is comparable with the specimen with welded shear connectors. After the test was terminated, the demountable shear connectors were unfastened and the composite floor can be easily lifted off from the steel beam. Test result showed that these demountable shear connectors possess high ductility in comparison with the equivalent welded shear connectors. Simple design rules currently use in Eurocode 4 for the welded shear connections and Eurocode 3 for bolts are proposed to predict the shear resistance of this form of demountable shear connectors.

Vid investeringar i komplexa projekt finns det många aspekter att ta hänsyn till och det finns många metoder för att kunna utvärdera dessa investeringar. Komplexa projekt som en överdäckning där nya ytor tillskapas och befintliga trafikleder byggs över genererar fler nyttor än bara ekonomiska. Vid investeringsbeslut är det därav av stor vikt att kunna värdera investeringen med hänsyn till de aspekter som är av intresse.Samhällsekonomisk analys är en metod som ofta förekommer vid investeringsbeslut där fler än bara ekonomiska aspekter ska inkluderas. Metoden är välkänd och förekommer både i den akademiska sfären men används även praktiskt bland företag. En annan metod, option games är en nyare metod där förankring finns i teorin men inte har tillämpats i lika hög grad i praktiken.Syftet med detta arbete är att jämföra två metoder, samhällsekonomisk analys och option games. Detta för att bedöma vilken av metoderna som lämpar sig bäst vid investeringsbeslut i komplexa projekt. De två metoderna kommer att utvärderas med hjälp av tre valda bedömningskriterier. Metoderna utvärderas på hur väl de tar hänsyn till antaganden och indata, deras applicerbarhet i den aktuella fallstudien och slutligen hur omfattande metoden är. Arbetet är genomfört som en fallstudie och har applicerats på överdäckningen av Stockholms centralstation.Resultatet visar att samhällsekonomisk analys överlag är bättre än option games som metod för att generera beslutsunderlag för investeringar vid komplexa projekt. Dock finns det aspekter som option games tar hänsyn till men som saknas i den samhällsekonomiska analysen. Känslighetsanalysen pekar ut kalkylräntan som den viktigaste parameter i de båda metoderna. / There are many aspects to consider when investing in complex projects and there exist several methods to evaluate those investments. Complex projects such as a decking over existing thoroughfares engender new areas that generate more utility than just economic. Therefore it is of great importance in case of investment decisions to evaluate the investment with regards to the aspects of interest.Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) is a method used in contexts where more than just the economic aspects are included in the investment decision. The method is well-known and appears in both the academic field and practical at companies. A different method, Option Games is newer and so far mainly applied theoretical and not used in daily practice yet.The aim with this paper is to compare the two methods, Cost Benefit Analysis and Option Games. The goal is to assess which of the two methods best includes the aspects of interest when considering investment decisions for complex projects. The methods will be evaluated based on three selected criteria. Firstly, assumptions and inputs of the two methods. Secondly, their applicability in the current case study and finally the scope of the methods. The paper is conducted as a case study applied on the planned over decking of Stockholm Central station.The result indicates Cost Benefit Analysis to be the preferable method compared to Option Games. Cost Benefit Analysis generates a better foundation when investing in complex projects. Nevertheless, Option Games does regard some aspects that are not considered in the Cost Benefit Analysis method. The most important parameter for both methods is the discount rate in relation to the implemented sensitivity analysis.

Development is currently being driven towards products that are linked to sustainability. Products with a positive imprint in sustainability are becoming increasingly valuable to consumers, which in turn creates increased value for producers and suppliers. The current pricing tools do not have room to consider the value of the sustainable properties of new products. This is something that the wood industry is following and is now facing the challenge of estimating the value of sustainable production. The study aims to estimate a value for environmentally/climate-friendly products in the wood industry from a customer perspective. This has been done by performing a conjoint analysis using PAPRIKA (Potentially All Pairwise Rankings of all possible Alternatives), to determine the relative importance of 6 product properties. The results of the study show that price is the most important property of wooden floor decking. The mean weight of the 6 attributes included in the study is; price (25,0%), aging (21,9%), maintenance intervals (16,9%), climate impact (16,9%), dimensional stability (10,2%) and biocides (9,1%). The conclusion of the results is if the purpose is to cover the majority of consumers, several different products with different properties should be produced. The results also indicate that the weight for sustainability attributes can increase if the consumer becomes more informed and gains a broader knowledge of the meaning of the properties. / Utvecklingen drivs just nu mot produkter som anknyts till hållbarhet. Produkter med ett positivt avtryck inom hållbarhet blir allt mer värdefull för konsumenten vilket i sin tur skapar ett ökat värde för producenter och leverantörer. De nuvarande verktygen för prissättning har inte utrymme att överväga värdet för hållbara egenskaper hos nya produkter. Denna utveckling är en central del inom träindustrin, som nu står inför utmaningen att estimera värdet av en hållbar produktion. Studien syftar att estimera ett värde för miljö-/klimatvänliga produkter inom träindustrin från ett kundperspektiv. Detta har gjorts genom att utföra en conjointanalys med användandet av PAPRIKA (Potentially All Pairwise RanKings of all possible Alternatives), för att bestämma den relativa betydelsen för 6 produktegenskaper. Resultatet av studien visar att priset är den viktigaste egenskapen hos trallvirke. Medelvikten för de 6 egenskaperna som inkluderats i studien är; pris (25,0%), åldring (21,9%), underhållsintervall (16,9%), fossilt kolspår (16,9%), dimensionsstabilitet (10,2%) och biocider (9,1%). Slutsatsen av studiens resultat är om sortimentet för trallprodukter ska täcka majoriteten av konsumenterna, bör man ha flera olika produkter med olika egenskaper. Resultatet tyder också på att vikten för hållbarhetsattributen kan öka ifall konsumenten blir mer informerad och får en bredare kunskap om egenskapernas innebörd.

This paper presents a numerical investigation into the behaviour of headed shear stud in composite beams with profiled metal decking. A three-dimensional finite element model was developed using general purpose finite element program ABAQUS to study the behaviour of through-deck welded shear stud in the composite slabs with trapezoidal deck ribs oriented perpendicular to the beam. Both static and dynamic procedures were investigated using Drucker Prager model and Concrete Damaged Plasticity model respectively. In the dynamic procedure using ABAQUS/Explicit, the push test specimens were loaded slowly to eliminate significant inertia effects to obtain a static solution. The capacity of shear connector, load-slip behaviour and failure modes were predicted and validated against experimental results. The delamination of the profiled decking from concrete slab was captured in the numerical analysis which was observed in the experiments. ABAQUS/Explicit was found to be particularly suitable for modelling post-failure behaviour and the contact interaction between profiled decking and concrete slabs. It is concluded that this model represents the true behaviour of the headed shear stud in composite beams with profiled decking in terms of the shear connection capacity, load-slip behaviour and failure modes.

Veckbildning i bitumenbaserade tätskiktmattor är ett problem som är känt i branschen. Problemet uppstår oftast på underlagstak av trä som är byggda under årets fuktigaste period, oktober-november, och vecken börjar då att bildas i slutet av våren i takt med den ökande solinstrålningen. Vecken bildas när underlagstaket torkar ut och krymper, det leder till att tätskiktets infästningspunkter skjuts ihop och ett materialöverskott av tätskiktsmatta bildas – ett tillräckligt stort materialöverskott visar sig i form av ett veck. Idag kan veckbildningen leda till att tätskiktsmattor måste bytas ut av estetiska skäl. Denna rapport utreder vilka faktorer som påverkar risken för veckbildning. Rörelser i både trä och tätskikt har studerats. Träets rörelser är direkt beroende av dess fuktkvot, när träet torkar ut krymper det också. För att utreda de faktorer som påverkar träets fuktighet har fuktberäknings-programmet WUFI använts. WUFI har nyttjats för att göra en parameterstudie där olika parametrar har jämförts, till exempel: platser i landet, inbyggnadsfuktkvoter, tidpunkter för inbyggnad etc. Till skillnad från de flesta andra material krymper bitumenbaserade tätskikt initialt till följd av uppvärmning från solen. Hur träet och tätskiktet påverkar varandra till följd av deras inbördes rörelser har utretts i form av en hypotes. Antagandet utgår från att tätskiktets mekaniska infästningspunkter i underlagstaket är en viktig del - ju kortare avstånd mellan infästningspunkterna, desto högre är risken för veckbildning. Beräkningar, utifrån antagandet, har gjorts för att kunna jämföra olika utföranden med varandra. Faktorer som leder till minskad risk för veckbildning är att minska fuktkvotsändringen och därmed fuktrörelserna genom att bygga tak med så låg inbyggnadsfuktkvot som möjligt, till exempel genom att bygga under våren/sommaren. Vid byggnation under höst/vinter kan fuktkvoten hållas nere med en avfuktare. Att använda takplywood i stället för råspont leder till minskade rörelser i underlagstaket. En annan åtgärd som skulle minska risken för veckbildning är att öka den maximalt tillåtna krympningen i tätskiktet. / Creasing in roofing membranes is a problem that is familiar in the industry. The issue usually occurs on wooden roof deckings constructed during the wettest period of the year, October-November. The creases then begin to form at the end of the spring due to the increasing solar radiation. When the roof decking dries out and shrinks, the creases start to form. The shrinking leads to the attachment points of the roofing membrane getting pushed together. That creates an excess of material - a sufficiently large surplus of material appears in the form of a crease. Today, the formation of creases can lead to roofing membranes having to get replaced for aesthetic reasons. This report investigates the factors that affect the risk of creasing. Both the movement in the wood and the roofing membrane have been examined. The wood's motions are directly dependent on its moisture content. When the wood is drying, it's also shrinking. The moisture calculation program WUFI has been used to investigate the factors that affect the wood's moisture. The investigation is in the form of a parameter study where different parameters have been compared, for example, places in the country, built-in moisture ratios, built-in times, and more. Unlike most other materials, bituminous roofing membranes initially shrink due to heating from the sun. How the wood and the roofing membrane affect each other as a result of their respective movements has been investigated in the form of a hypothesis. It assumes that the mechanical attachment points of the roofing membrane in the roof decking are of importance - the shorter the distance between the attachment points, the higher the risk of creases. Calculations, based on the assumption, have been made to compare different roofing components with each other. Factors that lead to a reduced risk of creasing are to reduce the moisture ratio change and thus the moisture movements by building roofs with as low a built-in moisture ratio as possible, for example, by constructing in the spring/summer. When constructing during autumn/winter, the moisture ratio can be kept down with a dehumidifier. Using roof plywood instead of tongued and grooved board leads to reduced movements in the roof decking. Another measure that would reduce the risk of creasing is to increase the maximum allowable shrinkage in the roofing membrane.