The cost of production breaks

Disruptions in the production process can have a serious impact on production costs. Most of the previous literature which addresses the cost impact of production breaks attributes the observed increase in costs solely to “loss of learning.” We develop a mathematical model which implies that breaks in the unit learning curve can occur because of a production break, even under the assumption of no forgetting. In such cases, increases in unit cost can be caused by decreasing returns as the amount of time available to meet the delivery schedule decreases due to the production break.     

A model for manpower productivity during organization growth

A mathematical model is developed that enables organization and manpower planners to quantify the inefficiencies involved in rapid buildups of organizations, such as is frequently found in the aerospace industry shortly after the award of a major contract. Consideration is given to the time required to train, indoctrinate, and familiarize new workers with their jobs and the general program aspects. Once trained, workers are assumed to be productive. If the ratio of untrained to trained workers exceeds a critical value, called the buildup threshold, then the performance of the trained workers is degraded to the extent that they are no longer 100 percent efficient until this ratio returns to a value less than the threshold. The model is sufficiently general to consider an arbitrary manpower plan with more than one peak or valley. The model outputs are functions of real time and consist of the fraction of the total labor force which is productive, the fraction of the total labor units expended for nonproductive effort, the cumulative labor costs for productive effort, and the cumulative labor cost for all effort.     

Optimal replacement under additive damage and other failure models

A machine or production system is subject to random failure. Upon failure the system is replaced by a new one, and the process repeats. A cost is associated with each replacement, and an additional cost is incurred at each failure in service. Thus, there is an incentive for a controller to attempt to replace before failure occurs. The problem is to find an optimal control strategy that balances the cost of replacement with the cost of failure and results in a minimum total long-run average cost per unit time. We attack this problem under the cumulative damage model for system failure. In this failure model, shocks occur to the system in accordance with a Poisson process. Each shock causes a random amount of damage or wear and these damages accumulate additively. At any given shock, the system fails with a known probability that depends on the total damage accumulated to date. We assume that the cumulative damage is observable by the controller and that his decisions may be based on its current value. Supposing that the shock failure probability is an increasing function of the cumulative damage, we show that an optimal policy is to replace either upon failure or when this damage first exceeds a critical control level, and we give an equation which implicitly defines the optimal control level in terms of the cost and other system parameters. Also treated are some more general models that allow for income lost during repair time and other extensions.     

Subcontracting versus capacity expansion and the impact on pricing of services

The strategic trade-offs between acquiring new capacity and subcontracting (or leasing) capacity are explored for service environments characterized by rapid technological improvement or highly seasonal demand. Reflecting the focus on service-sector organizations, it is assumed that demand cannot be met from inventory. Furthermore, the critical impact that subcontracting has on a firm's competitive pricing policy is examined. The analysis presented is of particular relevance for firms in price-competitive industries such as telecommunications, information services, or health care, because subcontracting capacity represents an alternative to acquiring costly new capacity which may soon become obsolete or unnecessary. It is shown that the optimal price charged is based on the higher of the two operating costs incurred (internal unit cost or unit cost of subcontracting). It is also shown that as a consequence of subcontracting to maximize profit, the optimal price charged is never reduced and may increase. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Bioprotection of facilities

The anthrax attacks of 2001 energized research directed toward reducing health consequences from airborne contaminants by augmenting current heating ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. Even during peacetime, interest will continue in improving HVAC components to reduce biocontaminants associated with sick building syndrome. Current HVAC design uses numerical simulation methods of ordinary differential equations to predict approximate performance. The authors show that state-space Laplace Transform calculations actually solve the underlying differential equations and yield algebraic expressions that provide new insight. To sharpen the arguments in favor of this methodology, attention is restricted to improving existing HVAC systems to increase protection from an external release of hazardous particulates. By nearly eliminating the need for dynamical simulation, the resulting methods can be applied to far more complex HVAC designs with little additional computational effort. The new methods reduce the time required for computation by three orders of magnitude. These algebraic methods also can be extended to disparate technical problems including internal particulate release, gas masks, and designing new protective buildings.     

Derivation and application of unit cost expressions perturbed by design changes

Learning curves have been used extensively to predict future costs in the airframe and other industries. This paper deals with the effect of perturbations induced by design changes on the learning curves. Equations that are developed and applied make it possible to predict future costs accurately in a perturbed environment. The formulations can be used effectively in EDP programs.     

英语词汇教学原则与策略研究

词汇教学是英语教学的一个重要方面。教师应总结教学实践,针对词汇教学中存在的问题,积极探讨如何改进教学,突出在词汇教学中应贯彻的教学原则以及使用的各种教学方法,研究指导词汇教学的理论,帮助学生取得最佳学习效果。     

The future of the defence firm: the case of the UK aerospace industry

The focus of this paper is the future of the defence firm within the context of the UK aerospace industry and its supply chain. The analysis considers aerospace markets and the aerospace industry in the UK before assessing the future of the defence/aerospace firm as a case study. The paper concludes that its future in terms of the strategic and important aerospace industry is uncertain. The corporate governance of the defence firm will have to change to reflect the hollowing‐out of the firm as the industry experiences significantly less vertical integration. The emphasis of the future defence/aerospace firm will be on ‘buy’ and not necessarily ‘make’. There will also be fewer independent defence aerospace firms as horizontal integration will occur across air, land and sea platforms as well as civil and defence aerospace firms. Indeed, conglomerate integration may even occur with cost pressures and market forces ensuring that merger activity goes beyond defence and aerospace into wider manufacturing industries and, in some cases, service industries in global markets.     

自由曲面的立体视觉测量与加工一体化研究

对自由曲面的立体现觉测量与加工一体化技术中的图像匹配、曲面造型以及接口设计等问题进行了分析与讨论,并提出了切实可行的解决办法。     

谈如何提高计算机等级考试通过率

武警学院的计算机公共基础课要真正做到与全国计算机等级考试接轨,就必须在教、管、学三方面进行改革,要着重探讨学习程序设计课程的几种有效方法,以提高学员学习效率,使学员不但能掌握大纲要求的教学内容,而且能顺利通过全国计算机等级(二级)考试。     

用线性规划法设计复系数FIR滤波器

讨论了在复Chebyshev逼近意义下设计复系数FIR滤波器问题。直接把复Chebyshev逼近问题离散化成有限维线性规划问题 ,再用单纯形法求解这种方法一直被认为只能设计实系数滤波器 ,而且计算量大、收敛速度慢。本文从直接离散化出发 ,推导出一种求解此问题的改进的单纯形算法 ,适用于设计复系数滤波器 ,极大地减小了计算量 ,提高了收敛速度。并证明了它与通过求解半无限线性规划的对偶问题而得到的改进的单纯形法是等价的。最后给出了算法的仿真结果     

Incorporating learning curve costs in acquisition strategy optimization

Each year, the U.S. Army procures billions of dollars worth of weapons and equipment. The process of deciding what to buy, when to buy, and in what quantities is extremely complex, requiring extensive analysis. Two techniques used in this analysis are mathematical programming and cost estimation. Although they are related through constraints on available procurement funds, the use of nonlinear cost learning curves, which better represent system costs as a function of quantity produced, have not been incorporated into the mathematical programming formulations that compute the quantities of items to be procured. As a result, the solutions obtained could be either suboptimal, or even infeasible with respect to budgetary limitations. In this paper we present a piecewise linear approximation of the learning curve costs for a more accurate portrayal of budgetary constraints used in a mixed integer linear programming for acquisition strategy optimization. In addition, implementation issues are discussed, and performance results are given. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 46: 255–271, 1999     

A (Q,R) inventory model with lost sales and erlang-distributed lead times

The exact expression is derived for the average stationary cost of a (Q,R) inventory system with lost sales, unit Poisson demands, Erlang-distributed lead times, fixed order cost, fixed cost per unit lost sale, linear holding cost per unit time, and a maximum of one order outstanding. Explicit expressions for the state probabilities and a fast method of calculating them are obtained for the case of Q greater than R. Exponential lead times are analyzed as a special case. A simple cyclic coordinate search procedure is used to locate the minimum cost policy. Examples of the effect of lead time variability on costs are given.     

An operator theory of parametric programming for the transportation problem-I

This paper investigates the effect on the optimum solution of a (capacitated) transportation problem when the data of the problem (the rim conditions-i. e., the warehouse supplies and market demands-the per unit transportation costs and the upper bounds) are continuously varied as a (linear) function of a single parameter. An operator theory is developed and algorithms provided for applying rim and cost operators that effect the transformation of optimum solution associated with changes in rim conditions and unit costs. Bound operators that effect changes in upper bounds are shown to be equivalent to rim operators. The discussion in this paper is limited to basis preserving operators for which the changes in the data are such that the optimum basis structures are preserved.     

Evaluation of an integrated supplier-buyer quality-control system

In this article, a quality-control design framework that employs information for the supplier-buyer system is modeled. Significant operational savings may be obtained by using the integrated plans developed under this framework. This is especially true when the cost of a defective is high, and the variable sampling and rework costs are low. Analysis of the interaction of defective, rework, and variable sampling costs reveals that the savings are the result of a shift of control effort from the process-control to the lot-acceptance stage, which is the consequence of tradeoffs involving both stages. The managerial impact of adopting integrated plans is discussed.     

双三次参数曲面片的逼近求交法

本文提出了一种新的曲面求交方法,这种方法基于曲面控制网格的“子”分方法,只要控制网格足够逼近曲面,则通过对控制网格处理一系列特殊的直线与三角形求交问题,就可迅速、逼近地求出两张双三次曲面片的交线。     

基于IRT的自适应学习管理系统设计

从新一代网络教育标准体系的架构入手,结合学习管理系统标准,提出了用标准格式绑定学习单元的方法,并且结合项目反应理论,实现了自适应学习管理和跟踪。标准化的结构设计有利于教育资源在不同系统间的交互、共享和重用,而自适应的学习跟踪使得远程网络教育过程更符合人的学习规律,能够有效地提高学习效率.     

On the (S − 1, S) lost sales inventory model with priority demand classes

In this paper an inventory model with several demand classes, prioritised according to importance, is analysed. We consider a lot‐for‐lot or (S ? 1, S) inventory model with lost sales. For each demand class there is a critical stock level at and below which demand from that class is not satisfied from stock on hand. In this way stock is retained to meet demand from higher priority demand classes. A set of such critical levels determines the stocking policy. For Poisson demand and a generally distributed lead time, we derive expressions for the service levels for each demand class and the average total cost per unit time. Efficient solution methods for obtaining optimal policies, with and without service level constraints, are presented. Numerical experiments in which the solution methods are tested demonstrate that significant cost reductions can be achieved by distinguishing between demand classes. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 49: 593–610, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/nav.10032     

桥丝式电火工品静电感度测试方法研究

本文对目前静电感度试验的现状进行了分析。在理论分析的基础上解决了JGY-50型静电火花感度仪的串联电阻和真空开关所带来的问题。提出了桥丝式电火工品的静电感度测试新方法,通过一个高压线性采样装置直接测量试样在试验过程中的电压、电流曲线,求得试样实际消耗的能量,以此统计试样的静电感度。采用这种方法,测试了JD-11电点火具的50％发火能与放电时间常数的关系,得到了呈单调规律变化的曲线。     

分层土中桩筏基础荷载分担

结合一个桩筏联合基础的设计过程,探讨了在复杂地基土上基础设计中的受力分析及变形协调计算过程.介绍了在满足复合地基承载力和变形要求前提下合理布置桩筏联合基础的做法及其设计思路.布置桩筏联合基础时使桩筏分别落在不同土层上,以充分利用不同深度地基土的承载力;另外针对桩下为非淤泥系硬土层,应最大限度利用桩身强度和天然地基承载力.该做法可以取得很好的经济效益,可供工程设计人员参考.