Search results for "quality."
showing 10 items of 7965 documents
Vibration control strategy for large-scale structures with incomplete multi-actuator system and neighbouring state information
2016
The synthesis of optimal controllers for vibrational protection of large-scale structures with multiple actuation devices and partial state information is a challenging problem. In this study, the authors present a design strategy that allows computing this kind of controllers by using standard linear matrix inequality optimisation tools. To illustrate the main elements of the new approach, a five-story structure equipped with two interstory actuation devices and subjected to a seismic disturbance is considered. For this control setup, three different controllers are designed: an ideal state-feedback H 8 controller with full access to the complete state information and two static output-fee…
Higher Degree F-transforms Based on B-splines of Two Variables
2016
The paper deals with the higher degree fuzzy transforms (F-transforms with polynomial components) for functions of two variables in the case when two-dimensional generalized fuzzy partition is given by B-splines of two variables. We investigate properties of the direct and inverse F-transform in this case and prove that using B-splines as basic functions of fuzzy partition allows us to improve the quality of approximation.
Enriching standards-based digital thread by fusing as-designed and as-inspected data using knowledge graphs
2020
Abstract Realizing the digital thread is essential for linking and orchestrating data across the product lifecycle in smart manufacturing. Linking heterogeneous lifecycle data is critical to maintain associativity and traceability in a digital thread. Recently, researchers have successfully leveraged ontology models with knowledge graphs in engineering domains for threading different lifecycle data. One of the most successful of such efforts is OntoSTEP which enables the formal capture of information embedded in the STandard for Exchange of Product model data (STEP) data representation, or ISO 10303. Meanwhile, an emerging inspection standard, called the Quality Information Framework (QIF),…
The shear strength of Opalinus Clay shale in the remoulded state
2020
Abstract The Opalinus Clay shale formation is considered as a potential host geomaterial for the Swiss deep geological repository for radioactive waste. It presents different facies and it is characterised by a multi-scale heterogeneous composition, by a typical fissile structure with well-defined bedding planes and by anisotropic hydro-mechanical behaviour. This peculiar complexity makes it difficult to assign a unique set of geomechanical parameters to the material. This paper presents an experimental study aimed at characterising the lowest values of the shear strength parameters. In this sense, the shear behaviour was investigated on remoulded samples where the fabric and the diagenetic…
Challenges influencing the safety of migrant workers in the construction industry: A qualitative study in Italy, Spain, and the UK
2021
Abstract The construction industry is notoriously high risk for accidents, injuries, and deaths, particularly for non-national or migrant workers, who comprise a significant proportion of the workforce. This paper presents an international, qualitative study focused on exploring the challenges which influence the safety of migrant construction workers in Italy, Spain, and the UK. Based on a comprehensive review of the literature, we formulated two research questions about the challenges relating to safety that migrant workers face and the challenges to safety training effectively improving migrant workers’ safety behaviours. We present our template analysis of semi-structured interviews and…
2019
Final disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from nuclear power plants (NPPs) is an ethical issue with implications within and across generations. We address this issue from the perspective of nuclear communities that host nuclear waste disposal sites. These are primarily the communities that face injustice due to the potential radiological risks. A resident survey (n = 454) was conducted in two Finnish nuclear communities, i.e. Eurajoki and Pyhajoki, that are being considered as alternative sites for a second repository for SNF. The nuclear waste management (NWM) company Posiva is already building a repository in Eurajoki, the first in Finland. These communities are in different stages of th…
Safety regulations : implications of the new risk perspectives
2016
Abstract The current safety regulations for industrial activities are to a large extent functionally oriented and risk-based (informed), expressing what to achieve rather than the means and solutions needed. They are founded on a probability-based perspective on risk, with the use of risk assessment, risk acceptance criteria and tolerability limits. In recent years several risk researchers have argued for the adoption of some new types of risk perspectives which highlight uncertainties rather than probabilities in the way risk is defined, the point being to better reflect the knowledge, and lack of knowledge, dimension of risk. The Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority has recently implement…
The Challenge of Coexistence in Socially Vulnerable Schools
2017
Abstract Society in general and schools in particular continue to express their concerns with regard to the many challenges posed nowadays by living in a globalized world, where learning to coexist involves knowing oneself and those around us. Therefore, the professionals from the education sector and specially from the most vulnerable contexts demand the necessity to know strategies and initiatives which enable them to build a democratic school, where learning to coexist is the key to educate engaged citizens living in an increasingly intercultural, changing world. The study presented here has been conducted in two differentiated, but complementary, phases. During the first phase a documen…
Making sense of crises: the implications of information asymmetries for resilience and social justice in disaster-ridden communities
2017
New information and communication technologies (ICT) have enabled communities to collect and share information and tap into a network of peers in unprecedented ways. For more than a decade, informa...
The influence of oversizing on maintenance cost in wastewater treatment plants
2021
Abstract Management of Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) is a complex process, not only from a technical point of view but also from an economic point of view. There are several factors that influence the wastewater treatment process and can cause an increase in management costs. One of these factors is the treatment capacity, in particular the WWTPs’ oversizing problem. The difference between the design population equivalent (p.e.) and the actual p.e. treated generates imbalances in the wastewater treatment process costs. This paper analyses the influence that oversizing has on the maintenance costs for WWTPs in the Valencia region (Spain). Through an econometric approach, the behaviour …