Enabling Technologies for Unified Life-Cycle Engineering of Structural Components


Book Description

Unified life-cycle engineering (ULCE), or concurrent engineering, is a design engineering environment in which computer-aided design technology is used to assess and improve the quality of a productâ€"not only during the active design phases but throughout its entire life cycle. This is achieved by integrating and optimizing the design attributes for producibility and supportability as well as for performance, operability, cost, and schedule. This book addresses ULCE approaches to design, manufacture, and application of structural componentsâ€"especially for advanced military systems. Conclusions and recommendations to support the development of an effective ULCE design engineering environment are presented.




Knowledge Management in Construction


Book Description

A key problem facing the construction industry is that all work is done by transient project teams, and in the past there has been no structured approach to learning from projects once they are completed. Now, though, the industry is adapting concepts of knowledge management to improve the situation. This book brings together 13 contributors from research and industry to show how managing construction knowledge can bring real benefits to organisations and projects. It covers a wide range of issues, from basic definitions and fundamental concepts, to the role of information technology, and engendering a knowledge sharing culture. Practical examples from construction and other industry sectors are used throughout to illustrate the various dimensions of knowledge management. The challenges of implementing knowledge management are outlined and the ensuing benefits highlighted.




Computer-Aided Materials Selection During Structural Design


Book Description

The selection of the proper materials for a structural component is a critical activity that is governed by many, often conflicting factors. Incorporating materials expert systems into CAD/CAM operations could assist designers by suggesting potential manufacturing processes for particular products to facilitate concurrent engineering, recommending various materials for a specific part based on a given set of characteristics, or proposing possible modifications of a design if suitable materials for a particular part do not exist. This book reviews the structural design process, determines the elements, and capabilities required for a materials selection expert system to assist design engineers, and recommends the areas of expert system and materials modeling research and development required to devise a materials-specific design system.




Nonconventional Concrete Technologies


Book Description

Nonconventional Concrete Technologies: Renewal of the Highway Infrastructure identifies research and development opportunities in innovative, nonconventional materials and processes that have the potential to accelerate the construction process, improve the durability of highway pavement and bridges, and enhance the serviceability and longevity of new construction under adverse conditions.







Commercialization of New Materials for a Global Economy


Book Description

Materials are important in the pursuit of virtually every human endeavor. Advances in materials are applied not only in advanced technological systems such as spacecraft, jet engines, computers, and telecommunications but also in a world of more familiar applications from automobiles to floor coverings to fishing rods. This book addresses the factors that impede the transition of new materials from concepts into commercial use. It identifies policies and actions that government and industry, together with universities, can take to remove these impediments. Incentives to accelerate the commercialization of advanced materials are suggested, and recommendations are presented on ways to stimulate competitive commercialization of materials by government, industry, and academia.




Measuring and Improving Infrastructure Performance


Book Description

The nation's physical infrastructure facilitates movement of people and goods; provides safe water; provides energy when and where needed; removes wastes; enables rapid communications; and generally supports our economy and quality of life. Developing a framework for guiding attempts at measuring the performance of infrastructure systems and grappling with the concept of defining good performance are the major themes of this book. Focusing on urban regions, within a context of national policy, the volume provides the basis for further in-depth analysis and application at the local, regional, state, and national levels.




Catalog of Selected NMAB Reports


Book Description







Organization and Members


Book Description