Control Policy for a Manufacturing System with Random Yield and Rework

We develop a production policy that controls work-in-process (WIP) levels and satisfies demand in a multistage manufacturing system with significant uncertainty in yield, rework, and demand. The problem addressed in this paper is more general than those in the literature in three aspects: (i) multiple products are processed at multiple workstations, and the capacity of each workstation is limited and shared by multiple operations; (ii) the behavior of a production policy is investigated over an infinite-time horizon, and thus the system stability can be evaluated; (iii) the representation of yield and rework uncertainty is generalized. Generalizing both the system structure and the nature of uncertainty requires a new mathematical development in the theory of infinite-horizon stochastic dynamic programming. The theoretical contributions of this paper are the existence proofs of the optimal stationary control for a stochastic dynamic programming problem and the finite covariances of WIP and production levels under the general expression of uncertainty. We develop a simple and explicit sufficient condition that guarantees the existence of both the optimal stationary control and the system stability. We describe how a production policy can be constructed for the manufacturing system based on the propositions derived.     

Experimental Determination of Four-Time Stimulated Echoes in Liquids, Colloidal Suspensions, and Crystals

Four-time stimulated echo experiments have been used to monitor the temporal evolution of the reorientation rates of deuterated molecules or colloidal suspensions. We present extended phase cycles for this seven-pulse experiment. In order to test its performance three vastly different materials are chosen. These include a crystal in which the molecules carry out well-defined 180° flips and a supercooled liquid characterized by a distribution of jump angles centered around 10°. As an example for rotational diffusion, data on a concentrated suspension of polystyrene spheres in a viscous medium are presented.     

Novel pattern formation in the collapse process of floating monolayer at the air-water interface

We have observed a remarkable two-armed spiral in the collapse process of a floating monolayer at the air-water interface by phase contrast microscopy. This demonstrates that the floating monolayer as a form of soft condensed matter reorganizes itself due to a certain kind of macroscopic or collective behavior of molecules as it collapses. This pattern formation is caused by the breakdown of a critical dynamical balance between the deformation of solid domain and the applied surface pressure. The fragility as well as the flexibility of the floating monolayer can be associated with the observed pattern growth. There are also observed interesting, periodically arranged collections of molecules in numerous collapsed regions. Received: 8 July 1997 / Accepted: 4 November 1997     

EPMA of interfaces applied to the solid oxide fuel cell

Chemical interactions at the phase boundaries of materials applied for the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) have been studied by EPMA. The chemical reactivity at the interface of La_y-xSr_xMnO₃/ZrO₂-Y₂O₃ is dependent on the stoichiometry (y) and the Sr content (x) of the perovskite. Typical reaction products (zirconates) and a diffusion zone in the ZrO₂–Y₂O₃ have been observed. The extension of cation release (Mn) is related to the increasing chemical activity of Mn oxide in the perovskite by the Sr substitution for La. The wettability of the metal/oxide interface in the anode cermet (Ni/ZrO₂–Y₂O₃) has been found to be influenced by chemical reactions resulting from the applied reducing atmosphere with high carbon activity. The disintegration of ZrO₂–Y₂O₃ in contact with molten Ni or Ni-Ti and Ni-Cr alloys leads to the redeposition of Y₂O₃-enriched oxides and also to Zr-rich intermetallic compounds and eutectics.     

Magnetic resonance imaging of rigid polymers at elevated temperatures with SPRITE

Magnetic resonance imaging has rarely been applied to rigid polymeric materials, due primarily to the strong dipolar coupling and short signal lifetimes inherent in these materials. SPRITE (single point ramped imaging withT ₁ enhancement) (B. J. Balcom, R. P. MacGregor, S. D. Beyea, D. P. Green, R. L. Armstrong, T. W. Bremner: J. Magn. Reson. A123, 131–134, 1996) is particularly well suited to imaging solid materials. With SPRITE, the only requirement is thatT ₂^* be long enough so that the signal can be phase-encoded. The minimum phase encoding time is limited by the maximum gradient strength available and by the instrument deadtime. At present this is usually tens of microseconds and will only improve with refinements in technology. We have used the SPRITE sequence in conjunction with raising the sample temperature to obtain images of rigid polymers that have largely frustrated conventional imaging methods. This approach provides a straightforward and reliable method for imaging a class of samples that, up until now, have been very difficult to image.     

Shell model interaction between proton holes and between proton holes and neutron particles around 208Pb

An effective residual interaction between particles and holes for shell model calculations around ²⁰⁸Pb, derived from the interaction between free nucleons, is compared with the measured properties of proton-hole neutron states in ²⁰⁸Tl and the interaction between proton holes is adjusted to newly measured level energies in ²⁰⁶Hg. These interaction elements are particularly relevant for neutron-rich nuclei. The adjustment of two mixing elements reproduces the known γ-decay data in ²⁰⁸Tl. Received: 2 April 2002 / Accepted: 2 May 2002