Using Pareto principle plus statistic methodology in establishing a cost estimating model

Previous experience and research indicated that the Pareto Principle (80/20 Principle) has been widely used in many industries to achieve more with less. The study described in this paper concurs that this principle can be applied to improve the estimating accuracy and efficiency, especially in design development stage of projects. In fact, establishing an effective cost estimating model to improve accuracy and efficiency in design development stage has been a subject, which has attracted many research attentions over several decades. For over almost 40 years, research studies indicate that using the 80/20 Principle is one of the approaches. However, most of these studies were built by assumption, theoretical analysis or questionnaire survey. The objective of this research is to explore a logical and systematic method to establish a cost estimating model based on the Pareto Principle. This paper includes extensive literatures review on cost estimating accuracy and efficiency in the construction industry that points out the current gap of knowledge area and understanding of the topical. These reviews assist in developing the direction for the research and explore the potential methodology of using the Pareto Principle in the new cost estimating model. The findings of this paper suggest that combining the Pareto Principle with statistical analysis could be used as the technique to improve the accuracy and efficiency of current estimating methods in design development stage.

Forward kinematics analysis of offset 6-RRCRR parallel manipulators

A methodology for the numerical solution of the forward kinematics problem of 6-RRCRR parallel manipulators with orthogonal non-intersecting RR-joint configuration is presented in this article. The inverse and forward kinematics solutions of such robots compared with that of parallel robots with orthogonal intersecting RR-joint or universal joint configurations are much more complicated due to the existence of dependent joint variables. The constraints of RR-joints are analysed and the numerical algorithm for the forward kinematics solution is assessed. Numerical results for the solution of the forward kinematics of 6-RRCRR parallel robot under study are provided to confirm the accuracy and efficiency of the procedure.

A hybrid contact state analysis methodology for robotic-based adjustment of cylindrical pair

The peg-in-hole insertion and adjustment operation is one of the most common tasks in the robotic and automatic assembly processes. Fine motion strategies associated with adjustment operations on a peg-in-hole are fundamental manipulations that can be utilised in dynamic assembly and reconfigurable workholding or fixturing systems. This paper presents a comprehensive study of robotic-based height adjustment of a cylindrical pair based on maintaining minimum contact forces between the links. The outer link is held by the end-effector of a six-DOF (Degrees of freedom) serial articulated robot manipulator. The environment represented by the inner link can be either static or dynamic. A force-based approach and a d value approach are established to determine the type of contact that exists between the links of a cylindrical pair, and to extract control parameters. Based on the comparison and analysis of these two approaches, a hybrid methodology is established by combining a d value approach with a force-based approach for contact state determination. Formulations capable of extracting necessary control parameters, which ensure minimum contact forces between the links, are established from both planar and spatial viewpoints under both static and dynamic environmental conditions. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.

Estuary environmental flows assessment methodology for Victoria

This report sets out a method to determine the environmental water requirements of estuaries in Victoria. The estuary environmental flows assessment method (EEFAM) is a standard methodology which can be applied consistently across Victorian estuaries.
The primary objective of EEFAM is to define a flow regime to maintain or enhance the ecological health of an estuary. The method is used to inform Victorian water resource planning processes.
The output of EEFAM is a recommended flow regime for estuaries. This recommendation is developed from the known dependence of the estuary’s flora, fauna, biogeochemical and geomorphological features on the flow regime. EEFAM is an evidence-based methodology. This bottom-up or ‘building block’ approach conforms to the asset-based approach of the Victorian River Health Strategy and regional river health strategies.
EEFAM is based on and expands on FLOWS, the Victorian method for determining environmental water requirements in rivers. The list of tasks has been modified and re-ordered in EEFAM to reflect environmental and management issues specific to estuaries. EEFAM and FLOWS can be applied
simultaneously to a river and its estuary as part of a whole-of-system approach to environmental flow requirements. Like the FLOWS method, EEFAM is modular, and additional components can be readily incorporated.

Vesselness features and the inverse compositional AAM for robust face recognition using thermal IR

Over the course of the last decade, infrared (IR) and particularly thermal IR imaging based face recognition has emerged as a promising complement to conventional, visible spectrum based approaches which continue to struggle when applied in the real world. While inherently insensitive to visible spectrum illumination changes, IR images introduce specific challenges of their own, most notably sensitivity to factors which affect facial heat emission patterns, e.g. emotional state, ambient temperature, and alcohol intake. In addition, facial expression and pose changes are more difficult to correct in IR images because they are less rich in high frequency detail which is an important cue for fitting any deformable model. In this paper we describe a novel method which addresses these major challenges. Specifically, to normalize for pose and facial expression changes we generate a synthetic frontal image of a face in a canonical, neutral facial expression from an image of the face in an arbitrary pose and facial expression. This is achieved by piecewise affine warping which follows active appearance model (AAM) fitting. This is the first publication which explores the use of an AAM on thermal IR images; we propose a pre-processing step which enhances detail in thermal images, making AAM convergence faster and more accurate. To overcome the problem of thermal IR image sensitivity to the exact pattern of facial temperature emissions we describe a representation based on reliable anatomical features. In contrast to previous approaches, our representation is not binary; rather, our method accounts for the reliability of the extracted features. This makes the proposed representation much more robust both to pose and scale changes. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated on the largest public database of thermal IR images of faces on which it achieved 100% identification rate, significantly outperforming previously described methods

Development of an inverse routine to predict residual stresses in the material based on a bending test

Bending and reverse bending are the dominant material deformations in roll forming, and hence property data derived from bend tests could be more relevant than tensile test data for numerical simulation of a roll forming process. Recent investigations have shown that residual stresses change the material behavior close to the yield in a bending test. So, residual stresses introduced during prior steel processing operations may affect the roll forming process, and therefore they need to be included in roll forming simulations to achieve improved model accuracy. Measuring the residual stress profile experimentally is time consuming and has limited accuracy while analytical models that are available require detailed information about the pre-processing conditions that is generally not available for roll forming materials. The main goal of this study is to develop an inverse routine that determines a residual stress profile through the material thickness based on experimental pure bend test data. A numerical model of the skin passing (temper rolling) process is performed to introduce a residual stress profile in DP780 steel sheet. The skin passed strips are used in a pure bending simulation to record moment-curvature data and this data is then applied in an inverse analysis to predict the residual stress profile in the material. Comparison of the residual stress profile predicted by the inverse routine with that calculated by finite element analysis (FEA) indicates an inverse approach combined with pure bend test may present an alternative to predict residual stresses in sheet metals.

Sharpening the focus of force field analysis

The purpose is to explore the inherent complexity of Kurt Lewin's force field theory through applied analysis of organizational case examples and related methods. The methodology applies a range of tools from the consultancy research domain, including force field analysis of complex organizational scenarios, and applies bricolage and corroboration to emerging discoveries from semi-structured interviews, author experience, critical reflection and literature survey. Findings are that linear representation of internal and external forces in organizational applications of field theory does not fully explain the paradox of inverse vectors in the forces of change. The force field is not an impermeable thing; instead, it morphs. Examples of the inverse principle and its effects are detailed and extended in this analysis. The implications of the research are that force field analysis and related change processes promoted in organizational change literature run the risk of missing key complexities. The inclusion of the inverse principle can provide enhanced, holistic understanding of the prevailing forces for change. The augmentation of the early work of Kurt Lewin, and extension of previous analyses of his legacy in the Journal of Change Management and elsewhere, provide, in this article, change analysis insights that align well with current organizational environments.