Characterization of Performance, Robustness, and Behavior Relationships in a Directly Connected Material Handling System

In the design of material handling systems with complex and unpredictable dynamics, conventional search and optimization approaches that are based only on performance measures offer little guarantee of robustness. Using evidence from research into complex systems, the use of behavior-based optimization is proposed, which takes advantage of observed relationships between complexity and optimality with respect to both performance and robustness. Based on theoretical complexity measures, particularly algorithmic complexity, several simple complexity measures are created. The relationships between these measures and both performance and robustness are examined, using a model of a directly connected material handling system as a backdrop. The fundamental causes of the relationships and their applicability in the proposed behavior-based optimization approach are discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph. D.

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Mechanical Engineering

Department dc:contributor.department

Mechanical Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Anderson, Roger J.

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Sturges, Robert H.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Deisenroth, Michael P.
• Nelson, Douglas J.
• Reinholtz, Charles F.
• Shewchuk, John P.

• Optimization
• chaos
• complexity
• algorithmic complexity
• genetic algorithm

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

etd-04182006-130843

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/26967