Prize Competition Research Articles

Results of the 2006 Naylor Prize Competition

Results of the 2006 Naylor Prize Competition

TSL Dissertation Abstracts—2006 Transportation Science and Logistics Society Dissertation Prize Competition

The Transportation Science and Logistics (TSL) Society Dissertation Prize Competition is the oldest and most prestigious competition for doctoral dissertations in the field. The 2006 TSL dissertation prize committee consisted of Professor Michel Bierlaire (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Professor Ann Campbell (University of Iowa), Professor Alan Erera (Georgia Institute of Technology), Professor Donald Hearn (University of Florida), and Professor Mark Hickman (University of Arizona). Eligibility was limited to doctoral dissertations completed between June 1, 2005, and May 31, 2006, in the general area of transportation science and logistics. To be considered, a dissertation must have been nominated by the author’s thesis supervisor. This year we received 26 nominations from 24 universities and 10 countries, representing such diverse areas as vehicle routing, vehicle scheduling, traveler behavior, activity analysis, logistics, and supply chain management. This year’s pool of dissertations was exceptional in both its breadth and depth, showing remarkable theoretical and practical insights into many very interesting problems in transportation and logistics. With the large number of submissions and their exceptional quality, it was not easy for the committee to select a first place winner and an honorable mention. I would like to thank the authors, their advisors, and the prize committee for their part in this effort to recognize and honor the field’s outstanding doctoral researchers. Awards were announced at the TSL meeting at the 2006 INFORMS meeting in Pittsburgh. Perhaps without saying, the theses nominated for the TSL Dissertation Prize are distinguished by the fact that they were nominated for the award. Each dissertation makes a unique and valuable contribution to transportation science and logistics, and all entrants and their advisors deserve our sincere congratulations. Abstracts for the 26 dissertations follow; awardees are listed first, and finalists’ abstracts follow in alphabetical order by author. First Place: Christian Liebchen, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. Advisors: Rolf H. Möhring and Karl Nachtigall. Title: “Periodic Timetable Optimization in Public Transport”. Honorable Mention: Anne Goodchild, University of California, Berkeley. Advisor: Carlos Daganzo. Title: “Crane Double Cycling in Container Ports: Algorithms, Evaluation, and Planning”.

The 2005 ISMS Practice Prize Competition—Special Section Introduction: The 2005 ISMS Practice Prize Competition

We report on the finalists from the 2005 Informs Society for Marketing Science (ISMS) Practice Prize Competition, representing the best examples of rigor plus relevance that our profession produces.

Inaugural Sir Timothy Coghlan Prize Winner: Best Paper published in AEHR 2006 • Blackwell Publishing Conference Paper Prize: Asia‐Pacific Economic and Business History (APEBH) Conference 2007 • 2006 McComish Prize for Economic History • Bruce McComish Fund for Economic History: Essay competition prize winner • Bruce McComish Fund for Economic History: Doctoral Student sponsorship

Inaugural Sir Timothy Coghlan Prize Winner: Best Paper published in AEHR 2006 • Blackwell Publishing Conference Paper Prize: Asia‐Pacific Economic and Business History (APEBH) Conference 2007 • 2006 McComish Prize for Economic History • Bruce McComish Fund for Economic History: Essay competition prize winner • Bruce McComish Fund for Economic History: Doctoral Student sponsorship

Interview with Gambian writer Lenrie Peters

Lenrie Peters, poet and novelist (b. 1932), was educated at the universities of Cambridge and London. A practising surgeon, he has been a journalist (African programs with the BBC), President of the board of directors of the National Library of The Gambia and Gambia College, and member of the jury for the Commonwealth Writers Prize competition. His first poems were published in 19641 and his first novel in 1965. The Second Round (London: Heinemann) is about a British-trained African physician, a victim of the 'massacre of the soul' wrought by Westernization, who returns to the capital city of his native land full of 'noble ideas about progress in Africa' but ends up taking a post in a remote bush hospital, thus immersing himself more deeply in the traditional experience. In 1967, Peters published Satellites (Heinemann), a collection of fifty-five poems where intimate emotion is combined with a deep meditation on human dignity and justice. Four years later, he published another collection of sixty-nine poems under the title of Katchikali (Heinemann), which is a sacred crocodile pool in Bakau, in the Greater Banjul Area. In 1981, he published his Selected Poetry. The new poems in the collection castigate the corrupt greed of tribalized leadership elites and balance nostalgia for a pastoral past with cautious assertions of hope for a future built on that past. He is generally regarded as one of the most intellectual poets of his generation. Ideas about politics2, evolution, science, and music inspire his images in the form of debates. The interview took place in Banjul on 3 June 2005.

Announcement of the Prof. Yuri I. Ostrovskiĭ Prize Competition 2007

Announcement of the Prof. Yuri I. Ostrovskiĭ Prize Competition 2007

Henry Granjon Prize Competition 2006 Winner, Category C “Design and structural integrity” Non-Destructive Determination of Interstitial Nitrogen Content in Austenitic Stainless Steel Weld Metal Utilizing Thermoelectric Power

Electronic properties of an alloy correlate directly to its microstructure. The thermoelectric power coefficient has been determined in this investigation to be a rapid and accurate measurement, which can be utilized for microstructural assessment and correlated to achieve maximum material performance of structural alloys. In high nitrogen-strengthened stainless steel welds, nitrogen partitions into solid solution nitrogen and nitrides during the welding thermal cycle. The formation of nitrides results in a degradation of mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Thermoelectric power measurements offer a means to assess the weld interstitial nitrogen content allowing for a better correlation between nitrogen content and weld metal microstructure and properties. The thermoelectric power coefficient has been measured on plasma gas-tungsten arc welds on nitrogen-strengthened austenitic stainless steel alloy 1.4565, which has been interstitially strengthened with nitrogen for enhancement in mechanical properties and corrosion resistance.

Henry Granjon Prize Competition 2006 Co-Winner, Category A “Joining and fabrication technology” Models for Diode Laser Transformation Hardening of Steels

Diode laser beam transformation hardened surfaces have been studied in order to develop models for estimating the hardness and depth of the transformed region. The surfaces of low alloy and martensitic stainless steels have been transformation hardened in inert and oxidising atmospheres to establish the dependence of processing parameters and oxidation on the absorptivity of steel surfaces. It was found that the absorptivity varied between 35 to 85%, depending on the oxide formation on the surface. A model for estimating the depth of the hardened region was developed. The model utilises data established by absorption experiments, and the variation of absorptivity with processing parameters is approximated in the model. Validation was carried out by measuring the hardened depth from transverse cross sections of processed samples and comparing the results to data obtained by the model. A good estimation of the hardened depth was achieved when the traverse rate was equal to or above 3.3 mm s−1. Hardening experiments were performed to 34 commercial steel grades. 7 steels were studied in detail to establish the phase transformations occurring during the hardening process. Based on these experiments, a model for calculating the surface hardness was developed. The model takes data from equilibrium diagrams. A kinetic term to express the rate of change during hardening was introduced to relate equilibrium data to the non-equilibrium process. A good correlation between the model and experimental results was achieved with all materials, excluding martensitic stainless steels. Developed models are applicable, within the established limits, for most commonly hardened steels and processing parameters. The presented model for calculating the hardened depth is not bound to the laser and beam type used in the experiments. Input data for estimating the absorptivity and heat flow is based on the beam-material interaction time and laser power on work piece surface. It can, thereby, easily be converted to be used with other diode laser sources. Correspondingly, input data for the hardness calculations is obtained from pyrometric measurement and is not, thereby, limited to the laser type, wavelength, beam profile or processing parameters.

Henry Granjon Prize Competition 2006 Co-Winner, Category A “Joining and fabrication technology” Numerical Modelling of Heat Transfer, Fluid Flow and Microstructural Evolution during Fusion Welding of Alloys

The present study focuses on modelling numerous aspects of the welding process which include predictions of molten metal convection in the weld pool, size and shape of the fusion zone (FZ) and heat-affected zone (HAZ), temperature distributions in the FZ and HAZ, solidification conditions of the FZ, and phase transformation kinetics in the HAZ. Integrated models were developed taking into account the interactions of heat, fluid flow and microstructure. In particular, a three-dimensional heat transfer and fluid flow model was used to understand the weld pool phenomena and provided useful insight into the physics of the weld pool. Application of the computed thermal cycles and phase transformation models including Johnson-Mehl-Avrami equation and Monte Carlo simulation provided useful tools to understand the microstructural evolution during welding. The developed models were used to investigate several welding processes such as gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and gas tungsten welding (GTAW) and different materials including AISI 1005 low carbon steel, 1045 mild carbon steel, Ti-6AI-4V alloy and 2025 duplex stainless steel. This paper is an extensive summary of the doctoral research work carried out by the author at the Pennsylvania State University.

Henry Granjon Prize Competition 2006 Winner, Category B “Materials behaviour and weldability” The Influence of Molybdenum on the Microstructure of Stainless Steel Welds

The excellent corrosion resistance of superaustenitic stainless steel (SASS) alloys has been shown to be a direct consequence of high concentrations of Mo. The presence of Mo can have a significant effect on the microstructural development of welds in these alloys. In this research, the microstructural development of welds in the Fe-Ni-Cr-Mo system was analyzed over a wide variety of Cr/Ni ratios and Mo contents. The system was first simulated by construction of multi-component phase diagrams using the CALPHAD technique. Data gleaned from vertical sections of these diagrams were inserted in the compositional range of a liquidus projection to produce diagrams that can be used as a guide to understand the influence of composition on microstructural development. A large number of experimental alloys were then prepared via arc-button melting for comparison with the diagrams. Each button was characterized using various microscopy techniques. The expected δ-ferrite and γ-austenite phases were accompanied by martensite at low Cr/Ni ratios and by σ-phase at high Mo contents. The results were used to construct a map of expected phase transformation sequence and resultant microstructures as a function of composition. Electron microprobe measurements of selected alloys were performed to compare the distribution of Mo solute between different solidification modes. Severe Mo microsegregation was observed in alloys that solidified directly as austenite; this was attributed to the low diffusivity of Mo in austenite. The level of Mo microsegregation could be significantly reduced in alloys that solidified as δ-ferrite first and subsequently transformed to austenite by a solid state transformation. Magnetic ferrite measurements were also used to produce quantitative relationships between alloy composition and ferrite content, and the results were then plotted on the WRC-1992 diagram. The results of this work provide a working guideline for future base metal and filler metal development of these alloys.

Henry Granjon Prize Competition 2006 Winner, Category D “Human related subjects” Method for Sampling and Characterizing Arc Welding Fume Particles

Arc welding fume may pose a serious risk to the health and safety of welders and operators in the welding industry. Many methods have been employed to collect and characterize welding fume in the past but previous studies have often not used a combination of techniques that give the full picture on the nature of welding fume. This study was employed to collect fume generated by a variety of arc welding processes, including shielded metal arc welding (SMAW: E6010, E7018, E308–16) and gas metal arc welding (GMAW: ER70S-6 with 100% CO2 and 75% Ar-25% CO2 shielding gases), and to characterize the fume by size distribution, chemical composition, structure, and morphology with state-of-the-art techniques. This requires the use of multiple imaging and analysis techniques since the size variation of welding fume particles is quite large. Collection of welding fume generated by a variety of common electrodes was performed with an electrical low-pressure cascade impactor (ELPI) to size particles by their aerodynamic diameters and develop particle size distributions. A fume collection hood was also used to collect bulk fume samples and measure fume generation rates. Fume particles on the impactor stages were imaged using high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), revealing the presence of three fume particle morphologies including spherical, agglomerated, and irregular. TEM revealed the presence of a core-shell particle structure. Chemical analysis and phase identification was also performed for individual particles and bulk stages with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-XEDS and TEM-XEDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Bulk fume and individual particles analyzed were largely metal-oxides with a Fe3O4-type crystal structure. Using these advanced characterization techniques in conjunction with one another provides an overall picture of fume that has been previously unattainable.

Winners in the 2005 Naylor Prize Competition

Winners in the 2005 Naylor Prize Competition

HYDROGEN FUEL INCENTIVE ADVANCES ON CAPITOL HILL

LOOKING BEYOND SHORT-TERM solutions to the nation's current energy crunch, lawmakers are pushing for more incentives to spur development oftreakthrough technologies that would move the oil-dependent U.S. toward a hydrogen-based economy. Suddenly, the whole nation is focused on gas prices and our addiction to oil, and Congress is in a panic trying to figure out how to respond, House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-N. Y.) remarked at a committee meeting in late April. Our options in the immediate future are limited, but our options in the mid- and long-term are not. Unless we exercise those options, we are going to lurch from oil crisis to oil crisis, and each one is going to get worse. One strategy that has gained support on Capitol Hill in recent months is the establishment of a national prize competition to encourage the R&D necessary to overcome the technical barriers that currently stand in the way of hydrogen becoming ...

On the Fedorov Prize competition held by the Russian Academy of Sciences

On the Fedorov Prize competition held by the Russian Academy of Sciences

Results of the 2005 Struchkov Prize competition for young scientists and announcement of the current (tenth) 2006 competition

Results of the 2005 Struchkov Prize competition for young scientists and announcement of the current (tenth) 2006 competition

2005 Transportation Science and Logistics Society Dissertation Prize Competition

The Transportation Science and Logistics (TSL) Society Dissertation Prize Competition is the oldest and most prestigious competition for doctoral dissertations in the field. The 2005 TSL dissertation prize committee consisted of Professor Donald Hearn (University of Florida), Professor Ben Heydecker (University College, London), Professor Mark Hickman (University of Arizona), Professor Andrew Philpott (University of Auckland), and Professor Randolph Hall (University of Southern California). Eligibility was limited to doctoral dissertations completed between June 1, 2004, and May 31, 2005, in the general area of transportation science and logistics. To be considered, a dissertation must be nominated by the author’s thesis supervisor. This year we received 15 nominations from 14 universities, representing such diverse areas as vehicle routing, traffic modeling, supply chain management, traveler behavior, and vehicle control. Dissertations were submitted from seven countries. This year’s pool of dissertations was exceptional in depth and creativity, and it was not easy for the committee to select a first place winner and an honorable mention. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the authors, thesis supervisors, and prize committee for making this a truly significant contest, honoring transportation’s most outstanding new researchers. Awards were announced at the TSL meeting at the 2005 INFORMS Meeting in San Francisco. It is important to remember that submissions to the TSL dissertation prize committee are distinguished by the fact that they were nominated for the award. Each dissertation makes a unique and valuable contribution to transportation science and logistics, and all entrants and their advisors deserve warmest congratulations. Abstracts for the 15 dissertations follow; awardees are listed first and finalists’ abstracts follow in alphabetical order by author. First place: Luigi Moccia, Università della Calabria, Italy. Advisors: Manlio Gaudioso, Gilbert Laporte, and Jean-François Cordeau. Title: “New Optimization Models and Algorithms for the Management of Maritime Container Terminals.” Honorable Mention: Song Gao, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Advisor: Moshe Ben-Akiva. Title: “Optimal Adaptive Routing and Traffic Assignment in Stochastic Time-Dependent Networks.”

Call for papers - 10th Schumpeter Prize Competition (see 34/9)

Call for papers - 10th Schumpeter Prize Competition (see 34/9)

Henry Granjon Prize Competition 2005 “Design and structural integrity” Localized Thermal Tensioning Technique to Prevent Buckling Distortion

An in process distortion mitigation method, localized thermal tensioning technique, also named DC-LSND welding technique, has been developed by introducing a trailing heat sink during conventional GTAW. The thermal elasto-plastic finite element analysis procedure was developed to quantitatively study the effect of heat sink on the thermomechanical process during welding and to find out the stress and distortion controlling mechanism of the proposed technique. Welding trials were also conducted to verify the effectiveness of the technique and the validity of the finite element model. Finally, effects on controlling results of process parameters were studied for heat sink; i.e., the distance between heat sink and welding arc (d) and cooling intensity of heat sink (h). Based on these studies, the methods to determine optimal heat sink parameters are presented for engineering applications.

The Deterministic Part of IPC-4: An Overview

We provide an overview of the organization and results of the deterministic part of the 4th International Planning Competition, i.e., of the part concerned with evaluating systems doing deterministic planning. IPC-4 attracted even more competing systems than its already large predecessors, and the competition event was revised in several important respects. After giving an introduction to the IPC, we briefly explain the main differences between the deterministic part of IPC-4 and its predecessors. We then introduce formally the language used, called PDDL2.2 that extends PDDL2.1 by derived predicates and timed initial literals. We list the competing systems and overview the results of the competition. The entire set of data is far too large to be presented in full. We provide a detailed summary; the complete data is available in an online appendix. We explain how we awarded the competition prizes.

Henry Granjon Prize Competition 2005 Winner, Category A “Joining and fabrication technology” Novel Ways of Using Nd:YAG Laser for Welding Thick Section Austenitic Stainless Steel

Hybrid welding has been introduced as a process that combines one laser and one arc welding process to work together. These advanced joining processes are effective and outweigh several drawbacks of mere single methods. Hot spots, made by laser to the joint, have been reported to stabilise the arc and change the way of material transfer in the arc. The arc is also attracted and constricted by the hot spot. This phenomenon has been utilised in this study in order to get the process adaptable inside very narrow grooves. This novel approach, combined with multipass techniques, enables a considerable increase in the thickness of the parts to be welded. Welding continues to employ rather low total heat input levels and, consequently, results in very low thermal distortions in joining thick sections. As the process retains a keyhole typical of high energy density welding, the process is also very effective for joining thick sections. Based on the above argument, the process further developed in this study should be considered when evaluating welding processes for joining vacuum vessel sectors of ITER. The same certainly applies to many other demanding thick sections and hence heavy high precision components.