Mar 2024, Volume 11 Issue 1
    

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    Industrial Engineering and Smart Manufacturing
  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Kai LI, Yan LI, Nenggui ZHAO

    Remanufacturing is widely recognized as beneficial to the environment and a circular economy. However, remanufacturing is more complex than traditional manufacturing due to the effects of government policy, uncertainty of consumer preferences, competition and cooperation among firms, and so on. These factors motivate academics to optimize remanufacturing outcomes, especially for product pricing and production. This study reviews the published literature on pricing and production strategies in remanufacturing from four perspectives of supply chain, namely, government policy, consumer characteristics, relationships among firms, and supply chain structures. Review results can benefit scholars/practitioners in the future by highlighting the challenges and opportunities in remanufacturing strategies.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Tao LIU, Zhibo SHI, Huifen DONG, Jie BAI, Yu YAN

    This paper proposes a framework for evaluating the efficacy and suitability of maintenance programs with a focus on quantitative risk assessment in the domain of aircraft maintenance task transfer. The analysis is anchored in the principles of Maintenance Steering Group-3 (MSG-3) logic decision paradigms. The paper advances a holistic risk assessment index architecture tailored for the task transfer of maintenance programs. Utilizing the analytic network process (ANP), the study quantifies the weight interrelationships among diverse variables, incorporating expert-elicited subjective weighting. A multielement connection number-based evaluative model is employed to characterize decision-specific data, thereby facilitating the quantification of task transfer-associated risk through the appraisal of set-pair potentials. Moreover, the paper conducts a temporal risk trend analysis founded on partial connection numbers of varying orders. This analytical construct serves to streamline the process of risk assessment pertinent to maintenance program task transfer. The empirical component of this research, exemplified through a case study of the Boeing 737NG aircraft maintenance program, corroborates the methodological robustness and pragmatic applicability of the proposed framework in the quantification and analysis of mission transfer risk.

  • Construction Engineering and Intelligent Construction
  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Obaidullah HAKIMI, Hexu LIU, Osama ABUDAYYEH

    In recent years, the architecture, engineering, construction, and facility management (FM) industries have been applying various emerging digital technologies to facilitate the design, construction, and management of infrastructure facilities. Digital twin (DT) has emerged as a solution for enabling real-time data acquisition, transfer, analysis, and utilization for improved decision-making toward smart FM. Substantial research on DT for FM has been undertaken in the past decade. This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of the literature on DT for FM. A total of 248 research articles are obtained from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. VOSviewer is then utilized to conduct bibliometric analysis and visualize keyword co-occurrence, citation, and co-authorship networks; furthermore, the research topics, authors, sources, and countries contributing to the use of DT for FM are identified. The findings show that the current research of DT in FM focuses on building information modeling-based FM, artificial intelligence (AI)-based predictive maintenance, real-time cyber–physical system data integration, and facility lifecycle asset management. Several areas, such as AI-based real-time asset prognostics and health management, virtual-based intelligent infrastructure monitoring, deep learning-aided continuous improvement of the FM systems, semantically rich data interoperability throughout the facility lifecycle, and autonomous control feedback, need to be further studied. This review contributes to the body of knowledge on digital transformation and smart FM by identifying the landscape, state-of-the-art research trends, and future needs with regard to DT in FM.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Andrew EBEKOZIEN, Clinton AIGBAVBOA, Samuel Adeniyi ADEKUNLE, Mohamad Shaharudin SAMSURIJAN, John ALIU, Bernard Martins ARTHUR-AIDOO, Godpower Chinyeru AMADI

    Studies have demonstrated that advanced technology, such as smart contract applications, can enhance both pre- and post-contract administration within the built environment sector. Smart contract technology, exemplifying blockchain technologies, has the potential to improve transparency, trust, and the security of data transactions within this sector. However, there is a dearth of academic literature concerning smart contract applications within the construction industries of developing countries, with a specific focus on Nigeria. Consequently, this study seeks to explore the relevance of smart contract technology and address the challenges impeding its adoption, offering strategies to mitigate the obstacles faced by smart contract applications. To investigate the stakeholders, this research conducted 14 virtual interview sessions to achieve data saturation. The interviewees encompassed project management practitioners, senior management personnel from construction companies, experts in construction dispute resolution, professionals in construction software, and representatives from government construction agencies. The data obtained from these interviews underwent thorough analysis employing a thematic approach. The study duly recognizes the significance of smart contract applications within the sector. Among the 12 identified barriers, issues such as identity theft and data leakage, communication and synchronization challenges, high computational expenses, lack of driving impetus, excessive electricity consumption, intricate implementation processes, absence of a universally applicable legal framework, and the lack of a localized legal framework were recurrent impediments affecting the adoption of smart contract applications within the sector. The study also delves into comprehensive measures to mitigate these barriers. In conclusion, this study critically evaluates the relevance of smart contract applications within the built environment, with a specific focus on promoting their usage. It may serve as a pioneering effort, especially within the context of Nigeria.

  • Traffic Engineering Systems Management
  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Huan WANG, Yan-Fu LI, Jianliang REN

    High-speed trains (HSTs) have the advantages of comfort, efficiency, and convenience and have gradually become the mainstream means of transportation. As the operating scale of HSTs continues to increase, ensuring their safety and reliability has become more imperative. As the core component of HST, the reliability of the traction system has a substantially influence on the train. During the long-term operation of HSTs, the core components of the traction system will inevitably experience different degrees of performance degradation and cause various failures, thus threatening the running safety of the train. Therefore, performing fault monitoring and diagnosis on the traction system of the HST is necessary. In recent years, machine learning has been widely used in various pattern recognition tasks and has demonstrated an excellent performance in traction system fault diagnosis. Machine learning has made considerably advancements in traction system fault diagnosis; however, a comprehensive systematic review is still lacking in this field. This paper primarily aims to review the research and application of machine learning in the field of traction system fault diagnosis and assumes the future development blueprint. First, the structure and function of the HST traction system are briefly introduced. Then, the research and application of machine learning in traction system fault diagnosis are comprehensively and systematically reviewed. Finally, the challenges for accurate fault diagnosis under actual operating conditions are revealed, and the future research trends of machine learning in traction systems are discussed.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Lebing WANG, Jian Gang JIN, Lijun SUN, Der-Horng LEE

    Urban rail transit (URT) disruptions present considerable challenges due to several factors: i) a high probability of occurrence, arising from facility failures, disasters, and vandalism; ii) substantial negative effects, notably the delay of numerous passengers; iii) an escalating frequency, attributable to the gradual aging of facilities; and iv) severe penalties, including substantial fines for abnormal operation. This article systematically reviews URT disruption management literature from the past decade, categorizing it into pre-disruption and post-disruption measures. The pre-disruption research focuses on reducing the effects of disruptions through network analysis, passenger behavior analysis, resource allocation for protection and backup, and enhancing system resilience. Conversely, post-disruption research concentrates on restoring normal operations through train rescheduling and bus bridging services. The review reveals that while post-disruption strategies are thoroughly explored, pre-disruption research is predominantly analytical, with a scarcity of practical pre-emptive solutions. Moreover, future research should focus more on increasing the interchangeability of transport modes, reinforcing redundancy relationships between URT lines, and innovating post-disruption strategies.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Haoran LI, Yunpeng LU, Yaqiu LI, Junyi ZHANG

    Dynamic speed guidance for vehicles in on-ramp merging zones is instrumental in alleviating traffic congestion on urban expressways. To enhance compliance with recommended speeds, the development of a dynamic speed-guidance mechanism that accounts for heterogeneity in human driving styles is pivotal. Utilizing intelligent connected technologies that provide real-time vehicular data in these merging locales, this study proposes such a guidance system. Initially, we integrate a multi-agent consensus algorithm into a multi-vehicle framework operating on both the mainline and the ramp, thereby facilitating harmonized speed and spacing strategies. Subsequently, we conduct an analysis of the behavioral traits inherent to drivers of varied styles to refine speed planning in a more efficient and reliable manner. Lastly, we investigate a closed-loop feedback approach for speed guidance that incorporates the driver’s execution rate, thereby enabling dynamic recalibration of advised speeds and ensuring fluid vehicular integration into the mainline. Empirical results substantiate that a dynamic speed guidance system incorporating driving styles offers effective support for human drivers in seamless mainline merging.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Cheng CHANG, Jiawei ZHANG, Kunpeng ZHANG, Yichen ZHENG, Mengkai SHI, Jianming HU, Shen LI, Li LI

    Driving safety and accident prevention are attracting increasing global interest. Current safety monitoring systems often face challenges such as limited spatiotemporal coverage and accuracy, leading to delays in alerting drivers about potential hazards. This study explores the use of edge computing for monitoring vehicle motion and issuing accident warnings, such as lane departures and vehicle collisions. Unlike traditional systems that depend on data from single vehicles, the cooperative vehicle-infrastructure system collects data directly from connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) via vehicle-to-everything communication. This approach facilitates a comprehensive assessment of each vehicle’s risk. We propose algorithms and specific data structures for evaluating accident risks associated with different CAVs. Furthermore, we examine the prerequisites for data accuracy and transmission delay to enhance the safety of CAV driving. The efficacy of this framework is validated through both simulated and real-world road tests, proving its utility in diverse driving conditions.

  • Information Management and Information Systems
  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Xiaowei SHI, Qiang WEI, Guoqing CHEN

    Amidst the inefficiencies of traditional job-seeking approaches in the recruitment ecosystem, the importance of automated job recommendation systems has been magnified. However, existing models optimized to maximize user clicks for general product recommendations prove inept in addressing the unique challenges of job recommendation, namely reciprocity and competition. Moreover, sparse data on online recruitment platforms can further negatively impact the performance of existing job recommendation algorithms. To counteract these limitations, we propose a bilateral heterogeneous graph-based competition iteration model. This model comprises three integral components: 1) two bilateral heterogeneous graphs for capturing multi-source information from people and jobs and alleviating data sparsity, 2) fusion strategies for synthesizing attributes and preferences to produce mutually beneficial job matches, and 3) a competition-enhancing strategy for dispersing competition realized through a two-stage optimization algorithm. Augmented by granular attention mechanisms for enhanced interpretability, the model’s efficacy, competition dispersion, and interpretability are validated through rigorous empirical evaluations on a real-world recruitment platform.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Zhulin HAN, Jian WANG

    With the escalating complexity in production scenarios, vast amounts of production information are retained within enterprises in the industrial domain. Probing questions of how to meticulously excavate value from complex document information and establish coherent information links arise. In this work, we present a framework for knowledge graph construction in the industrial domain, predicated on knowledge-enhanced document-level entity and relation extraction. This approach alleviates the shortage of annotated data in the industrial domain and models the interplay of industrial documents. To augment the accuracy of named entity recognition, domain-specific knowledge is incorporated into the initialization of the word embedding matrix within the bidirectional long short-term memory conditional random field (BiLSTM-CRF) framework. For relation extraction, this paper introduces the knowledge-enhanced graph inference (KEGI) network, a pioneering method designed for long paragraphs in the industrial domain. This method discerns intricate interactions among entities by constructing a document graph and innovatively integrates knowledge representation into both node construction and path inference through TransR. On the application stratum, BiLSTM-CRF and KEGI are utilized to craft a knowledge graph from a knowledge representation model and Chinese fault reports for a steel production line, specifically SPOnto and SPFRDoc. The F1 value for entity and relation extraction has been enhanced by 2% to 6%. The quality of the extracted knowledge graph complies with the requirements of real-world production environment applications. The results demonstrate that KEGI can profoundly delve into production reports, extracting a wealth of knowledge and patterns, thereby providing a comprehensive solution for production management.

  • Comments
  • COMMENTS
    Zuge YU, Yeming GONG

    This study explores the integration of ChatGPT and AI-generated content (AIGC) in engineering management. It assesses the impact of AIGC services on engineering management processes, mapping out the potential development of AIGC in various engineering functions. The study categorizes AIGC services within the domain of engineering management and conceptualizes an AIGC-aided engineering lifecycle. It also identifies key challenges and emerging trends associated with AIGC. The challenges highlighted are ethical considerations, reliability, and robustness in engineering management. The emerging trends are centered on AIGC-aided optimization design, AIGC-aided engineering consulting, and AIGC-aided green engineering initiatives.

  • COMMENTS
    Ran LIU, Xiaolei XIE
  • Super Engineering
  • SUPER ENGINEERING
    Ju WANG, Mengxue QI, Bin LONG, Hongsu MA