This thesis highlights the effectiveness of Real Options Analysis (ROA) in capacity planning decisions for engineering projects subject to uncertainty. This is in contrast to the irreversible decision-making proposed by the deterministic strategies based on expected estimates of parameters drawn…

by Jeffrey C. Chi., Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2001., Includes bibliographical references (p. 199-216).

(cont.) characterization, and kink criterion implementation, form a synergistic analysis of the mechanistic debonding behavior affected by moisture. Results have shown that moisture affected debonding is a highly complex phenomenon that involves physical changes in the bond as well as…

This thesis will explore the design and optimization of a peer-to-peer network application as a solution to complex content management problems. Currently, most content management systems are expensive, cumbersome and inflexible custom solutions that require knowledge workers to change their…

Characterization of defect is one of the important objectives of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) for condition assessment of structures. Among many other NDE techniques, ultrasonic methods play a prominent role in the both quantitative and qualitative assessment of discontinuities in reinforced…

Strategic management as an academic field of study has spanned over four decades. As an interdisciplinary subject that enjoys concurrent contributions by allied disciplines such as economics and social science, numerous industries have benefited from applying tools and concepts developed…

Sensors are increasingly being used for continuous monitoring purposes, the process of which generates huge volumes of data that need to be mined for interesting events in real-time. The purpose of this research is to develop a method to identify…

Computers have dramatically changed the nature of structural engineering practice by shifting work from process-oriented tasks, such as performing hand calculations and drafting, to structural modeling and interpretation of computer results. To perform these new functions, engineers need to have…

This study presents a theoretical model for predictions of near-shore hydrodynamic characteristics and the local sediment transport rate along long, straight beaches. The wave may be periodic or random, the beach may be plane or barred, and the bed may…

(cont.) members. The experimental program for RC beams involves qualitative and quantitative observation of the changes in the debonding behavior and load capacity of the beams with various configurations of shear and/or flexural strengthening and anchorage conditions in four evolutionary…