Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have demonstrated the ability to improve lubrication and thermal conductivity, and stand as promising metalworking lubricant and coolant additives due to their low cost compared to other NPs. While nanomaterials are a focus of research due to their potential to enable advanced technologies, little is...
Manufacturing technology has continuously evolved and advanced over the past century; this has led to an increase in the production of consumer and industrial goods driven by simultaneous growth in population and wealth. Despite the resulting economic and labor growth, environmental impacts of manufacturing have increased dramatically due to the...
Sustainability has been the focus of intense discussions over the past two decades, with topics around the entire product life cycle. In the manufacturing phase, research has been focused solely on environmental impact assessment or environmental impact and cost analysis in its assessment of sustainability. However, few efforts have investigated...
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Karl R. Haapala
Sustainability has been the focus of intense discussions over the past two
Manufacturing exists as a stronghold for continuous growth and development of economies, a trend that is likely to continue as the demand for commodities and products grow. Manufacturing drives innovation and productivity in developed nations, as well as promoting economic stability and development in developing nations. However, manufacturing activities pose...
The research explored in this thesis helps provide a better understanding of efforts that have been undertaken to more precisely calculate environmental impacts and human health risks, such as energy consumption, carbon footprint, and toxicity, to support environmental sustainability assessment of products. The work is comprised of two research objectives,...
Lower production costs are a common goal of many manufacturers as part of their continuous improvement strategies. A large portion of production costs for manufacturers is the machining of metals to form components. Metal machining is accompanied by friction and heat which is dealt with using metalworking fluids such as...
Methane is a flammable gas that is the main component of natural gas. It is a highly potent greenhouse gas, and accounts for about 20% of greenhouse gas emissions. Methane is routinely flared in many industrial processes without harnessing any of its energy. The environmental impact and wasted energy potential...
Wind energy is a promising alternative energy source due to its environmental, economic, and social benefits and, as such, has garnered public support and government incentives for its development and implementation. With the growing number of wind parks in Oregon, a life cycle assessment (LCA) study for a representative new...
As the growth in demand for sustainable manufacturing continues, companies must begin to make conscious design decisions with regard to the sustainability of their products. This means balancing economics of production with environmental and social performance. Thus, design and manufacturing engineers must consider economic, environmental, and social aspects simultaneously when...
The demand from consumers for more sustainable products, and the need to comply with government regulations motivates manufacturers to evaluate their operations for opportunities to reduce environmental impact and improve economic competitiveness. Manufacturers have actively improved the sustainability performance of their products through the use of sustainability assessment methods and...