Research has shown that emotional connections during lab activities increase learning in chemistry and physics courses. However, little research has examined the effects of emotion in engineering courses, and these studies have recognized a dearth of research examining the ability of students to apply engineering concepts in real-world applications based...
With growing awareness of the negative impacts of the built environment, solutions for dramatic environmental, economic, and social improvements are sparking in all sectors, especially within the construction industry. The work of this thesis aims to quantify and compare social, economic, and environmental impacts of a three-story mass timber structure...
The US industrial sector accounts for about one-third of the nation’s energy consumption and is predicted to grow twice as quickly as other sectors through 2050. International organizations such as the International Energy Agency project energy efficiency improvements will account for over 40% of greenhouse gas emissions reductions through 2040....
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...
Product development in the 21st century requires integrating sustainability performance evaluation with product design and manufacturing activities. A variety of factors, including climate change, public awareness, and increasingly strict regulations have compelled companies to design and manufacture more sustainable products. While the design phase typically accounts for only 5-7% of...
Sustainability has become an unprecedented priority in global manufacturing due to the growing concerns over issues such as an aging workforce, environmental degradation, and public health. The simultaneous consideration of the economic, environmental, and social aspects – often referred to as the “three pillars of sustainability” – is crucial to...
:
___________________________________________________________________
KarlR. Haapala
Sustainability has become an unprecedented priority in global manufacturing
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 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...
New materials with superior mechanical properties, such as increased strength and hardness, have been developed to allow for new and improved products. However, the mechanical properties that make these materials useful also makes them difficult to process using conventional methods. New machining processes need to be developed to generate products...
Growing awareness and concern within society over the use of and reliance on fossil fuels has stimulated research efforts in identifying, developing, and selecting alternative energy sources and energy technologies. Bioenergy represents a promising replacement for conventional energy, due to reduced environmental impacts and broad applicability. Sustainable energy challenges, however,...
Manufacturing industry drives economic activity and growth around the world, but manufacturing activities consume large amounts of material, energy, and labor resources. Therefore, the impacts of manufacturing need to be accounted for and reduced. Direct benefits of manufacturing are products and income, which, in turn, influence the lives of people...
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 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,...
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...
In the U.S. there are increasing energy demands that require an ever-increasing need for the large-scale use of new energy resources. Specifically, sporadic renewable energy sources are being incorporated into utility energy portfolios. Thus, supporting stationary energy storage technologies are needed to make these renewable sources reliable and feasible for...
A key application of microchannel process technology (MPT) is its implementation in heat exchanger devices, since a larger surface contact area can be realized than in conventional approaches, thus achieving high heat transfer efficiency. To justify high volume production of configurations validated as prototypes, and to select from among the...
The use of fossil fuels and their related impact on the environment and global warming have encouraged societies to pursue more sustainable and renewable alternatives, e.g., forest-based bio-oil. Thus, a vital need to decrease the level of greenhouse gas emissions and the tendency of nations to reduce their dependency on...
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...
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...
:
________________________________________________________________
KarlR. Haapala
Sustainability has been the focus of intense discussions over the past two
Interest in accounting for environmental impacts of products, processes, and systems during the design phase is increasing. Numerous studies have undertaken investigations for reducing environmental impacts across the product life cycle. Efforts have also been launched to quantify such impacts more accurately. Life cycle energy consumption and carbon footprint are...