Dissertations/Theses - Institute of Appropriate Technology

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A machine learning based integrated framework for e-commerce management through customized customer retention strategy
(Institute of Appropriate Technology(IAT), BUET, 2024-01-29) Ishrat Jahan; Sanam, Dr.Tahsina Farah
Ine-commerce,itismorecost-effectivetoretainexistingcustomersthantoattractnewones. Therefore, churn control is crucial in managing attrition. This study aims to ad-dressagapintheliteraturebycombiningchurnprediction,customersegmentation,andrecommendationstoprovideacomprehensiveplatformforcustomizedcustomerretentionstrategy.Theframeworkconsistsofthesethreecomponents.ExperimentalanalysisforcustomerchurnpredictionshowsthatCatBoostperformsthebestinthedatasetwith100%accuracyand100%F1-score.Afterselectingthebestclassifier,recursivefeatureelimination (RFE) is applied to find the rank of features for the next step. This paperfills a research gap and contributes to the existing literature in developing a customerretentionmethod. After implementing churn prediction, the cluster tendency test is performed, and theHopkins score is 0.09322634776929459. This score indicates that the dataset is appropriateforclustering.TheCalinski-HarabaszindexofK-meansishigherthanHierarchical Clustering.Comparing k-means, hierarchical clustering, and DBSCAN, k-meansgives the best performance.The resulting cluster profiles are used for personalizedrecommendations. Collaborative filtering coverage is larger than popularity-based recommendations.The root mean square errors (RMSE), mean absolute errors (MAE),and mean square errors (RMSE) are used for comparing criteria. The SVD model hasRMSE 1.26, MAE 0.99, and MSE 1.69. The test time of SVD is 0.00143, which is thelowest.Precisionis89%andrecallis99.80%whichmeansthat89%oftherecommendations apply to users. Our proposed study shows that with this integrated framework,wehaveachievedsignificantimprovement.Ourstudyhasgiventhebestresultineveryphase of the framework. So, integrating product recommendation with customer churnpredictionsandcustomersegmentationwillenablepersonalizedexperiences,proactivecustomer engagement, maximization of customer lifetime value, data-driven decision-making, and a competitive edge in the market in the context of our country.It willalsoprovideastrongandefficientcustomerretentionstrategytomakee-commercefeelsuccessfulinourcountry.Finally,thisresearchinvestigatesthekeysustainabilityindicatorsforintegratingMLine-commercecustomizedcustomerretentionandconductsasystematicassessmenttoprioritizetheindicatorsbasedontheperspectivesofpertinentexperts in the context of Bangladeshi e-business to assess the long-term sustainabilityoftheproposedsystem.
Analysis of 3d printing process parameters for mechanical properties and fatigue behavior of specimens produced by bound metal deposition of 17-4 PH stainless steel
(Institute of Appropriate Technology, BUET, 2023-11-14) Sadi Mohammad Akash; Iftheker Ahmed K, Dr.
3D printing—a state-of-the-art additive manufacturing technology—has revolutionized the production of intricate andnovel structures. The qualityof these structureslargely depends on the various printingparameters and the properties of material of interest. Manufacturers often conduct several trial-error processes for choosing the optimizedprinting parameters, thus makes 3D printing processes expensive, time consuming and challenging. The objective of the current study was to optimize the ultimate tensile strength, fatigue behavior and amount of material required considering a set of key process parameters for a standard specimen made of 17-4 PH stainless steel. This study has considered four key printing parameters, such aslayer height, build orientation, infill pattern and infill percentage, for the chosen specimen.Finite element analysis was conducted to ascertain the tensile strength and fatigue cycle whereas slicing software was employed to assess filament length in the printed specimen.The response surface methods were used to develop design of experiments and this resulted in 117 experimental runs. The investigation has consideredmaximizing tensile strength, minimizing material consumption, and maximizing fatigue cycles as objectives of optimization. The significance of printing parameters was evaluated through analysis of variance, main effect, and interaction plots.Three separate predictive models were developed for optimized value of ultimate tensile strength, filament length, and fatigue behavior. The optimum levels of the process parameters were calculated as 87% infill percentage, 0.6 mm layer height, honeycomb infill pattern, and on-edge build orientation. The study concludes thatthe infill percentageshows the greatest effect on the tensile strength, filament length, and fatigue cycle, howeverthe infill pattern shows the trivial impact.It is expected that the understanding of the parameter optimization of 3D printing structureswill contribute to the development of metal 3D printing technology.
Appraisal of detailed area plan and development of a revised conceptual plan for Dhaka city
(Institute of Appropriate Technology, (IAT), BUET, 2019-03-30) Sarnav Talukder; Mamun, Dr. Mohammad Arif Hasan
Dhaka the capital and largest city of Bangladesh is one of the fastest-growing megacities of the world which is suffering from traffic congestions, waterlogging, housing shortage, pollution, waste management, utility services, inadequate recreational facilities, and many other problems. To mitigate these problems RAJUK launched many development projects from its inception. But none of these are successful. Rajuk’s one of the recent initiatives was the Detailed Area Plan (DAP), the lowest tier in the three-level planning process of Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan-DMDP (1995-2015). It was basically a local level plan which is supposed to illustrate details of the proposed Landuse zoning, infrastructure and utility services including the 3-D vision of each segment of the local sector. The stages of DAP preparation included geo-referencing of mauza maps, different types of surveys, consultation with stakeholders, draft plan preparation, public hearing, and final plan preparation. But after all these initiatives DAP is accused as a failure, because of the wrong time frame and vague deliverables. The objectives of this research were to assess DAP 2010 to evaluate the physical development planning method of DAP for DMDP to find its shortcomings and to propose a pragmatic DAP approach which is contextual and implementable. A functional and implementable sample concept DAP for BUET has been presented that shows essential parts of a DAP. During the study, it was found that socio-economic survey, physical feature survey, topographic survey and land use survey were done during the period of 2005-2006. DAP is supposed to be launched almost simultaneously with the structure plan. But in this case, DAP was launched in 2010 with many deviations that had already happened in DMDP 1995-2015. Delayed launching itself was a great failure. This idea of initiating DAP was good. There were a lot of limitations found after evaluating the DAP report and database. Therefore, the study tried to figure out some idea for the development of a functional and implementable DAP for Dhaka City. After reviewing the international concepts of DAP, a guideline for doable was prepared and a checklist is developed for the evaluation of DAP. On the basis of the checklist, DAP by RAJUK was assessed. Then an application Model is developed on a case study area which was Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Polashi, Dhaka area to provide an idea about DAP. The model gives an idea of up to what extent a DAP should be worked out to make it a success. This model may be followed to make DAP for other areas of Dhaka city or any other urban areas of Bangladesh. It is important and necessary to launch DAP at an appropriate time. On the other hand DAP is basically an urban design initiative which should describe all sort of detail information regarding infrastructure, utility, road, street furnishing, streetscape, landscape etc. related detail description i.e. location of water network, drainage, parking, lighting, open spaces etc. up to 3-D built-environment of user level. This study would help prepare future DAP and implement at an appropriate time frame with responsive urban design details. The appropriate urban design of Dhaka will result in a livable city.
Approach to reduce the manufacturing waste & improve the process cycle efficiency of a food processing industry by using lean six sigma model
(Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), 2014-05) Monir Hossain, Md.; Kamal Uddin, Dr. M.
This study was a case analysis of lean tools and Six Sigma methodology implementation in juice and beverage processing lines of X Food industry in Bangladesh. This work addresses the implementation of lean tools and Six Sigma methodology in the observed juice and beverage processing lines in order to evaluate present Process Cycle Efficiency (PCE), Tact time, Value Added (VD) and Non Value Added (NVD) activities and lead time and finally to develop an improved strategy to bring the improved PCE, Tact time and to reduce the lead time and NVD activities. Value Steam Map (VSM) and Pareto analysis were applied to evaluate the present and future state PCE and to find out the NVA activities. By this study the present state PCE of X mango processing line-1, X mango processing line-2, X up processing line, X energy drinks processing line, X Banana flavored juice processing line and X Litchi flavored juice processing line were found consequently as 15.28%, 12.20%, 8.32%, 8.01%, 11.32% and 10.68% that would be 34.05%, 26.91%, 19.46%, 18.84%, 25.60% and 24.45% after the implementation of lean tools and Six Sigma methodology. It is expected that after the implementation of lean tools the existing lead time of X mango processing line-1, X mango processing line-2, X up processing line, X energy drinks processing line, X Banana flavored juice processing line and X Litchi flavored juice processing line could be reduced consequently, by 55.09%, 54.64%, 57.23%, 57.44%, 55.78%, and 56.28%. By this study an economic benefit is also evaluated where it is expected that after the proper implementation of lean tools and Six Sigma methodology the total economic benefit would be 164,746,944 TK. or 2.13 million USD per year. After all the production flow was optimized by minimizing several NVD times such as bottlenecking time, waiting time, material handling time, etc. towards a lean environment establishment in management system of the studied X food industry in Bangladesh.
Approach to reduce the manufacturing waste and improve the process cycle efficiency of a footwear industry by using lean six sigma model
(Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), 2016-07) Abu Sayid Mia, Md.; Kamal Uddin, Dr. M.
This study was a case analysis of lean tools and six sigma methodology implementation in shoe production lines of “X” footwear industry in Bangladesh. This work addresses the implementation of lean tools and six sigma methodology in the observed shoe production lines in order to evaluate present Process Cycle Efficiency (PCE), Takt time, Value Added (VD) and Non Value Added (NVD) activities, lead time, comparison of footwear industries various parameters in different countries and finally to develop an improved strategy to bring the improved PCE, Takt time and to reduce the lead time and NVD activities. Value Stream Map (VSM) and Pareto analysis were applied to evaluate the present and future state PCE and to find out the NVD activities. By this study the present state PCE of Derby, Casual, Court, Oxford, Boot and Moccasin shoe production lines were found consequently as 11.32%, 15.28%, 8.32%, 8.01%, 10.68% and 12.20% that could be 25.60%, 34.05%, 19.46%, 18.84%, 24.45% and 26.91% after the implementation of lean tools and SS methodologies within present production system. It is expected that after the implementation of lean tools the existing lead time of Derby, Casual, Court, Oxford, Boot and Moccasin shoe production lines could be reduced consequently by 55.78%, 55.09%, 57.23%, 57.44%, 56.28% and 54.64%. By this study an economic benefit is also evaluated where it is expected that after the proper implementation of lean tools and six sigma methodologies the total economic benefit would be 1206224160 Tk. or 1.2 billion USD per year. After all the production flow was optimized by minimizing several NVD times such as bottlenecking time, waiting time, materials handling time, etc. towards a lean environment establishment in management system of the studied “X” footwear industry in Bangladesh.
Assessment of brick kiln technologies of Bangladesh
(Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), BUET, 2019-03-30) Shayemur Rahman, Shahed Mohammad Kazi; Mamun, Dr. Mohammad Arif Hasan
Brick manufacturing is the fastest-growing industrial sector in Bangladesh. With about 7,000 operating kilns, brick-making sector is contributing about 1 percent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and generating employment for about 1 million people. Despite the importance of the brick sector, about 90 percent of kilns use outdated, energy-intensive technologies that are highly polluting. New technologies such as Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln (VSBK), Hybrid Hoffman Kiln (HHK) and Tunnel Kiln (TK) are substantially cleaner than Fixed Chimney Kiln (FCK) and consume less energy and emit lower levels of pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHGs). However, the use of these technologies in Bangladesh is still in the preliminary stage of implementation, their financial viability (compared with that of the FCK) still needs to be demonstrated. The objective of this research was to get a priority ranking of different brick kiln technology by Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) which would give a specific result for thinking about installation of new technologies in Bangladesh perspective. For analytic hierarchy process (AHP) analysis, a Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) model, we have considered five main attributes/criteria: Product Quality (PQ), Fuel Efficiency (FE), Environmental Effect (EF), Labour Intensity (LI), Investment (I) and four alternatives: Improved Zigzag Kiln (IZigzag) Technology, Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln (VSBK) Technology, Hybrid Hoffman Kiln (HHK) Technology, Tunnel Kiln (TK) Technology. For Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), Cost and Benefit are determined for four alternatives: Improved Zigzag Kiln (IZigzag) Technology, Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln (VSBK) Technology, Hybrid Hoffman Kiln (HHK) Technology and Tunnel Kiln (TK) Technology. Based on the result which is found from the Technology Assessment evaluation and Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), it would be determined that which brick kiln technology should be given highest preference in the perspective of Bangladesh.
Assessment of contamination status and potential health risk of heavy metals in soil and vegetables of Savar Tannery adjacent area
(Institute of Appropriate Technology, BUET., 2020-08-19) Al Mizan.; Mamun, Dr. Mohammad Arif Hasan
Monitoring of heavy metal concentration in soil of newly shifted tannery industry in Savar tannery village and the accumulation of heavy metals in vegetables grown on tannery area and its nearby area is crucial for public health. Because, the toxic heavy metals present in soil and vegetables may pose potential non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks to human health. For quantifying and assessing the risks, six heavy metals (e.g., Cr, Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni, and Cd) concentration were determined by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer of 45 soil and 27 vegetable samples collected from four different zones of the tannery and its nearby area. The analyzed results revealed that Cr was in highest concentration in soil and found to be 3222 mg/kg (mean value of four zone) which is 32 fold greater than the maximum permissible limit set by WHO/FAO and 10 times more than EU/UK safe limit. Amount of Pb, Cu, and Ni in the studied soil was far below the all standard limit. The heavy metal Zn was in slightly to moderately higher than the EU and Chinese standard as well as control and background concentration and met India standards and the WHO/FAO concentration. The mean concentration of Cd was 1.97 mg/kg and the greatest concentration was found in zone 3 (5.11mg/kg) which is far beyond the acceptable value set by China, EU and WHO limit. The statistical analysis such as contamination factor, enrichment factor, degree of contamination, pollution load index, geoaccumulation index, marked the area as moderately to very highly contaminated and enriched with heavy metals, thus leading to significant pollution of soil. The ecological risk factor, risk index, non-carcinogenic risk and cancer risk for soil contaminated with heavy metals posed moderate to very high ecological risks and some of the zone with value of hazard index greater unity showed high potential non cancer risks. In addition, analyzed total target cancer risks exceeded the acceptable range (1×10-6-1×10-4) by all of the zones for soil and posed more risks to child population than adult. The main exposure pathway of heavy metal in soil to human was oral ingestion (97.83-99.90%). Concentration of heavy metals in consumable vegetables collected in this study was alarming, especially Cr, Pb, Zn and Cd and was found to cross the boundary limit set by WHO/FAO, Chinese national standards and EU/UK limits. The calculated mean hazard index for vegetable samples in four zones was 8.71, showing elevated level of potential non-carcinogenic risks to the human, when the target cancer risks by Cr and Cd are far beyond the acceptable value 1×10-4, indicating serious cancer causing probability of human by consumption of these vegetables. From the calculated results, it can be concluded that soils and vegetables particularly in the tannery area are enriched with high amount of heavy metals which are well above the maximum permissible limit suggested by international organizations. Therefore, there is a critical need to remedy the soil of contaminated zones by applying proper techniques. After a vigorous feasibility study of different developed and practiced technology of soil remediation, phytoremediation has been selected for its cost, simplicity, environmental aspects and public acceptance to remedy the heavy metals from the contaminated soil of Hemayetpur, Savar tannery area and its adjacent area. Policy have been suggested to prevent the soil pollution caused by tannery effluent which is suitable, logical and adjustable to this modern era in this study. Finally, individual awareness should be raised to stop cultivating and eating of vegetable in the study area.
Behavioral pattern analysis of solar energy users of Bangladesh and proposal of an incentive regulation model to achieve energy sufficiency
(Institute of Appropriate Technology(IAT), BUET, 2021-09-25) Abul Ulayee, Hasan al Bashar; Ahmad, Farid
In the era of 4th Industrial revolution, energy is a pre-condition for the development of an energy-deficit country like Bangladesh. Bangladesh ranks low with regard to global competitiveness in the context of reliable electricity supply and transparent tariffs. Bangladesh government has already taken a policy decision to arrange 10 percent of total energy from renewable sources whereasonly 3.02% of the target is achieved.Around 5 million Solar Home System (SHS) havealready been installed in Bangladesh to reach the target.A behavioral pattern analysis of these users can find substantial and influential factors which are determinate rationales behind using solar energy. The objective of the research was to find out the solar energy users’usage pattern and factors influencing the pattern. Another core objective of this research was to develop an Incentive Regulation Model based on ‘Solar Energy Data Bank with Virtual Grid Concept’ by analyzing the usage pattern and to test the Incentive Regulation Model. The method used in this research was a qualitative approach with quantitative analysis of the survey data. The methodology included survey in the Solar Home System users with appropriate questionnaire and data analysis and pattern recognition on the received data. The Incentive Regulation Model was developed based on the data and considering the rational expectation of the users. The outcome of this research was the usage pattern of Bangladeshi Solar Energy users and what were the influencing factors that enable them to use solar energy. Based on the survey, an Incentive Regulation Model was also proposed with a new concept of offline virtual grid. As the Model was a proposed one, to justify it WEKA open source data mining software was used whether the incentive helps to grow the number of solar energy users or not. Finally, some policy decisions were derived from the incentive model taking incentive levels, location factors, program design, and monitoring and evaluation strategies for sustainable energy management into account
Bio-toxicity analysis and technological management of textile (dyeing) effluent treatment plant sludge
(Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), BUET, 2022-04-09) Chakraborty, Rathin; Ahmad, Farid
Bangladesh textile sector is the highest contributor to the national economy. Textile (dyeing) industries consumes substantial amount of chemicals in their processes which ultimately discharge a large volume of textile (dyeing) effluent treatment plant (ETP) sludge in open places, thereby leaving a huge environmental footprint and posing negative impacts. Currently, there are no published national sludge discharge standard for Bangladesh textile dyeing industries. Therefore, this thesis focusses on the management of solid wastes i.e., textile (dyeing) effluent treatment plant sludge which is a complex mixture of particles originating from organic and inorganic chemicals. Several characterization techniques were applied to define the sludge generated from textile (dyeing) for different effluent treatment techniques (physio-biological, physio-chemicalbiological, and electro-coagulation). These testing protocols reveal that the textile dyeing sludge contains heavy metals like Cu, Ti, Ru, Cl, Zn, Mn, Ni, Cr, Sr, etc. and their quantities aided the authors for carrying out the elementary risk assessment. Bio-toxic effect of dyeing sludge was realized from the life cycle analysis of Escherichia coli (E. Coli), that characterizes sludge as ecologically harmful. Extraction of the sludge solution was used with broth media at different ratios (1:10, 1:2, and 1:1) and the results of the toxicity analysis reveal that the increasing amount of sludge ratio in nutrient media causes a more toxic effect on the bacterial life cycle and inhibits bacterial growth. The study concludes that predictive approaches, along with preventive measures for the reduction of chemical consumption in dyeing processes using sustainable initiatives and practices, will make a paradigm shift from the reactive approach for sludge management to the preservation of resources. Less water and chemical consumptions will reduce the effluent load, and health risks associated with the heavy metals of textile sludge.
Clustering of barriers and prioritizing of operational parameters for sustainable management of weft-knitting operation
(Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), BUET, 2023-08-29) Biswas, Prodip Kumar; Khan, Dr. Iftheker Ahmed
The knitwear garment factories earned nearly fifty five percent of total textile industry earning in the 2021-22 fiscal year. Total apparel export earnings were $42.6 billion in the 2021-22 fiscal year and knitwear sector export earning was $23.2 billion in 2021-22 fiscal year according to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data. A typical knitwear operation involves knitting of fabric and the making of knitwear using the fabric thus knitted and provides the greater backward linkage to meet up export requirements. While circular knitting machine is the primary machinery used in weft knitting (i.e., intermeshing the loops of yarns in horizontal way) there are technological challenges like low longevity of machine, variation of RPM, low production rate, and distorted stitches. Combining these with faults like patta, yarn contamination, yarn missing in fabric, oil and dirt spots, sinker mark, horizontal stripe and piling on fabric put the knitting section operation a challenging one and machine parameters like stitch length, machine RPM, machine production rate, man per machine, gauge, yarn count, cam arrangement, coarse length, stitch density, GSM, bursting strength, and diameter are so important for fabric production.This research reviews the barriers and parameters in adopting sustainable management practices in the context of the Bangladeshi weft knitting industry. A questionnaire survey was conducted having a sample size of fifteen. It was undertaken to identify the barriers and parameters. Then Fuzzy Delphi method was used to prioritize barriers and parameters for sustainable management of weft knitting operation. Thirty one barriers and twenty two parameters was identified through literature review and survey. The research indicates that lack of skilled manpower is the most influential barriers and research and development is most prioritized parameter. A hierarchical cluster analysis technique was used in the detailed analysis of this data. Four clusters were found for both barriers and parameters through hierarchical cluster analysis. A holistic positive and negative impact was derived among all barriers and parameters by fuzzy cognitive maps. This study will provide valuables insights to practitioners and relevant policy makersabout the barriers and parameters prevailing in the emerging weft knitting industry for sustainable management of weft knitting operation. This will guide to undertake appropriate steps for alleviating those barriers and influencing parameter. The outcome of this research will guide all the involved personnel in weft knitting section to create a better sustainable management in knitting operation.
Conversion of municipal solid waste (MSW) into safe land filling material
(Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), 2015-12) Rasel Kabir, Mohammad; Kamal Uddin, Dr. M.
Generation of municipal solid waste is ominously increasing due to the rapid growth of population coupled with the increasing scale of economic activity, i.e. urbanization, industrialization, and improved living standards. Urban local bodies across the world are struggling with the tenacious problems of municipal waste management, particularly in disposal of waste. This research aims to induce an effective and simple technique for treating organic wastes as part of its waste management system with a view to minimizing the negative environmental impacts resulting from land filling. For sampling, fresh municipal solid waste was collected from twenty different sites of Dhaka City and the organic part of collected solid waste was separated and treated with soil, lime, and cement at different proportions. In this manner four samples were developed and separately preserved in open containers. Later, a series of laboratory tests was conducted to study the physical characteristics, prospective chemical reactions and the risks factors of the treated samples at field condition. More than 60 specimens were tested at predetermined intervals at Environmental Microbiology Laboratory of ICDDR’B, Soil Resource Development Institute of Ministry of Agriculture, and Department of Soil, Environment & Water of the University of Dhaka. The experiment results depicted that over time moisture content rates in each samples dropped to almost one third in an average in ambient conditions. The Hydraulic Conductivity rate of four developed samples ranged from 8.44×10-3 cm/s to 13.74×10-3 cm/s for a density of 0.625 gm/cm3 to 0.716 gm/cm3. Moreover, the number of colony forming units of Total Coliforms bacteria in per gram declined dramatically and were found almost zero at the end of the research. Throughout the study all samples were found very mild alkali (average pH value 7.15), which is suitable for land filling. Treatment costs of per m3 of waste were estimated in Taka for each developed samples. After technical evaluation and analysis of prospective treatment costs, the Sample comprised 77% of organic waste, 4% of lime and 19% of gravellier soil has been evolved as an appropriate technique of converting municipal solid waste into safe land filling material. A waste management system was proposed in context of the Dhaka city for the establishment of the developed technique by the city corporations. At the same time, a layout plan was also designed to accommodate the developed technique with existing landfill process.
Critical success factors of technology transfer: an investigation into the health sector of Bangladesh
(Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), BUET, 2019-03-16) Ahsan Uddin Murad, Md.; Ahmad, Mr. Farid
The present thesis intends to find out the critical success factors, which exert defining role in the successful technology transfer from the technology-rich nations to the developing nation, being focused on the health sector of Bangladesh, which is increasingly playing pivotal role in raising the standard of living and physical nourishment, as well as the level of economy. The role of technology in this regard is well-founded, due to its reliability and economic value. Data was collected by questionnaire & conducting interviews at various levels of employees of different tertiary level hospitals, technology suppliers, policymakers and practitioners concerned with the heath sector of Bangladesh. Using a mixed methodology the study finds that very medium and low-level complexity instruments technologies has been transferred to the health sector of Bangladesh. The study also revealed that so far no technology owners has transferred whole package of technology to the their recipients in the sector. The study pointed out that due to very high technology gap, owners’ willingness to transfer technology plays the pivotal role in the effectiveness of the technology transfer. The study also shows that recipient’s Involvement in the transfer process, Effective Communication between technology senders and receivers, policy support, Internal readiness, Training, Bangladeshi Organizational culture, adequate testing are most critical success factors of effective technology transfer to the health sector of Bangladesh.
Decoupled approach to Multidisciplinary system analysis and Design under epistemic uncertainty
(Department of Industrial and Production Engineering, 2018-07-02) Kibria, Md. Gulam; Zaman, Dr. AKM Kais Bin
An efficient probabilistic approach is developed for uncertainty propagation in multidisciplinary system analysis under epistemic uncertainty. A decoupled approach is used in this thesis to un-nest the multidisciplinary system analysis from the probabilistic analysis to achieve better computational efficiency. This study proposes a moment matching based approach to estimate the first four moments of the coupling variables (variables that couple two or more sub-systems/ disciplines). The estimated first four moments are used as the uncertainty descriptors of the coupling variables. The probability density functions of the coupling variables are determined using the estimated first four moments. The proposed moment matching approach uses Taylor series expansion, tensor product quadrature, and univariate dimension reduction methods to estimate the moments of the coupling variables. Once the uncertainty in the coupling variables is quantified, the system level uncertainty propagation analysis is similar to single discipline problems which is available in the literature. The proposed methods are equally applicable to both sampling and analytical approximation-based reliability analysis methods. The proposed approach does not require any repeated sampling by Monte Carlo simulation, and yet can generate results similar to a sampling-based approach by Monte Carlo simulation; thus relieves us of the time consuming computationally prohibitive nature of Monte Carlo simulation. A mathematical problem and a real-life engineering problem are used to illustrate the proposed methods. The accuracy of the proposed decoupled approach is also verified by Monte Carlo simulation.
Development and characterization of a composite as an alternative of plastic foam by using waste paper and natural Jute Fiber
(Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), BUET, 2024-09-03) Kamruzzaman Rasel, Md.; Bhuiyan, Dr. Iftekhar Uddin
It is well known to all that the population of the Earth is growing daily. To fulfill the needs, different types of plastic products are being used throughout the world, made from polymeric materials such as expanded polystyrene (EPS), expanded polypropylene (EPP), and Styrofoam (plastic foam) because of their easy processing, high durability, and many other properties. Packaging is one of the major sectors of polymeric material use. Packaging is the process by which goods or products are enclosed to protect products during distribution, storage, sale, and use. Of those polymeric materials, some are recyclable, but recycling is very costly; some are non-recyclable (melamine-thermosetting polymer). After use, most of the plastics are thrown into the environment, and those are getting mixed with land, wildlife, forests, and aquatic ecosystems, creating a threat to the everyday lives of people, wildlife, marine animals, and so on. Since polymeric materials have a long lifetime and a long time required to decompose naturally, researchers are continuously trying to develop alternative products that can be used as a substitute for plastic products. Researchers have used natural fiber-based products, but most of them are based on polymers, where those polymers act as a matrix form of a composite, such as epoxy resin, polyester, polypropylene, HDPE, LDPE, Vinyl ester resin, epoxy, and polyester resin and natural fiber used as a reinforcing agent. Most of them are non-biodegradable and take a long time to decompose naturally. There is an opportunity to use natural-based materials in matrix form. Hence, this research aims to develop a composite by using waste papers as a matrix material of the composite and jute fiber as the reinforcing agent that can reduce the use of certain portions of plastic-type products, especially Styrofoam in the packaging sector. The hand lay-up method was used to fabricate the composite after collecting the raw materials, and starch (arrowroot powder) was used as a binder. After the final curing of the developed composite, shore hardness test, stress test, strain test, compressive test, density test, water absorption test, and degradation test were done and compared with the available Styrofoam sample. The experimental results indicate that developed composite samples are superior in terms of hardness and compressive strength compared to available Styrofoam samples, developed composite samples are inferior in terms of density and water absorption compared to the available Styrofoam samples. The level of strain found in both samples (Developed and available samples) is comparable. Also, the degradation test indicates that developed composite samples are degradable in soil and water, whereas available Styrofoam samples are known to be non-biodegradable. Typically, a portion of the waste paper produced is recycled to decrease reliance on virgin raw materials and to lessen the use of natural resources like trees, water, and other components. However, there is a lack of effective management aimed at minimizing waste paper generation at its source. This research can contribute to addressing this issue by illustrating methods to reduce waste paper generation and ultimately utilizing existing technology to recycle the paper waste created.
Development and evaluation of construction and demolition waste management framework in the context of Dhaka city
(Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), BUET, 2024-05-11) Sabbir Ahammed Rayhan, Dewan; Bhuiyan, Dr. Iftekhar Uddin
This thesis looks over the current Construction and Demolition Waste Management (C&DWM) situations by scrutinizing the definition, classification, components, compositions, the generated sources and causes, the global scenario, impacts of generated Construction and Demolition Wastes (C&DWs), waste management hierarchy (WMH), 3R Principles, Circular Economy (CE), tools and frameworks of C&DWM. Dhaka city is witnessing rapid infrastructural development. Now, C&DW generation is becoming a burning issue due to its adverse impacts. This study reviews the present scenario of Dhaka city regarding the status of C&DW generation, approaches for minimizing C&DW generation, existing systems for managing C&DWs, existing relevant strategies, acts, and policies for C&DWM, and previous research on C&DWM. The review finds that landfilling, on-site and off-site disposal, and disposal in unauthorized places are the common strategies of C&DWM in Dhaka city that result in environmental pollution in the city as well as lessening the potential land spaces in the city. Moreover, the old landfill sites in Dhaka city are reaching their fullest capacity. The main objective of this study is to introduce a sustainable C&DWM framework for evaluating the C&DWM alternatives in Dhaka city by incorporating the application of expanded Waste Management Hierarchy (E-WMH) and Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) models because these tools don’t get considerable attention in the C&DWM field of Bangladesh. This study considers the E-WMH principles as the alternatives for managing C&DWs in Dhaka city and selects and groups the criteria into social, economic, environmental, and technical criteria to achieve sustainability based on the comprehensive literature review and the Delphi survey with the subject-matter experts in Bangladesh. The ELECTRE I and ELECTRE II MCDA methods are employed in this study because these methods are suitable for solving environmental-related problems. Based on the results of ELECTRE I and ELECTRE II methods, reuse, recovery, and prevent are the suitable strategies, and incineration (burn), and treat and disposal are the poorest strategies for managing C&DWs in Dhaka city. Finally, this thesis provides some recommendations for C&DWM in Dhaka City to achieve greater efficiency in C&DWM and pinpoint some directions of the scope of future research in the field of C&DWM.
Development of an effective technology transfer mechanism for the textile and apparel sector of Bangladesh by innovative capacity analysis
(Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), BUET, 2019-04-06) Maeen Md. Khairul Akter; Ahmad, Dr. Farid
Textile and apparel sector is the major industrial sector of Bangladesh and the economy is highly dependent on the development of this sector. The sector needs to develop its technological fundamentals and embrace continuous innovation for sustainable development in the future. But unfortunately, in spite of being the major industrial sector of the country it is still running with a combination of low, medium and high technologies haphazardly and there is no study what so ever in terms of its innovativeness and technological development. The objective of this research was to analyze the current practice of the industries, find out the gaps and develop an effective technology transfer mechanism. As the indigenous capability of the industries and institutes to create new technology is very poor in this country, the development of technological fundamentals of industries highly depends on the transferred technologies. Hence, the need of an effective technology transfer mechanism is indispensable. The method used in this research is a qualitative approach with quantitative analysis of the survey data. The methodology includes survey in the industries with appropriate questionnaire and data analysis on the industrial innovative capacity and the current technology transfer practices of the industries. Rationale study of the technology transfer mechanisms from the literature was done to create the theoretical foundation of the study. The outcome of this research creates a new concept of technology transfer mechanism and opens a wide scope for cross-fertilization of knowledge in technology management in the textile and apparel sector of Bangladesh. The major implications of this research is identified as a reliable guideline for industries to assess their individual innovative capacity and develop their technological fundamentals by adopting the new concepts of technology transfer mechanism. This research also can be used as a background document in institutes to design Technology Transfer Office (TTO) dedicated for the textile and apparel sector of Bangladesh.
Development of assessment methodology for valuation of used vehicles
(Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), BUET, 2020-11-29) Rasfeq Hossain, Md.; Bhuiyan, Dr. Iftekhar Uddin
The recondition segment of Automotive Industry in Bangladesh is flourishing radically but irony is that no justified pricing methodology has been developed till now. Even financial institutions like Bank, Insurance Companies, etc. are performing valuation of vehicles by considering flat depreciation of 15% irrespective the technical condition of vehicle. To mitigate this pricing dispute between buyers and sellers, an attempt has been taken in this study to formulate a pricing methodology and assessment techniques for used vehicles by using field survey, Delphi technique, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and regression analysis. The pricing chart has been developed where the price can be extracted directly by giving input in the Pricing table after physical assessment of the major aggregates of used vehicle. To develop this pricing table, a survey was carried out by a structured questionnaire among the existing buyers and sellers to identify the key factors which are being considered during negotiation of pricing and to understand the strength, weakness, opportunity and threat of the used vehicles market. Survey was conducted in two phases containing a sample size of hundred where sample size was determined from sample size formula. Experts from different areas in Automotive Industry of Bangladesh were identified and their opinion were assessed by Delphi method to find out the most influential factors out of forty-three factors obtained from field survey analysis. The Delphi method reveals Vehicle Age, Technical Soundness, Out-look, Brand and After Sales Performances as the most influential factors within the criteria of decision making factors, physical inspection factors and brand selection factors. These factors were ranked by paired comparison under Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to get the impact of these key factors on vehicle pricing. Incorporating linear regression model to depreciation, these parameters were organized and programmed in Microsoft Excel Sheet and named as “Pricing Chart”. This pricing chart is expected as a helping aid during the negotiation between buyers and sellers in recondition vehicle segment as revealed by the validation studies.
Feasibility assessment of implementing GSM or DCS frequency band for 3G wireless network in Bangladesh
(Institute of Appropriate Technology, BUET., 2019-04-24) Maruf Hossain, Md.; Mamun, Dr. Mohammad Arif Hasan
The usages and demand of wireless technologies has been increased incredibly in urban, suburban as well in rural area. To fulfill the user demand and for the self-interest, many service provider companies had been established in Bangladesh with different techniques as, Mobile communication system, WiMAX system and small area Wi-Fi services. Especially mobile wireless communication system has become crowded to fulfill the user demands over the nation. As a result radio frequency plans also getting a challenging factor to cover the whole national area by the updated wireless technologies. To facilitate the users in rural area by the updated 3G and 4G mobile technologies, it is needed to choose an appropriate frequency band to alleviate the existing coverage problem of mobile signals. The aim of this thesis work is to find out a suitable frequency band for 3G mobile communication system in Bangladesh. Three available frequency bands 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz are selected as the alternatives to complete the analysis of finding suitable target frequency band for 3G system. For this study Analytic Hierarchy Process is applied as a Multi-criteria Decision Making Method (MCDM) which is a technology assessment tool. The assessment has been conducted by considering the quality of signal, operation cost, coverage area, signal penetration, environmental values, economic impacts as criteria and sub-criteria for the target of this thesis work. A number of telecommunication researchers from different universities and professionals of renowned telecommunication industries have been selected and taken their interview to avail expert opinion for the assessment works. Most of those researchers and professionals expressed their opinion as lower band 900 MHz would be a better choice for mobile operators to facilitate more 3G coverage area with less integration and maintenance cost. Based on the thesis result it can be ascertained that lower frequency band 900 MHz can be an appropriate additional choice for high speed 3G mobile communication system in Bangladesh to enhance the coverage area especially in suburban and rural areas. So from the outcomes of this work, mobile operators may be guided to choose an appropriate frequency band for their existing 3G network as lower band spectrum has been proposed to improve the signal penetration as well for more coverage area.
Formulation of a process to improve PCE & reduce waste of a lead acid battery industry by using lean six sigma model.
(Institute of Appropriate Technology ( IAT) , BUET, 2019-02-13) Ariful Islam, Md.; Mamun, Dr. Mohammad Arif Hasan
This study is a case analysis of lean tools and Six Sigma methodology implementation in N70 Battery & NS60L Battery processing lines of Rangs Power Battery industry in Bangladesh. This work addresses the implementation of lean tools and Six Sigma methodology in the observed N70 Battery & NS60L Battery processing lines in order to evaluate present Process Cycle Efficiency (PCE), Takt time, Value Added (VD) and Non Value Added (NVD) activities and lead time and finally to develop an improved strategy to bring the improved PCE, Takt time and to reduce the lead time and NVD activities. Value Stream Map (VSM) and Pareto analysis are applied to evaluate the present and future state PCE and to find out the NVD activities. By this study the present state PCE of N70 Battery processing line-1 and NS60L processing line-2 are found consequently as 20.18% and 13.74% that would be 29.62% and 25.24% after the implementation of lean tools and Six Sigma methodology. It would be expected that after the proper implementation of lean tools the existing lead time of N70 Battery processing line-1 and NS60L Battery processing line-2 could be reduced consequently, by 31.85%, and 45.57%. By this study an economic benefit is also evaluated where it would be expected that after the proper implementation of lean tools and Six Sigma methodology the total economic benefit would be 69,418,080 TK. or 8,35,255.44 USD per year. After all the production flow to be optimized by minimizing several NVD times such as bottlenecking time, waiting time, material handling time, etc. towards a lean environment establishment in management system of the studied “Rangs Power Battery” industry in Bangladesh.
Formulation of investment strategies for sustainable development of energy & power sector of Bangladesh
(Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), 2015-09) Shahan Shams Alam; Kamal Uddin, Dr. M.
Appropriate investment strategies have to be evolved for maintaining sustainable supply of energy and power to ensure economic development. Energy and Power Sector investment in Five Year Plans, Master Plans and their allocations in Revised Annul Development Programs (RADPs) of Bangladesh have been studied from 1991 to 2010. It has been observed that energy and power are considered as two separate sub-sectors in investment plans, while allocation and distribution of investment among different segments of energy (e.g. exploration & production, transportation & distribution) and power (e.g. generation, transmission & distribution) supply chains are adhoc and inconsistent. As a result, development of energy and power supply chains was affected and did not take place in a synchronized and balanced manner. Finally, it could not reach the development needs. Lack of appropriate institution(s) for energy and power sector planning has been identified as the major impediment for adhoc investment decisions. In order to rationalize the energy and power sector investment strategy, it is suggested that instead of existing practices of sub-sectoral planning (e.g. gas, power etc.), an Integrated Energy and Power Sector Master Plan consisting of all primary energy resources and power should be prepared by an independent institute to ensure synchronized and balanced development of different segments of energy and power supply chain.