Feasibility Study

Automatic Weld Inspection

For the year 2000, welding expenditures in the U.S manufacturing, mining and construction industry was about $34 million. In order to test these welds in a non-destructive manner, nearly half a million radiographs are being produced every year. General Manager-Operations wanted a team at the imaging lab to develop new methodologies to identify defects in welds for analyzing the radiographs.

Note: To view the entire case study, you must first login with your username and password. To create a username and password, click Register. Then you will be sent an e-mail to validate your entry. Once the account has been validated, you can login to this site to access full copies of the case studies.

Full Case Study

Chick-Fil-A Case Study

1Fast-food giant Chick-fil-A faced a major decision when the manufacturer of its point of sales (POS) terminal systems stopped producing the EPROM systems it used at the price it originally offered the restaurant. Chick-fil-A was presented with three options from the technology available at the time of the decision:

  • Continue purchasing the EPROM POS systems at an inflated price
  • Purchase and implement POS systems based on Windows CE technology
  • Purchase and implement POS systems based on Windows NT technology

This case study allows students to act as decision makers to select and support a solution based on Chick-fil-A’s business needs and alignment of technology. Students are challenged to evaluate the options based on operational visability, technical architecture, programming effort involved, environment, 5-year total cost of ownership, and business issues.

Note: To view the entire case study, you must first login with your username and password. To create a username and password, click Register. Then you will be sent an e-mail to validate your entry. Once the account has been validated, you can login to this site to access full copies of the case studies.

Full Case Study

Impact Echo and Business Plan Case Study

64We live in a diverse and changing world. This has become much more evident in the past few years. The social and economical changes in the U.S as well as the technological and urban changes found in emerging countries such as China and India have prompted each of these countries to tack steps toward technological advancements and urban development. A few areas of advancement has caught the worlds focus are, renewable resources, climate change, and the development of affordable healthcare. Many world power are relying on commercial and industry partnered with innovative technology to provide solutions to many of these global concerns. As the commercial and industrial sectors grows to meet the demands of the world, one factor that is many times over looked is the ability to facilitate this growth. Even a well developed country like the U.S is not able to escape the fact that the lack of an adequate infrastructure can stifle growth. Many governments are trying to make sure that the infrastructure needs of industry such as power supply, water supply and transportation needs are being met. There are many new technologies that are able to help maintain the existing infrastructure and assess the safety of new developments. One of these technology that will be the focus of this design team is Impact Echo Testing. This NDE process is important in the evaluation of many systems integral to infrastructure such as roads for transportation, dams for power generation, and many other concrete structures. The device that will be the focus of this design team will be decrease the manpower and time needed to evaluate the structural integrity of various concrete structures. This device will also prove to be more uneconomical than many of the devices that are currently on the market. Continued technological advances with products such as this will ensure that the infrastructure needed will be able to meet the demands of industry and commerce quickly and efficiently.

Note: To view the entire case study, you must first login with your username and password. To create a username and password, click Register. Then you will be sent an e-mail to validate your entry. Once the account has been validated, you can login to this site to access full copies of the case studies.

Full Case Study

Powertel Case Study

24This multi-media case study brings live interviews with managers and engineers who worked on the Powertel case study project. Learn about cell phones, cell site erection, and wireless technologies.

Note: To view the entire case study, you must first login with your username and password. To create a username and password, click Register. Then you will be sent an e-mail to validate your entry. Once the account has been validated, you can login to this site to access full copies of the case studies.

Full Case Study

Solar Power from Rural India

58The Gandhi Rural Rehabilitation Centre, a multi-purpose center in rural India that provides employment for physically and mentally challenged individuals living in surrounding villages. Daily activities include weaving, tailoring, and embroidery, among others. The center’s power grid is unstable and experiences daily power outages, which can last for hours at a time. In an attempt to remedy this, National Institute of Technology, Trichy and Auburn University partnered together to bring solar power to the GRRC to provide a more stable and environmentally-friendly source of power.

Note: To view the entire case study, you must first login with your username and password. To create a username and password, click Register. Then you will be sent an e-mail to validate your entry. Once the account has been validated, you can login to this site to access full copies of the case studies.

Full Case Study