The average person probably doesn’t realize that snowplowing is a complex operation involving the interaction of several variables. To simplify this process, two University of Missouri engineers have developed models that integrate all the factors in an effort to make the service more efficient, while reducing time and resources.
The pilot study focused on the local plowing winter maintenance operations in Boone County, Mo. The county has 23 snow-plow trucks parked in five depots across the county.
The target plowing time is two hours. Using engineering principles and assuming an average Missouri snowfall of three to four inches, the MU engineers optimized the snow-plowing service using five depots and only 16 trucks and beat the target time by a half-hour. This new method has the potential to cut costs by up to 30 percent.
“There’s been a lot of work on the individual components of snow-plowing routes, but never has there been a study that connected all the components,” said James Noble, associate professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering in the College of Engineering. “We developed a mathematical model for the snow-plowing problem, but it is so complex that it would take a computer many years to solve it for realistic-sized problems. We then developed a simplified approach to the mathematical model so we could create a solution for this problem.”
This method could be used for scenarios other than Missouri snowplowing. Other states could apply this method with their own individual variables to optimize the operations for their particular state. The routing problem is generic, and similar models could be used to optimize highway stripping, mowing and herbicide operations, Noble said.
“This study focused on an average snowfall for Missouri,” said Wooseung Jang, associate professor in the department of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering in the College of Engineering. “A bigger or smaller snow would be a different issue. This method may not apply to California or Canada, but will work for other Midwestern states.”
The next phase of the project is currently underway and is expanding the model to other counties in Missouri. The Midwest Transportation Consortium and the Missouri Department of Transportation provided funding and participated in this study.
Source: University of Missouri
Related stories:
This is your grid on brains
(PhysOrg.com) -- Managing power networks in the future may involve a little more brain power than it does today, if researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology succeed in a new project that involves literally tapping brain cells grown on networks of electrodes.
Scientists explore putting electric cars on a two-way power street
Think of it as the end of cars' slacker days: No more sitting idle for hours in parking lots or garages racking up payments, but instead earning their keep by providing power to the electricity grid.
Tracking the reasons many girls avoid science and math
Most parents and many teachers believe that if middle-school and high-school girls show no interest in science or math, there's little anyone can do about it. New research by a team that includes vocational psychologists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) indicates that the self-confidence instilled by parents and teachers is more important for young girls learning math and science than their initial interest.
Researchers Study Facial Structures, Brain Abnormalities to Reveal Formula for Earlier Detection of Autism
(PhysOrg.com) -- Recently, Harvard researchers reported that children with autism have a wide range of genetic defects, making it nearly impossible to develop a simple genetic test to identify the disorder.
New Device Shines Light on Disease-Causing Molecules
If a doctor could identify a single molecule indicating the presence of a disease before the disease has a chance to harm the patient, the practice of medicine and the health of patients would be greatly improved. That’s the potential of a new device being developed by a University of Missouri engineer that is designed to aid in the diagnosis of disease. This technique, which is based on light detection, is sensitive enough to potentially identify a single disease molecule.
Researchers bring new meaning to the term 'computer bug'
US researchers have created ‘living computers’ by genetically altering bacteria. The findings of the research, published in BioMed Central’s open access
Journal of Biological Engineering, demonstrate that computing in living cells is feasible, opening the door to a number of applications including data storage and as a tool for manipulating genes for genetic engineering.
Rainfall and river networks prove accurate predictors of fish biodiversity
Princeton researchers have invented a method for turning simple data about rainfall and river networks into accurate assessments of fish biodiversity, allowing better prediction of the effects of climate change and the ecological impact of man-made structures like dams.
Too much nanotechnology may be killing beneficial bacteria
Too much of a good thing could be harmful to the environment. For years, scientists have known about silver’s ability to kill harmful bacteria and, recently, have used this knowledge to create consumer products containing silver nanoparticles. Now, a University of Missouri researcher has found that silver nanoparticles also may destroy benign bacteria that are used to remove ammonia from wastewater treatment systems.