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A continuous time average cost flexible manufacturing and operator scheduling model solved by deconvexificiation over time

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5667956
A continuous time flexible manufacturing and operator scheduling problem is introduced and solved. The principal concern is with scheduling operators over time to various activities of a manufacturing system with the purpose of optimizing some steady state criterion. In mathematical terms the problem is modeled as a deterministic, infinite horizon, continuous time discrete dynamic program. Our solution procedure is to convexify the problem to obtain a linear program and then, to deconvexify the solution of the linear program over time to arrive at an optimal solution which is periodic and piecewise-constant. Apparent loss in object value due to the deconvexifications is circumvented with buffer inventories. The procedure can be reduced to solving a sequence of linear programs and the complexity can be stated in these terms. 5 refs.
Research Organization:
Stanford Univ., CA (USA). Systems Optimization Lab.
DOE Contract Number:
FG03-87ER25028
OSTI ID:
5667956
Report Number(s):
SOL-87-16; ON: DE88005691
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English