Life Cycle Cost (life + cycle_cost)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Vorgehensmodell zur Abbildung und Analyse des Lebenszykluserfolges von Werkstoffen , Konzeption und beispielhafte Veranschaulichung.

MATERIALWISSENSCHAFT UND WERKSTOFFTECHNIK, Issue 6 2010
Modeling approach for the life cycle profit of materials, case study, conceptual design
Life Cycle Costs; Life Cycle Profit; Modeling Approach; Cost Management Abstract Eine langfristig erfolgreiche Entwicklung, Herstellung und Verwendung von (neuen) Werkstoffen setzt voraus, dass die daran beteiligten, auf wirtschaftlichen Erfolg angewiesenen Unternehmen mit diesen Werkstoffen einen positiven monetären Lebenszykluserfolg erzielen. Die Ermittlung eines solchen Lebenszykluserfolgs ist allerdings eine komplexe Aufgabenstellung, wird dieser doch durch eine Vielzahl verschiedenartiger unternehmensexterner und -interner Größen beeinflusst. Gerade bei derartigen komplexen Problemstellungen bietet es sich an, Vorgehensmodelle für eine systematische und strukturierte Problemanalyse und -zerlegung sowie die darauf basierende Bildung und Auswertung von monetären Lebenszyklusmodellen zu nutzen. Im vorliegenden Beitrag soll daher ein Vorgehensmodell zur Ermittlung und Analyse des Lebenszykluserfolgs von Werkstoffen zunächst konzipiert und anschließend anhand eines Fallbeispiels veranschaulicht werden. Long-term successful development, production and use of (new) materials presuppose that involved companies achieve a positive monetary life cycle benefit with these materials. However, the appraisal of this life cycle profit is a demanding task, since the profit is influenced by a huge number of different internal and external variables. Especially in case of such complex problems procedure models can support the systematic and structured analysis and decomposition of the problems as well as the creation and evaluation of monetary life cycle models basing on that. Therefore, this paper offers a suitable modeling approach for the life cycle profit of materials, which is illustrated by a case study. [source]


The Effect of Life Cycle Cost Information on Consumer Investment Decisions Regarding Eco-Innovation

JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
Josef Kaenzig
Summary Life cycle cost (LCC) computations are a well-established instrument for the evaluation of intertemporal choices in organizations, but they have not been widely adopted by private consumers yet. Consumer investment decisions for products and services with higher initial costs and lower operating costs are potentially subject to numerous cognitive biases, such as present-biased preferences or framing effects. This article suggests a classification for categorizing different cost profiles for eco-innovation and a conceptual model for the influence of LCC information on consumer decisions regarding eco-innovation. It derives hypotheses on the decision-making process for eco-innovation from a theoretical perspective. To verify the hypotheses, the publication reviews empirical studies evaluating the effects of LCC information on consumer investment decisions. It can be concluded that rather than finding ways to make customers pay more for environmentally sound products, the marketing challenge for eco-innovation should be reconceptualized as one of lowering customers' perceived initial cost and increasing awareness of LCC. Most existing studies report a positive effect of LCC information on the purchase likelihood of eco-innovations. Disclosing LCC information provides an important base for long-term thinking on the individual, corporate, and policy levels. [source]


Optimal seismic design of steel frame buildings based on life cycle cost considerations

EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 9 2003
Min Liu
Abstract A multi-objective optimization procedure is presented for designing steel moment resisting frame buildings within a performance-based seismic design framework. Life cycle costs are considered by treating the initial material costs and lifetime seismic damage costs as two separate objectives. Practical design/construction complexity, important but difficult to be included in initial cost analysis, is taken into due account by a proposed diversity index as another objective. Structural members are selected from a database of commercially available wide flange steel sections. Current seismic design criteria (AISC-LRFD seismic provisions and 1997 NEHRP provisions) are used to check the validity of any design alternative. Seismic performance, in terms of the maximum inter-storey drift ratio, of a code-verified design is evaluated using an equivalent single-degree-of-freedom system obtained through a static pushover analysis of the original multi-degree-of-freedom frame building. A simple genetic algorithm code is used to find a Pareto optimal design set. A numerical example of designing a five-storey perimeter steel frame building is provided using the proposed procedure. It is found that a wide range of valid design alternatives exists, from which a decision maker selects the one that balances different objectives in the most preferred way. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Life Cycle Cost Disclosure, Consumer Behavior, and Business Implications

JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
Evidence From an Online Field Experiment
Summary Comprehensive assessments of final consumption have identified "housing" as a major contributor to total environmental impacts. Within this category, electrical-energy-using products are important. Do consumers opt for more energy-efficient household appliances if they are provided with life cycle cost (LCC),that is, the sum of purchase price and operating cost estimated over the life span of the appliance? And what consequences does LCC disclosure have for business? Physical energy figures shown on appliance labels may be cognitively demanding for consumers, whereas monetary information promises to simplify the decision problem. Despite the rising interest in monetary cost disclosure, its effectiveness relative to physical cost disclosure has not been rigorously evaluated. This research approached the question of effectiveness with an online field experiment for washing machines. Customers of a commercially operating online shop were randomly assigned to two groups. The control group was provided with regular product price information; the treatment group received additional LCC information. A total of 2,065 clicks were recorded and analyzed with multiple regression that controlled for several product characteristics. The evidence suggests that LCC disclosure decreases the mean specific energy use of chosen washing machines by 0.8% (p < 0.01) and their mean specific water use by 0.7% (p < 0.05). As to business implications, LCC disclosure had no effect on the indicator of retail volume, which makes it unattractive for retailers to provide LCC on their own initiative. [source]


Determinants of software volatility: a field study

JOURNAL OF SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE AND EVOLUTION: RESEARCH AND PRACTICE, Issue 3 2003
Xiaoni Zhang
Abstract Although technology advances have provided new tools for maintaining software, maintenance costs remain the largest component of software life cycle cost. A basic factor claimed to be one of the driving factors in the cost of maintenance is software volatility. The objective of this research is to investigate the relationship between certain software attributes and software volatility. In this study, software volatility refers to the frequency or number of enhancements per unit of application over a specified time normalized. However, this metric is divided by the number of source lines of code (SLOC) to obtain a measure that takes into account the size of the software application. The research model is built on previous research concerning software volatility. Three factors are examined to determine their influence on software volatility normalized for SLOC: age, software complexity, and software complexity normalized for SLOC. In addition, we introduce the notion that mean time between software enhancements moderates the relationship of age, complexity, and complexity normalized for SLOC with software volatility. A field study at a major corporation allowed for the collection of data from a 13-year-time period. These data are used to empirically test the hypotheses presented in this study. As a moderator variable, mean time between enhancements significantly contributes to the explanatory power of a prediction model for software volatility adjusted for SLOC. Software administrators may wish to use the proposed model in their decision-making plans to control for software costs. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Prototype Demonstration of a Stern Embarkation Platform for the AOE 6 Class: A Navy/Industry Partnership

NAVAL ENGINEERS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2000
S. Grasso
ABSTRACT The US Navy is striving to reduce total ownership costs of the Fleet The operational and safety issues associated with several cases of loss or damage to AOE 6 class accommodation ladders, provided the opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of a Government-Industry partnership and the application of proven commercial technology in reducing manpower requirements and life cycle cost, while maintaining mission capabilities of an existing U.S. Navy replenishment ship. [source]


Comparison of Two Evolutionary Algorithms for Optimization of Bridge Deck Repairs

COMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 8 2006
Hatem Elbehairy
These decisions, however, represent complex optimization problems that traditional optimization techniques are often unable to solve. This article introduces an integrated model for bridge deck repairs with detailed life cycle costs of network-level and project-level decisions. Two evolutionary-based optimization techniques that are capable of handling large-size problems, namely Genetic Algorithms and Shuffled Frog Leaping, are then applied on the model to optimize maintenance and repair decisions. Results of both techniques are compared on case study problems with different numbers of bridges. Based on the results, the benefits of the bridge deck management system are illustrated along with various strategies to improve optimization performance. [source]


Risk Management in Total System Ship Design

NAVAL ENGINEERS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2000
C. F. Barker P.E.
ABSTRACT Ships are being designed with an increased emphasis on reduced life cycle costs, obtained through means such as reduced crew size, increased automation, and adoption of commercial practices. Ship cost is closely related to the likelihood and consequence of future events, or risk. Ship designers must have tools to assess and manage risks to obtain cost-effective designs. Risk assumptions were built into prescriptive standards, but performance standards are now being used. Ships systems built to varying degrees of acceptable risk are not cost-effective. Underdesigns and overdesigns will result, and the ship ends up only as strong as its "weakest link." The authors propose that the top-down risk management methodology that is currently used for commercial ships be considered for use by naval ship designers in conjunction with both the traditional ship design spiral and the total systems ship design concept. The IMO-endorsed formal safety assessment (FSA) methodology was designed for marine systems. By adopting the FSA approach the Navy will benefit from existing lessons-learned, and will have a smoother transition into the application of commercial standards when the ship is built. [source]


Nutzungskosten: DIN 18960-2008 , Leistungsfähige Grundlage für die zielorientierte Planung der Lebenszykluskosten

BAUTECHNIK, Issue 7 2008
Udo Blecken em.
Die DIN 18960 , Nutzungskosten im Hochbau , ist in überarbeiteter Form im Februar 2008 herausgegeben worden. Sie ist durch Ergänzungen zu einem vollumfänglichen Controllingkonzept (Nutzungskostenvorgabe, -ermittlung, -kontrolle und -steuerung) weiterentwickelt worden, die dem Bauherrn eine kostengesicherte Nutzungskostenplanung ermöglicht. Mit dieser Norm liegt nun eine ökonomisch und ökologisch wichtige Grundlage für den Planungsprozess vor. Im Folgenden sollen die Neuerungen der Norm 18960 beschrieben, die angrenzenden Normen und wichtigen Merkmale erläutert, das Controllingkonzept inkl. eines Berechnungsbeispiels unter Einschluss von Risikoüberlegungen dargestellt und Planungsvertragsfragen besprochen werden. User costs of buildings DIN 18960 , a performance basis for planning of life cycle costs. An updated version of the DIN 18960 , user costs of buildings , has been published in February 2008. The norm has been further developed with supplements to a comprehensive controlling concept (usage cost estimate, usage cost calculation, usage cost monitoring and usage cost management), which provides the builder with the tools to plan the usage costs in a cost-controlled manner. This norm, furthermore, provides an economically and ecologically important basis for the planning process. The new aspects of the DIN 18960 are outlined, the related norms and important features are explained, the controlling concept including a calculation example that considers risk factors is described and questions regarding planning contracts are discussed. [source]