Optimization of Maintenance & Replacement Policies for a System of Heterogeneous Infrastructure ...

METRANS Seminar: "Optimization of Maintenance and Replacement Policies for a System of Heterogeneous Infrastructure Facilities"Speaker: Dr. Samer Madanat, Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS), University of California, BerkeleyABSTRACT: This research addresses the determination of optimal maintenance and replacement policies for a system of heterogeneous facilities. The problem of optimizing maintenance and replacement policies at the system level is formulated in a reliability-based framework, based on policies that are optimal at the facility level. The facility-level policies are determined using a finite-state, finite horizon Markov decision process in which the state of the Markov chain contains information on the history of maintenance and deterioration.Optimality conditions for the continuous-case system-level problem are derived and explained intuitively. A numerical study shows that the results obtained in the discrete-case implementation of the solution are valid approximations of the continuous-case results. The computational efficiency of the system-level solution makes the formulation suitable for systems of realistic sizes.******Bio: Dr. Samer Madanat is the Xenel Distinguished Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, and the Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California at Berkeley. He received a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the University of Jordan in 1986, and a M.S and Ph.D. in Transportation Systems from MIT in 1988 and 1991 respectively.His research and teaching interests are in the area of Transportation Infrastructure Management, with an emphasis on modeling facility performance and the development of optimal management policies under uncertainty. He has published extensively in refereed archival journals and conference proceedings.In 2000, he received the Science and Technology grant from the University of California Office of the President, an award given annually to one faculty member in the UC system. Since 2001, he has served as the Editor-in-Chief of the ASCE Journal of Infrastructure Systems. Several of his former students are faculty members at universities in the US and abroad.The seminar will be on Wednesday, April 25, 2007, at RGL 215, 12:00 Noon to 1:30 pm.Contact: Genevieve Giuliano, Sr. Assoc. Dean, Research and Technology, Director, METRANS Transportation Center, School of Policy, Planning and Development, 650 Childs Way, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0626, p 213-740-3956, f 231-740-0001.

Location: Ralph And Goldy Lewis Hall (RGL) - 215

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Georgia Lum