Committee Chair

Kazemersky, Phil

Department

Dept. of Engineering

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

This research develops a mathematical model based on linear programming techniques to evaluate the feasibility of developing an intermodal transportation facility in Chattanooga. Transportation resources in and around Chattanooga were studied, and the opportunities available for developing business by a transportation facility are analyzed. Large quantities of goods are shipped in and out of Chattanooga by trucks in either trailers or containers. In order to transfer goods in container or trailer from one mode of transportation to another, specific handling equipment is needed. Mobile cranes present in some transportation terminals in Chattanooga can transfer goods in small units only, but transferring cargo in whole a unit such as a container or a trailer from one mode to another requires heavy handling equipment such as a gantry crane. An intermodal facility is one which handles transfer of goods from one mode to the other. Another problem in the region is the lack of a facility to store bulk quantities of goods and to do debulking into smaller units which could then be distributed to different places is not present in Chattanooga. This research is intended to evaluate the feasibility of developing such facilities. Different levels of requirements for such a facility such as a ramp, triple crown, bulk transfer, container storage depot, distribution center, handling facility and depot, and bulk to packaging are discussed. Data collected from various sources for river shipments and rail shipments are also presented and analyzed. Also an intermodal facility in Hunstville, a river terminal in Chattanooga, Shaw industries in Dalton, Department of Transportation of Georgia, UTK Transportation center, and Norfolk Southern rail yard in Chattanooga were visited and the information gathered from these places are also presented. These data and information help to understand the resources available regarding transportation, various steps involved in development of an intermodal facility, operation of a intermodal facility, and also the necessity of a facility. The siting requirements for designing a facility and also a potential site are also discussed. A layout for the facility with respect to Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant site is designed and the infrastructures in the layout are analyzed including the capacities of the facility, construction and operating costs, and equipment costs. To obtain an evaluation of the feasibility of a facility and to understand the functions of the different elements in the facility, a linear programming model which characterizes the operations and activities of the facility is developed. The objective of the model is to optimize the flow in the facility and to maximize the profit to the facility. The different constraints involved in the model and the constraint equations are presented. Also in order to utilize the LP model, and to understand the behavior of the model for different situations, seven different cases were run for the LP model. The results obtained from these cases were analyzed and certain conclusions were reached. Recommendations were made for further work using the LP model.

Acknowledgments

I would like to express my gratitude to my advisor Dr. Philip Kazemersky for his support and guidance in this research and also throughout my studies. I am also extremely grateful to my graduate committee members, Dr. Greg Sedrick, Dr. Ed McMahon, and Dr. James Cunningham for their encouragement, support, and guidance. I would like to thank all the professors who have helped in my academic development. I would like to express my deep gratitude to my parents, brothers, and my uncle whose encouragement, blessings, best wishes made all the difference. I would also like to thank my friends for their support and encouragement.

Degree

M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science.

Date

5-1997

Subject

Transportation engineering--Tennessee--Chattanooga

Discipline

Industrial Engineering

Document Type

Masters theses

DCMI Type

Text

Extent

x, 116 leaves

Language

English

Call Number

LB2369.2 .A87 1997

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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