Practical Testing and Evaluation of Plastics

“Plastics Additives and Testing” is a practical book for engineers and operators and discusses both inorganic and organic chemicals that are widely used as additives in plastics processing operations. It is common practice today to use analytical techniques to improve plastics processing. Because it is critically important to manufacture quality products, a reasonable balance must be drawn between control requirements and parameters for improved processing method with respect to plastics additives. This book serves to implement this balance in the manufacturing line. Written by a successful, international consultant with an excellent publishing track record, it combines plastics additives, testing and quality control and is a valuable and critical book for engineers and operators to have when performing their tasks.

Written in easy-to-read and -use format, this book updates and revises its bestselling predecessor to become the most complete, comprehensive resource on plastics testing. This book has an emphasis on significance of test methods and interpretation of results. The book covers all aspects of plastics testing, failure analysis, and quality assurance – including chapters on identification analysis, failure analysis, and case studies. The book concludes with a substantial appendix with useful data, charts and tables for ready reference. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Written in easy-to-read and -use format, this book provides a strong training resource and reference for product designers using plastics in their products – helping them identify, quantify, and confirm whether problems are related to product design or process.

• Updates coverage of data analysis techniques and examples and expands coverage of failure analysis, key because of increased litigation related to product liability
• Overviews plastic testing methods and the framework to investigate causes of plastic part failure
• Provides a strong training resource and reference for product designers using plastics in their products
• Features a video tour of a plastics testing labroatory on a companion website and has a separate manual of problems and solutions that are appropriate for college professors using the book as a class textbook

The leading program evaluation reference, updated with the latest tools and techniques The Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation provides tools for managers and evaluators to address questions about the performance of public and nonprofit programs. Neatly integrating authoritative, high-level information with practicality and readability, this guide gives you the tools and processes you need to analyze your program's operations and outcomes more accurately. This new fourth edition has been thoroughly updated and revised, with new coverage of the latest evaluation methods, including: Culturally responsive evaluation Adopting designs and tools to evaluate multi-service community change programs Using role playing to collect data Using cognitive interviewing to pre-test surveys Coding qualitative data You'll discover robust analysis methods that produce a more accurate picture of program results, and learn how to trace causality back to the source to see how much of the outcome can be directly attributed to the program. Written by award-winning experts at the top of the field, this book also contains contributions from the leading evaluation authorities among academics and practitioners to provide the most comprehensive, up-to-date reference on the topic. Valid and reliable data constitute the bedrock of accurate analysis, and since funding relies more heavily on program analysis than ever before, you cannot afford to rely on weak or outdated methods. This book gives you expert insight and leading edge tools that help you paint a more accurate picture of your program's processes and results, including: Obtaining valid, reliable, and credible performance data Engaging and working with stakeholders to design valuable evaluations and performance monitoring systems Assessing program outcomes and tracing desired outcomes to program activities Providing robust analyses of both quantitative and qualitative data Governmental bodies, foundations, individual donors, and other funding bodies are increasingly demanding information on the use of program funds and program results. The Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation shows you how to collect and present valid and reliable data about programs.

This book explains how the performance of modern cellular wireless networks can be evaluated by measurements and simulations With the roll-out of LTE, high data throughput is promised to be available to cellular users. In case you have ever wondered how high this throughput really is, this book is the right read for you: At first, it presents results from experimental research and simulations of the physical layer of HSDPA, WiMAX, and LTE. Next, it explains in detail how measurements on such systems need to be performed in order to achieve reproducible and repeatable results. The book further addresses how wireless links can be evaluated by means of standard-compliant link-level simulation. The major challenge in this context is their complexity when investigating complete wireless cellular networks. Consequently, it is shown how system-level simulators with a higher abstraction level can be designed such that their results still match link-level simulations. Exemplarily, the book finally presents optimizations of wireless systems over several cells. This book: Explains how the performance of modern cellular wireless networks can be evaluated by measurements and simulations Discusses the concept of testbeds, highlighting the challenges and expectations when building them Explains measurement techniques, including the evaluation of the measurement quality by statistical inference techniques Presents throughput results for HSDPA, WiMAX, and LTE Demonstrates simulators at both, link- level and system-level Provides system-level and link-level simulators (for WiMAX and LTE) on an accompanying website (https://www.nt.tuwien.ac.at/downloads/featured-downloads) This book is an insightful guide for researchers and engineers working in the field of mobile radio communication as well as network planning. Advanced students studying related courses will also find the book interesting.

A newly expanded and updated edition of the trading classic, Design, Testing, and Optimization of Trading Systems Trading systems expert Robert Pardo is back, and in The Evaluation and Optimization of Trading Strategies, a thoroughly revised and updated edition of his classic text Design, Testing, and Optimization of Trading Systems, he reveals how he has perfected the programming and testing of trading systems using a successful battery of his own time-proven techniques. With this book, Pardo delivers important information to readers, from the design of workable trading strategies to measuring issues like profit and risk. Written in a straightforward and accessible style, this detailed guide presents traders with a way to develop and verify their trading strategy no matter what form they are currently using–stochastics, moving averages, chart patterns, RSI, or breakout methods. Whether a trader is seeking to enhance their profit or just getting started in testing, The Evaluation and Optimization of Trading Strategies offers practical instruction and expert advice on the development, evaluation, and application of winning mechanical trading systems.

The Basics of Troubleshooting in Plastics Processing is a condensed practical guide that gives the reader a broad introduction to properties of thermoplastics plastics, additives, the major processes (extrusion, injection molding, rotational molding, blow molding, and thermoforming), as well as troubleshooting. The main goal is to provide the plastics processor with an improved understanding of the basics by explaining the science behind the technology. Machine details are minimized as the emphasis is on processing problems and the defects in an effort to focus on basic root causes to problems and how to solve them. The book’s framework is troubleshooting in plastics processing because of the importance it has to the eventual production of high quality end products. Each chapter contains both practical and detailed technical information. This basic guide provides state-of-the-art information on: Processing problems and defects during manufacturing Plastics materials, their properties and characterization The plastics processing techniques Plastics additives Troubleshooting of the 5 main plastics processes References for further reading

The only singular, all-encompassing textbook on state-of-the-art technical performance evaluation Fundamentals of Performance Evaluation of Computer and Telecommunication Systems uniquely presents all techniques of performance evaluation of computers systems, communication networks, and telecommunications in a balanced manner. Written by the renowned Professor Mohammad S. Obaidat and his coauthor Professor Noureddine Boudriga, it is also the only resource to treat computer and telecommunication systems as inseparable issues. The authors explain the basic concepts of performance evaluation, applications, performance evaluation metrics, workload types, benchmarking, and characterization of workload. This is followed by a review of the basics of probability theory, and then, the main techniques for performance evaluation—namely measurement, simulation, and analytic modeling—with case studies and examples. Contains the practical and applicable knowledge necessary for a successful performance evaluation in a balanced approach Reviews measurement tools, benchmark programs, design of experiments, traffic models, basics of queueing theory, and operational and mean value analysis Covers the techniques for validation and verification of simulation as well as random number generation, random variate generation, and testing with examples Features numerous examples and case studies, as well as exercises and problems for use as homework or programming assignments Fundamentals of Performance Evaluation of Computer and Telecommunication Systems is an ideal textbook for graduate students in computer science, electrical engineering, computer engineering, and information sciences, technology, and systems. It is also an excellent reference for practicing engineers and scientists.