| In this thesis, a methodology for incorporating disassemblability into life-cycle design for Material Recovery Opportunities (MRO) is presented. Disassemblability is defined as the ability to optimize the design and disassembly process for removal of specific parts or materials in a manner which will simultaneously minimize costs and maximize the material value to be reclaimed. MRO are defined as an opportunity to reclaim post-consumer products for recycling, remanufacturing and re-use. This methodology has been developed to identify and assess cost-effective characteristics of disassembly for the recovery of products. Four levels of analysis are introduced: (1) economic analysis, (2) optimal disassembly sequence generation, (3) disassembly optimization, and (4) design for disassembly. Three economic indices are presented to evaluate the trade-off between reclamation and disposal of individual components using a disassembly tree. A systematic procedure for generating an optimal disassembly sequence based on maximizing the economics of material recovery is presented. Five criteria are established to reduce the search space and facilitate material recovery opportunities: (1) material compatibility, (2) clustering for disposal, (3) concurrent disassembly operations, (4) maximizing yield, and (5) clustering for maximum reclamation value. Employing disassemblability into life-cycle design will reduce environmental impacts over the life-cycle and facilitate economic material recovery. The methodology has been tested and developed by collaborating with Laidlaw's Disassembly Plant in Hamilton, Ontario. |
