(An) analysis for the number of aisles served by one stacker crane in automated warehouse systems

Abstract

This thesis studies a design aspect of Automated Warehouse System which is characterized by Storage/Retrieval (S/R) machines and palletized loads. It is assumed that more than one aisle is served by an S/R machine. This study proposes a way to determine simultaneously the height, length, and the number of the aisles such that the total expected travel time of the S/R machine is minimized. Also, the effects of the Acceleration/Deceleration (A/D) are studied on the design of the AS/RS. For the model developed, the computer program is made to find an optimal design by using the numerical procedure. And sensitivities of several system parameters are investigated on the expected travel time. The results indicates that the decision variables of this study converge to the steady state as A/D values becoming large.