JOURNAL OF THE FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE OF GAZI UNIVERSITY, no.1, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to optimize the flow of expired ammunition from military units to depots, andfrom depots to the recycling facility. It develops a scientific approach to the storage of ammunition in places that will ensure minimum damage to the environment and human health, by determining facility capacityand assigning units to depots. Theory and Methods:The problem of reverse logistics from units to depots, from depots to recycling facility is addressed. An analytical approach has been developed for capacity determination of the dismantling lines in the recycle facility. According to the criteria determined by literature review, various researches and expert opinions, the Geographical Information System (GIS) was used to pin the candidate locations. A mathematical model was developed for the candidate depot locations identified by the GIS to minimize total cost, to determine how many of each type of depot should be built, the assignment of units to depots, and which depot will feed the recycle facility in each period. Results:This study covers the cases where expired ammunition are transferred to depots from military units. Each military unit has a single assigned collection depot whereas each depot can serve multiple military units. The transportation cost of transferring ammunition from and to depots has been calculated per each ammunition. Various scenarios with different numbers of depots and military units have been generated starting from small, simple cases to more larger and complex problems. 9 different problems with combinations of 1,2 or 3 depots and ammunition levels that can be met by the depots, or larger than the depot capacity, or lowerthan the depot capacity have been criticized. Afterwards, the problem has been expanded to 7 main depots and 16 military units with 24 nods. As a result, with the developed model we are able to identify at each period how much and which type of ammunition will be transferred to each depot from which military units; from the candidate depot locations which ones are the optimum; and which military units should be assigned to each depot. Conclusion: As a result of this study, a cost-effective scientific approach for reverse logistics of ammunition has been developed, that is reducing the number of depots to enable more effective and efficient operation, while matching the explosive substance storage location criteria, and carrying less risk to the environment andhuman.