The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the suitability of ceramic waste as a filler material in Semi-Dense Bituminous Concrete. A bituminous concrete mixes with ceramic dust and hydrated lime were prepared in different proportions (3% and 5%) as filler. The amount of optimum binder content was determined by Marshall Stability test for samples. The mechanical performance was determined for Marshall Stability, deformation behavior or flow, as well as for density and void characteristics base on prevailing Indian standards specifications. Results show that the stability values and other parameters of samples containing ceramic wastes are improved in comparison to conventional mineral filler. The benefits of using ceramic waste in bituminous concrete mixture as mineral filler (3-5%) are therefore recommended. The replacement of conventional filler like lime and other mineral in bituminous concrete by ceramic wastes will have major environmental benefits.

The strategic design and operation of outbound logistics network in an automotive manufacturing supply chain is directly related with the competitive strategy adopted by the firm. We discuss here an outbound logistics network model with four echelons and flexible delivery modes by incorporating cross-dock facility in the network. The paper aims to achieve a minimum total logistics cost for flexible delivery modes adopted in the network. The mathematical model is formulated as a mixed integer programming model and solved by using a hybrid algorithm named co-evolutionary immune-particle swarm optimization with penetrated hyper-mutation (COIPSO-PHM). The proposed model is combinatorial in nature owing to varying problem instances. The proposed solution methodology is tested on a sample data set mimicking the real life situation and the results are found to be satisfactory.

Reverse logistics (RL), which refers to the distribution activities involved in product returns, has recently received much attention because many companies are using it as a strategic tool to serve their customers and can generate good revenue. An efficient reverse distribution structure may lead to a significant return on investment as well as a significantly increased competitiveness in the market. Therefore, analysis of the interaction among the major barriers, which hinder or prevent the application of reverse logistics, is a crucial issue. Existing models have focused on diagnosing these barriers independently. As a result, the holistic view in understanding the barriers is not accounted for. This paper utilizes the Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) methodology to understand the mutual influences among the barriers so that those driving barriers, which can aggravate few more barriers and those independent barriers, which are most influenced by driving barriers, are identified.