Research and Projects

Physics-Informed Detection of Product-Oriented Attacks in Smart Manufacturing Systems

[works related to this project received an NSF Student Travel Award to attend the 50th NAMRI/SME North American Manufacturing Research Conference (NAMRC 50) at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana]

Production processes are controlled by the laws of physics, and therefore, malicious alterations of products and/or processes intended by cyber-attacks are manifested as anomalous changes in process dynamics. Hence, monitoring physical process variables such as vibration and power consumption (known as side channels in cybersecurity literature) can provide a physical-domain defense layer to detect such attacks. Focusing on product-oriented attacks, I proposed a method to connect product and process designs, and in situ monitoring to identify the physical manifestations of these attacks. The proposed approach can verify the geometric integrity of a machined part by observing cutting power signals during machining. First, I utilized the process and product knowledge to segment the power signal into the cutting cycles corresponding to specific geometrical features and extract process-related information accordingly. This work primarily focuses on extracting machining times for individual geometric features in parts. Next, I used the extracted information to construct quality control charts to use in detecting geometric integrity deviations of machined parts. Finally, I demonstrated the proposed method using a case study of cyber-physical attacks on machining processes aiming to tamper with different product's dimensional and geometrical features.

Process chain for subtractive manufacturing with potential nodes for cyber to physical attacks

Outline of the proposed approach for attack detection in machining.

Relevant Publications.

Rahman, M. H., & Shafae, M. (2022). Physics-based detection of cyber-attacks in manufacturing systems: A machining case study. Journal of Manufacturing Systems, 64, 676-683.

Defense-in-Depth Driven Vulnerability Assessment Framework for Cyber-Physical Manufacturing Systems

Created a Defense-in-Depth (DiD) security model for cyber-physical manufacturing systems
Developed a DiD driven framework to identify and mitigate cybersecurity vulnerabilities
Surveyed manufacturing vulnerabilities and respective countermeasures systematically

Structured Classification Scheme of Attacks in Cyber-Physical Manufacturing Systems

Developed a new cyber-physical attack taxonomy to systematically understand and categorize attack types, key design elements of potential attacks, and respective defenses
Presented different use-cases for both specific attack analysis and attack information sharing

Investigating The Printability of Hydrogel-Based Lunar Regolith Pastes

[works related to this project won the 1st prize in the 2020 AIAA ASCEND Propel Pitch Competition at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) ASCEND conference, organized by Lockheed Martin; 1st prize in the GradSlamXSIE 2020, organized by the Department of Systems and Industrial Engineering at the University of Arizona; and received the Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC) Travel Grant to attend the IISE Annual Meeting 2022 in Seattle, WA.]

Designed a hydrogel-based lunar regolith paste as a feedstock for in-space additive manufacturing and construction
Identified the processability region for the designed material and evaluated the effects of critical printing parameters on the print quality using an experimental design approach
Demonstrated the printability of the developed materials by successfully printing several functional parts and structural elements with varying geometries

Use of Standards to Fight Against Pandemics and Improve Future Preparedness

[works related to this project won the 1st prize in the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Student Paper Competition]

The medical community encountered enormous challenges during COVID-19, including facing significant shortages of emergency medical supplies such as nasal swabs and personal protective equipment that are critical for testing and treating patients. When COVID-19 shattered the global manufacturing supply chain, and hospitals and caregivers were overwhelmed, many turned to additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, for rapid development and mass production of critical medical products. Designs of these conventionally fabricated products were revised on an ad-hoc basis to suit the additive manufacturing requirements. The crisis-response additive manufacturing efforts helped us to tackle disruptions in manufacturing supply chains and transportation. However, many of these efforts faced challenges from a lack of standard approaches in the selection of design, material, process, and equipment. Appropriate use of the existing standards and development of some missing additive manufacturing-specific standards can enable us to exploit the full potential of additive manufacturing in tackling future production needs during emergencies. These standards include product and material specifications, performance requirements, design, process selection, quality control, and testing and evaluation of final products. We can transform the lessons we have learned with the shortages of medical supplies during COVID-19 into better preparedness for future pandemics. In this work, we investigated how standards can enable the agile production of emergency medical supplies using additive manufacturing. We also identified some available standards that can be leveraged in designing, producing, and evaluating medical products. Finally, we recommended some additional standards for AM to ensure secure and responsive manufacturing operations, assure product quality and performance, and support rapid production of on-demand medical supplies for future pandemics.

Relevant Publications.

Bushra, J., & Rahman, M. H., How Standards Can Facilitate the Global Fight against Pandemics and Improve Preparedness. American National Standards Institute.

Disruption Mitigation in Manufacturing Supply Chains

Effective response and recovery from disruptions are vital to achieving the supply chain objectives. This study aims to formulate a quantitative model for mitigating disruptions in a supply chain. A (Q, r) model was developed for manufacturers utilizing the renewal reward theory, to mitigate and respond to supply chain disruptions. This study suggests an optimal order quantity and a reordering point so that the average cost per cycle gets minimized. The proposed framework incorporated system reliability and quality issues in inventory models and performed a sensitivity analysis on the inventory cost.

Relevant Publications.

Rahman, M. H., Rifat, M., Azeem, A., & Ali, S. M. (2018). A quantitative model for disruptions mitigation in a supply chain considering random capacities and disruptions at supplier and retailer. International Journal of Management Science and Engineering Management, 13(4), 265-273.

Designing a multipurpose wrench

[works related to this project won the 3rd prize in the Print the Future Competition, organized by the Enterprise in Space Program of the National Space Society]

Designed a multifunctional tool to be additively manufactured and used in the International Space Station
Optimized the design to achieve better print quality

Regenerative Braking System on a Bicycle

Manufactured a disk brake system using turning, drilling, and cut-off operations
Designed the braking system of a bicycle that produces energy when the brake is applied to charge an attached battery-the stored energy can be reused in the bicycle

Universal Accessibility in Public Transport

[works related to this project was a semifinalist in the ‘Wheel Chair Designing Competition’, organized by the Engineering Students Association of Bangladesh (ESAB)]

Designed a foldable lifting system that can be attached to public transport (e.g., buses) in Bangladesh-this attachment enabled disabled persons to enter the vehicle independently