Abstract:This paper is devoted to a study of the numerical solution of the thermoelastic model describing the contact problem between the body and a rigid foundation that is thermally conducting. The linear thermoelastic constitutive law describes the behavior of the material. The contact is frictionless and described with Signorini’s condition and a thermal contact condition when the heat exchange coefficient depends on the contact pressure. We aim to present a detailed description of the numerical modeling of the problem. on this end, we use a penalty method to approximate the constraints. Finally, we provide numerical simulations to study a two-dimensional example and compare the penalty problem with the Lagrangian one.

Abstract:Poultry farms in Ghana are experiencing a decline, and some are at risk of collapsing due to the high cost of poultry feed. The aim of this paper is to assist poultry farmers in increasing their profits by reducing the cost of poultry feed. The linear programming technique is implemented to utilize locally available feed ingredients to formulate layer feed mix for the various stages of poultry growth, which includes chick mash (starter), grower, and prelayer. Mathematical models are constructed based on the nutrient requirements of the layers, nutrient composition of the available ingredients, and any other restrictions on the available ingredients for the formulation. Seven decision variables and eleven constraints are identified. Compared to the existing practice, it is estimated that the LP model’s optimal solution can reduce feed formulation costs by approximately 30%, 19%, and 14% in chick mash, grower, and prelayer, respectively.