CADET: A software support tool for constraint processes in embodiment design

For the last two decades there has been an attempt to put more design in computer-aided design (CAD) through improving CAD for conceptual design, embodiment design, design for manufacturing, and design for environment. This article presents computational methods for supporting constraint specification and satisfaction in mechanical embodiment design. The methods were tested and their feasibility verified through the implementation of the prototype software support tool, CADET (computer-aided-design embodiment tool). CADET is capable of rapidly specifying and satisfying large sets of algebraic design constraints. This article describes the product model developed to maintain design information and describes the use of generic component libraries to automate the specification of design constraints. In addition, adaptive search algorithms to find feasible designs to satisfy the imposed constraints are presented.     

Effective visualisation of design versions: visual storytelling for design reuse

Improving and supporting the process of design knowledge reuse can increase productivity, improve the quality of designs and lead to corporate competitive advantage. Whereas internal knowledge reuse (reusing knowledge from one’s personal memory or experiences) is very effective, external knowledge reuse (reusing knowledge from an external digital or paper archive) often fails. This paper studies the value of the storytelling paradigm in supporting reuse from an external repository. Based on a formalisation of the internal reuse process from ethnographic studies, a prototype system, Corporate Memory (CoMem) is presented, which supports the reuse process, specifically the steps of finding and understanding reusable items. This paper focuses on the ability of designers to understand designs that are found in corporate repositories. It is argued that in order to understand and reuse a found design, the designer needs to see the evolution of that design during the original design process. An Evolution History Explorer module of the CoMem system is presented that uses a storytelling metaphor and lays out versions visually side-by-side. A formal user evaluation of CoMem supports the hypotheses that (1) exploring the evolution of a design improves the reuse process, and (2) that visual storytelling is an effective paradigm for supporting that exploration.     

Feature-based integration of conceptual and detailed mould design

The plastic production industry has been growing rapidly in recent years, and injection mould, which is especially widely used in 4C (computer, communication, consumer electronics, and car) products, is the most popular in moulding plastic. The diverse requirements of customers and pressures of just-in-time production are big challenges in the injection mould industry. The advantages, that keep products’ quality and increase work efficiency, will decide a company's competitive capabilities. Therefore, this study proposes a feature-based integration of the conceptual and detailed mould design process within the computer-aided design (CAD) tool. It adopts a feature-oriented method and the dedicated application programming interface (API) to implement the features integration function of the conceptual and detailed mould design. Based on intellectualised, customised, and standardised procedures, not only does this prevent probable engineering mistakes and generate consistent web reports, but also transmits the intact feature information from conceptual to detailed mould design, thus shortening detailed mould design processes. In the case studies of this paper, using the feature-based navigating system can result in time savings up to 56% and 59%. The results show significant time savings over traditional mould design processes.     

An ethnographic study of design knowledge reuse in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry

This paper presents an ethnographic study of knowledge reuse in the architecture/engineering/construction industry. Reuse occurs largely through social knowledge networks. Even when reuse from an external repository occurs, a human expert is needed to provide input on what to reuse and contextual information about the designs being reused. This is attributed to the effectiveness of internal knowledge reuse, the reuse of knowledge from one’s personal experiences. Internal knowledge reuse is effective because the designer can find items to reuse, and can recall the context of these items and can therefore understand them. This ethnographic study was used to develop a corporate memory, a rich, detailed repository of knowledge in context. The corporate memory will support finding and understanding. Understanding can be brought about by enabling the designer to explore the item’s context. This helps the designer to manage the tradeoff between productivity and creativity in deciding what to reuse.     

Fixture design information support for integrated design and manufacturing

Although a vast amount of research has been conducted on developing computer-aided fixture design systems, the need for information exchange between the fixture design domain and other manufacturing domains has not been thoroughly dealt with. This paper addresses this gap in fixture design research through the development of appropriate information models for computer-aided fixture design systems to support integrated design and manufacturing. A fixture design activity model is presented that relates fixture design to other design and manufacturing activities. The implementation of the information models in XML and the exchange of the information models based on an XML messaging approach are also discussed.     

Feature-based systems for the design and manufacture of sculptured products

Many products having free form of sculptured surfaces are designed by traditional methods by crafting prototypes. This requires skill. Analysis of these products often reveals that they have an established general form and are designed around a number of dominant features. A feature-based design system is proposed based on extended surfaces and blends that provides designers with considerable flexibility for feature replacement and manipulation. The implications of this approach on the rapid production of prototypes for both design appreciation and manufacturability is discussed. A range of golf clubs has been used as the example around which the methodology has been developed.     

Measuring information flow in the detailed design of construction projects

Waste in engineering design has many facets, from partial utilization of the solution space, to wasteful management of design resources, and creation of erroneous and ineffective design documents. In the detailed construction documentation design phase of construction projects with teams comprising multiple independent designers, slow and interrupted information flows lead to significant waste. Applying lean principles, such as reducing batch sizes, cycle times and work in progress inventories, to the management of information flows may improve processes and reduce waste in this phase of the design process, but the lack of a method for measuring the volume, rate and effectiveness of information flow is an obstacle to research. This study proposes measuring the flow of information in the process of detailed design where construction documents are prepared. Measures and indices of flow were formulated based on examination of empirical data compiled by monitoring flows of design information in the detailed design stage of each of fourteen construction projects. Data describing the flows was drawn from the database logs created through practitioners’ use of a project extranet service. Indices for identifying information flow bottlenecks, large batch sizes and accumulation of work in process were computed and validated for four of the projects by comparing them with the results of independent observations of design coordination meetings. An index for measuring rework was also computed but could not be validated. The indices and information flow graphs are intended to assist in identifying faults or bottlenecks in the process either as they happen or in retrospective study, indicating disruptions in the information flow. As such, they are important tools for research of engineering design and may be of practical use in design management if incorporated in future online design management tools.     

A tool for the conceptual design of production and operations systems

This paper proposes a conceptual design tool, based upon inferential design theory. It has been specifically developed for the design of production and operations systems, but its use can be extended to other engineering areas, such as mechanical and structural systems. Inferential design theory and its foundation in the inferential theory of learning are briefly outlined. Both theories are based on the idea of using specialised knowledge operators in learning and design, termed knowledge transmutations and design knowledge transmutations respectively. The 24 transmutations existing in the two theories are outlined, and a further 12 design-specific transmutations are proposed. These have been developed as a result of our research. A conceptual design process is proposed, in which design knowledge transmutations are used. A software tool for design, CREDO, is also described and an example of its use in the generation of design concepts for an after-sales service facility is presented. The conclusions discuss the initial methodological experience of using CREDO to generate design concepts. They are based on the introductory use of CREDO at Technion in Israel for teaching purposes. Directions for further research are also provided.     

基于语义网技术的基因和基因产物搜索工具

GORouter运用多种语义网技术和工具构建了一个以基因本体为中心的基因和基因产物相关信息知识库,为生命科学研究人员提供跨物种、跨领域的语义搜索服务.GORouter核心数据集中共集成了27个语义描述框架(RDF)模块,由约7.2百万个三元组组成,涵盖了18个生物学数据库所提供的基因和基因产物注释信患,并通过引入3个相关本体丰富了不同来源数据间的语义联系.     

Modeling the design quality competition for durable products

In this paper we model the design quality competition in durable product markets. We use a duopolistic non-cooperative game theoretic framework. Each firm controls the design quality level and the price of its product. The resulting control theoretic model is solved under certain functional assumptions to describe the Nash equilibrium design quality and pricing strategies of the two competitors. We compare open and closed loop design quality and pricing strategies. We use an extensive set of numerical experiments to investigate the effects of various parameters of the model on the optimal policies. We conclude with a brief summary of our results and some useful managerial insights derived from the model.     

Inertization and reuse of waste materials by vitrification and fabrication of glass-based products

Vitrification is widely accepted as the most safe process for treating hazardous wastes and converting them into leach-resistant materials. In this paper a review of the current and emerging waste vitrification technologies is reported. Analysis of different methods of vitrification, according to physical state and composition of the waste, can offer a guideline for process selection. Moreover, the most recent studies on vitrification of various types of industrial and civil wastes and their further transformation in useful marketable products are presented and discussed.     

Development of a computational tool for materials design

An integrated modeling tool coupling thermodynamic calculation and kinetic simulation of multicomponent alloys is developed under the framework of  integrated computational materials engineering. On the basis of PandatTM software for multicomponent phase diagram calculation, the new tool is  designed in an integrated workspace and is targeted to understand the composition–processing–structure–property relationships of multicomponent systems. In particular, the phase diagram calculation module is used to understand the phase stability under the given conditions. The calculated phase equilibrium information, such as phase composition and chemical driving force, provides input for the kinetic simulation. In this paper, the design of the modeling tool will be presented and the calculation examples from the different modules will also be demonstrated.     

Change impact on a product and its redesign process: a tool for knowledge capture and reuse

Change propagates, potentially affecting many aspects of a design and requiring much rework to implement. This article introduces a cross-domain approach to decompose a design and identify possible change propagation linkages, complemented by an interactive tool that generates dynamic checklists to assess change impact. The approach considers the information domains of requirements, functions, components, and the detail design process. Laboratory experiments using a vacuum cleaner suggest that cross-domain modelling helps analyse a design to create and capture the information required for change prediction. Further experiments using an electronic product show that this information, coupled with the interactive tool, helps to quickly and consistently assess the impact of a proposed change.     

Decision support tool for used oil regeneration technologies assessment and selection

Regeneration is the most efficient way of managing used oil. It saves money by preventing costly cleanups and liabilities that are associated with mismanagement of used oil, it helps to protect the environment and it produces a technically renewable resource by enabling an indefinite recycling potential. There are a variety of processes and licensors currently offering ways to deal with used oils. Selecting a regeneration technology for used oil involves "cross-matching" key criteria. Therefore, the first prototype of spent oil regeneration (SPORE), a decision support tool, has been developed to help decision-makers to assess the available technologies and select the preferred used oil regeneration options. The analysis is based on technical, economical and environmental criteria. These criteria are ranked to determine their relative importance for a particular used oil regeneration project. The multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is the core of the SPORE using the PROMETHEE II algorithm.     

新一代高速动车组车体设计创新技术

本文全面概述了新一代高速动车组车体创新优化过程,详细分析了新一代高速动车组车体在气动优化、气密强度与气密性、模态匹配与减振降噪、轻量化等方面的创新设计。仿真和试验结果表明:新一代高速动车组车体具有足够的强度、刚度与结构稳定性、优良的振动与疲劳特性,良好的气动与噪声性能。     

An enterprise modelling CASE tool and data schema requirements for the selection of software support

This paper describes a prototype CASE tool which has been implemented to support the selection of software applications. It is argued that information structures are invariably linked to the operation of the enterprise and can, therefore, be used as a powerful basis both for the suitability assessment and selection of candidate software applications. A structured methodology for the modelling of the enterprise operation and development of information requirements is first outlined to establish the application domain of the CASE tool. The functionality of the CASE tool is subsequently described, showing how aspects of the enterprise are captured in terms of organization, functionality, resource and information. It will be demonstrated how the information structures, captured by the CASE tool, are subsequently developed into a schema and used for the evaluation of a suitable software application.