A Computerized Tool to Create Concept Variants from Function Structures

1996 ◽  
pp. 208-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Brady ◽  
N P Juster
Keyword(s):  
Function Structures

scholarly journals Conceptual Design of Electromechanical Actuation Systems for Large-Sized Directional Control Valves

Actuators ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Tobias Vonderbank ◽  
Katharina Schmitz
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Function Structure ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Conceptual Designs ◽  
Actuation Systems ◽  
Electromechanical Actuation ◽  
Function Structures ◽  
Valve Actuation

Increasing performance in modern hydraulics is achieved by a close investigation of possible enhancements of its components. Prior research has pointed out that electromechanical actuators can form suitable alternatives to hydraulically piloted control systems. Since the requirements at these actuation systems depend on the operating conditions of the system, each actuator can be optimized to the respective hydraulic system. Considering that many different conceptual designs are suitable, the phase of conceptual design plays a decisive role during the design process. Therefore, this paper focuses on the process of developing new conceptual designs for electromechanical valve actuation systems using the method of function structures. Aiming to identify special design features, which need to be considered during the design process of electromechanical actuation systems, an exemplary actuator was designed based on the derived function structure. To highlight the potential of function structures for the development of new electromechanical valve actuation systems, two principal concepts, which allow the reduction of the necessary forces, have been developed by extending the function structure. These concepts have been experimentally investigated to identify their advantages and disadvantages.

A Statistical Approach to Ranking Similarities of Three Function Structure Groups Using Directed Graphs

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Briana M. Lucero ◽  
Matthew J. Adams
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Approach ◽  
Directed Graphs ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
Function Structure ◽  
Fundamental Properties ◽  
Design Engineers ◽  
Functional Representation ◽  
Structure Databases ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Function Structures

Prior efforts in the study of engineering design employed various approaches to decompose product design. Design engineers use functional representation, and more precisely function structures, to define a product’s functionality. However, significant barriers remain to objectively quantifying the similarity between two function structures, even for the same product when developed by multiple designers. For function-structure databases this means that function-structures are implicitly categorized leaving the possibility of incorrect categorization and reducing efficacy of returned analogous correlations. Improvements to efficacy in database organization and queries are possible by objectively quantifying the similarity between function structures. The proposed method exploits fundamental properties of function-structures and design taxonomies. We convert function-structures into directed graphs (digraphs) and equivalent adjacency matrices. The conversion maintains the directed (function → flow → function) progression inherent to function-structures and enables the transformation of the function-structure into a standardized graph. For design taxonomies (e.g. D-APPS), graph nodes represent flows in a consistent (but arbitrary) ordering. By exploiting the directional properties of function-structures and defining the flows as the graphical nodes, the objective and standardized comparison of two function-structures becomes feasible. We statistically quantify the association between digraphs using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) for both within-group and between-group comparisons. The method was tested on three product types (ball thrower, food processor, and an ice cream maker) with function-structures defined by various designers. The method suggested herein is provided as a proof-of-concept with suggested verification and validation approaches for further development.

scholarly journals Receiver function structures beneath the Haiyuan fault on the northeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (0) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Yutao Shi ◽  
◽  
Yuan Gao ◽  
Laiyu Lu ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Receiver Function ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Function Structures

An Analytical Approach to Functional Design

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai-Lu Wang ◽  
Yan Jin
Keyword(s):  
Design Stage ◽  
Application Software ◽  
Functional Design ◽  
Functional Dependencies ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Modeling And Analysis ◽  
Early Design Stage ◽  
And Function ◽  
Selected Functions ◽  
Function Structures

Functional design is a process in engineering design that dominates the key features of the result to be developed. Designing good functions that both satisfies the requirements and leads to better results is a challenge due to uncertainties on the consequences of the selected functions, and the lack of analysis methods for identifying the properties of function structures. Therefore, extensive experiences are usually required for functional design. This research argues that the physical relationships among the resulting components of a design are the consequences of functional dependencies developed during the functional design process. Therefore based on the understanding of functions and functional dependencies, a reasoning procedure can be developed to predict the performance properties of the design so that the effectiveness of the functional design can be evaluated at an early design stage. This paper proposes a dependency-based function modeling and analysis method that can be applied to represent and assess functions and function structures at the functional design stage. Designers can predict the properties of the functions they designed without having to have similar design experiences. An application software is also developed to implement the method and demonstrate its effectiveness.

Identifying Product Portfolio Architecture Modularity Using Function and Variety Heuristics

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik J. Zamirowski ◽  
Kevin N. Otto
Keyword(s):  
Product Variety ◽  
Product Portfolio ◽  
Functional Constraints ◽  
Function Structure ◽  
Customer Needs ◽  
Product Use ◽  
Individual Product ◽  
Product Function ◽  
Target Values ◽  
Function Structures

Abstract This paper proposes a method for identifying product portfolio architecture alternatives based upon customer needs and product function. Customer needs and uses are interpreted according to the variation in performance target values across the market and within the set of individual customer uses. Product uses are represented by function structures consisting of the functions necessary for achieving the use. These individual product use function structures are combined into a monolithic function structure to represent the entire product portfolio. This monolith is then partitioned according to function and product variety heuristics into function clusters that anticipate product modules. This candidate modularity can then be used to deliver product variety across the product portfolio given functional constraints. A portfolio of xerographic products is used as the working example.

A study on the grammatical construction of function structures

2005 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
PRASANNA SRIDHARAN ◽  
MATTHEW I. CAMPBELL
Keyword(s):  
Automated Reasoning ◽  
Black Box ◽  
Graph Grammar ◽  
Functional Information ◽  
Customer Requirements ◽  
Conceptual Engineering ◽  
Grammatical Construction ◽  
Grammar Rules ◽  
Interactive User ◽  
Function Structures

Function structures are used during conceptual engineering design to transform the customer requirements into specific functional tasks. Although they are usually constructed from a well-understood black-box description of an artifact, there is no clear approach or formal set of rules that guide the creation of function structures. To remedy the unclear formation of such structures and to provide the potential for automated reasoning of such structures, a graph grammar is developed and implemented. The grammar can be used by a designer to explore various solutions to a conceptual design problem. Furthermore, the grammar aids in disseminating engineering functional information and in teaching the function structure concept to untrained engineers. Thirty products are examined as a basis for developing the grammar rules, and the rules are implemented in an interactive user environment. Experiments with student engineers and with the automated creation of function structures validate the effectiveness of the grammar rules.

scholarly journals Students’ ability to correctly apply differentiation rules to structurally different functions

2018 ◽  
Vol 114 (11/12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aneshkumar Maharaj ◽  
Mthobisi Ntuli
Keyword(s):  
Chain Rule ◽  
First Year ◽  
Symbolic Form ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
University Mathematics ◽  
Online Quizzes ◽  
And Function ◽  
Derivatives Of ◽  
Derivative Concept ◽  
Function Structures

The derivative concept is studied in first-year university mathematics. In this study, we focused on students’ ability to correctly apply the rules for derivatives of functions with the different structures that they encounter in their university studies. This was done by investigating the online responses of first-year students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal to online quizzes that contributed to their assessment. Based on this investigation, we then interviewed eight students to gain an insight into the thinking behind their responses. We report on the analysis of students’ responses to five items on the online quizzes based on the derivative concept. The categories in which those items were based are: condition for existence of derivative at a point; rules for derivatives of standard functions; application of chain rule to different function structures; the application of multiple rules; and application of derivatives to optimise a function. Our findings indicate that students had difficulty in detecting that multiple rules for derivatives were required to differentiate certain types of functions represented in symbolic form. Furthermore, students had difficulty in finding the derivative of a function when more than one application of the chain rule was required. However, there were students who had the ability to apply the rules for derivatives of functions without difficulty. In particular, most of the students were able to correctly recall the differentiation rules for functions with standard structures f(x)=xn, h(x)=ekx and y=[g(x)]n, n 0 and k is a non-zero constant. Students were also able to correctly apply the chain rule to an exponential function with base e, raised to 4x. The majority of students were able to correctly apply the chain rule together with differentiation rules for logarithmic and exponential (with bases a >1) function structures, and function structures that required the application of the product rule together with the chain rule. Most of the students were able to apply derivatives to optimise a function. Significance: A significant percentage of students who took online quizzes experienced difficulties with applying multiple differentiation rules in the context of a single function. The difficulties stemmed from their inability to detect from the structure of the function which rules should be applied and also the order in which those relevant rules should be applied.

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