The Roles of Features and Abstraction in Mechanical Design

1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
LeRoy E. Taylor ◽  
Mark R. Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Product Modeling ◽  
Product Models ◽  
Mechanical Products ◽  
Unique Framework ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract This paper describes the roles of features and abstraction mechanisms in the mechanical design process, mechanical designs, and product models of mechanical designs. It also describes the relationship between functions and features in mechanical design. It is our experience that many research efforts exist in the areas of design and product modeling and, further, that these efforts must be cataloged and compared. To this end, this paper culminates with the presentation of a multi-dimensional abstraction space which provides a unique framework for (a) comparing mechanical engineering design research efforts, (b) relating conceptual objects used in the life cycle of mechanical products, and (c) defining a product modeling space.

Some Ontological Distinctions of Function Based on the Role Concept

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshinobu Kitamura ◽  
Riichiro Mizoguchi
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Functional Modeling ◽  
Ontological Engineering ◽  
Product Life ◽  
Functional Models ◽  
Role Concept ◽  
Essential Function ◽  
The Relationship

Function is an important aspect of artifacts in engineering design. Although many definitions of function have been proposed in the extensive research mainly in engineering design and philosophy, the relationship among them remains unclear. Aiming at a contribution to this problem, this paper investigates some ontological issues based on the role concept in ontological engineering. We discuss some ontological distinctions of function such as essentiality and actuality and then propose some fundamental kinds of function such as essential function and capacity function. Based on them, we categorize some existing definitions in the literature and clarify the relationship among them. Then, a model of function in a product life-cycle is proposed. It represents the changes of existence of the individuals of each kind of function, which are caused by designing, manufacturing and use. That model enables us to give answers to some ontological questions such as when and where a function exists and what a function depends on. The consideration on these issues provides engineers with some differentiated viewpoints for capturing functions and thus contributes to consistent functional modeling from a specific viewpoint. The clarified relationships among the kinds of function including the existing definitions in the literature will contribute to interoperability among functional models based on the different kinds and/or definitions.

Behavioral Characteristics Analysis and Structural Design of Conceptual Interface of Mechanical Products

2010 ◽  
Vol 37-38 ◽  
pp. 217-221
Author(s):  
Ke Wang ◽  
Hua Bo He
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Structural Design ◽  
Interface Design ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Behavioral Characteristics ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Single Mechanism ◽  
Mechanical Products ◽  
Characteristics Analysis

In conceptual mechanical design process, designers sometimes focus their attentions on mapping a sub-function or functional unit to a single mechanism or system, and ignore the interfaces among the structural elements. This paper first summarized the behavioral characteristic of the interfaces in energy, mechanics, kinematics by analyzing the roles, classification and connection styles of such interfaces. Subsequently, it introduced the concepts of function and free surface, and gave the interface design process. Finally, a case study was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed methodologies.

scholarly journals Engineering and Industrial Design: An Integrated Interdisciplinary Design Theory

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander N. Brezing ◽  
Manuel Lo¨wer
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Theory ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Industrial Design ◽  
Product Model ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Interdisciplinary Design ◽  
Industrial Designers ◽  
The One

It is generally accepted that superior products result from a balanced consideration of both “technology” and “aesthetic design”. Nonetheless, the gap between the two professions of the “design engineer” and the “industrial designer” has not been bridged since their origination in the course of industrialization [7]. One possible approach to enhance the collaboration of both disciplines is to teach the basics of the respective other’s. In Germany, the main work following this approach of trying to prepare engineers for design collaborations is the VDI guideline 2424 (“The Industrial Design Process”) [21], which was worked out and released in three parts from 1984 to 1988 by a group of engineering design researchers and industrial designers. As no accepted industrial design theory could be identified at that time, the authors of the guideline tried to apply some of engineering design methodology’s proven methods taken from the VDI guideline 2221 [19] that seemed to fit to industrial design. That approach ultimately failed, as the authors of the guideline had to conclude themselves in the opening remarks of its last part [21]. Even if the guideline is still officially in use for the lack of a replacement, it is hardly used in engineering education. Since then however, accepted theoretical approaches have been produced by industrial design research that allow for the definition of an interdisciplinary theory on product development. This paper introduces these approaches and arranges them together with models of engineering design methodology to serve as a basis for a design theory that explains both domains’ competences and responsibilities. A function-oriented product model is set up that illustrates existing interdependencies by classifying a technical product/project according to the relative importance of its technical function (engineering’s competence) on the one hand and its semiotic functions (industrial design’s competence) on the other. The realization of industrial design’s competence as signification and the organization of its devices according to the model of semiotic functions explain existing organizational problems of interdisciplinary design practice. It is demonstrated why industrial design cannot proceed according a purely technical design process such as the one defined in the VDI guideline 2221 and what implications that has on interdisciplinary design projects.

scholarly journals 4FAD: A framework for mapping the evolution of artefacts in the learning design process

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan A. Muñoz-Cristóbal ◽  
Davinia Hernández-Leo ◽  
Lucila Carvalho ◽  
Roberto Martinez-Maldonado ◽  
Kate Thompson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Learning Design ◽  
Evolutionary Processes ◽  
Ongoing Process ◽  
Design Life ◽  
Design Case ◽  
The Many

A number of researchers have explored the role and nature of design in education, proposing a diverse array of life cycle models. Design plays subtly different roles in each of these models. The learning design research community is shifting its attention from the representation of pedagogical plans to considering design as an ongoing process. As a result, the study of the artefacts generated and used by educational designers is also changing: from a focus on the final designed artefact (the product of the design process) to the many artefacts generated and used by designers at different stages of the design process (e.g., sketches, reflections, drawings, or pictures). However, there is still a dearth of studies exploring the evolution of such artefacts throughout the learning design life cycle. A deeper understanding of these evolutionary processes is needed – to help smooth the transitions between stages in the life cycle. In this paper, we introduce the four-dimensional framework for artefacts in design (4FAD) to generate understanding and facilitate the mapping of the evolution of learning design artefacts. We illustrate the value of the framework by applying it in the analysis of an authentic design case.

Methods of 3D-Modelling With Parametric CAD-Systems of the Newest Generation

1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl-H. Grote ◽  
Soeren Schumann
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Time Saving ◽  
Cad Systems ◽  
3D Cad ◽  
Engineering Design Process ◽  
Product Models ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
The Many

Abstract The authors are searching for new ways of using CAD-systems in the engineering design process. This contents among others the creation as well as the refreshing and continued handling of computer-based, three-dimensional product models to be built as prototypes on the department’s Rapid Prototyping machine [1, 2, 3]. In spite of the many advantages of the C-technologies, on several areas a deficit in its dissemination and effective usage still is noticed. The following paper will give an overview on how the parametrical, feature based 3D-CAD-modeler may support the engineering design process. It is described, which functionality the parametric functions of these modelers are offering to the user and how the work with parametrical CAD-systems is structured. Advises are given for a more competitive implementation and time saving work with these systems.

scholarly journals On the integration of product and process models in engineering design

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia M. Eckert ◽  
David C. Wynn ◽  
Jakob F. Maier ◽  
Albert Albers ◽  
Nikola Bursac ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Integrated Modelling ◽  
Model Integration ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Engineering Designs ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Product And Process

Models of products and design processes are key to interacting with engineering designs and managing the processes by which they are developed. In practice, companies maintain networks of many interrelated models which need to be synthesised in the minds of their users when considering issues that cut across them. This article considers how information from product and design process models can be integrated with a view to help manage these complex interrelationships. A framework highlighting key issues surrounding model integration is introduced and terminology for describing these issues is developed. To illustrate the framework and terminology, selected modelling approaches that integrate product and process information are discussed and organised according to their levels and forms of integration. Opportunities for further work to advance integrated modelling in engineering design research and practice are discussed.

scholarly journals COGNITION AND TRANSDISCIPLINARY DESIGN: AN EDUCATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING DESIGN CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyona Sharunova ◽  
Mehwish Butt ◽  
Suzanne Kresta ◽  
Jason Carey ◽  
Loren Wyard-Scott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Product Design ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Efficient Solutions ◽  
Design And Development ◽  
Engineering Product ◽  
Common Basis ◽  
Engineering Design Process ◽  
Interdisciplinary Problems

 Abstract - Contemporary engineering product design and development no longer adheres to the boundaries of a single discipline and has become tightly integrated, often relying on interaction of multiple disciplines for completion of integrated product design projects. In order to design these products, design and development practice has transcended the discipline boundaries to become a transdisciplinary engineering design process. A collaboration of specialists from different engineering disciplines is required to develop efficient solutions to interdisciplinary problems of product design. Despite this shift from mono-disciplinary to transdisciplinary, the engineering design curriculum remains focused on teaching discipline specific design practice through skill based subject specific pedagogy with a limited emphasis on the importance of design process and transdisciplinarity in the design process. As a result, new graduates starting in design and development organizations face a difficulty finding a common basis of understanding of disciplines’ interactions and must go through a process of often implicit ‘onboarding’ to understand the transdisciplinary engineering design process. This can be avoided by developing and adapting undergraduate design process education in line with industrial demands. This paper proposes a theoretical framework based on empirical engineering design research in industry, educational psychology and teaching approaches such as Bloom’s Taxonomy and Kolb’s Model of Experiential Learning for developing the core elements of a transdisciplinary engineering design process curriculum.

Design for Environmentability

1991 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Navinchandra
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Product Quality ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Manufacturing Process ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Green Engineering ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Environmental Friendliness ◽  
Final Disposal

Abstract There is a growing interest in making products environmentally more compatible. While there is a need to make products and processes less toxic, to increase recyclability, and to reduce waste; we have to try to achieve environmental friendliness without compromising product quality. This approach to design has come to be called Green Engineering Design. The aim is to identify, develop, and exploit new technologies that can bolster productivity without costing the environment. The idea is to inject concerns about environmental friendliness into the design process; where, the assessment of environmental friendliness is based on a life-cycle view of the product. This includes the product’s manufacturing process, distribution, use, and final disposal. Our approach to green engineering design has two pans: (1) the development of special green indicators — measures of environmental compatibility, and (2) tools that use the green indicators to help designers assess, compare, and make design decisions.

Virtual Reality Promises New Design Capabilities

1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Trego ◽  
Spencer Magleby
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Design Engineering ◽  
Cad Systems ◽  
The Past ◽  
Engineering Design Process ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Computer Based

Abstract Virtual reality has received much attention in the past few years in relation to entertainment and simulation. Although there is much hype surrounding virtual reality, the underlying technologies and concepts could have a significant impact on computer-based design engineering tools. This paper explores the possible applications of virtual reality to the engineering design process. The objective of the described research is to explore opportunities to create tools, environments, and systems which will increase the designer’s productivity through the application of virtual reality (VR) technologies and concepts. Background on design, CAD and VR is presented to give a context for later proposals. Previous research in the application of VR to CAD is reviewed. Specific VR capabilities are presented to show their possible application in mechanical design and CAD systems specifically. The potential applications of VR are explored in a structured manner with examples for each category. The paper concludes with recommendations on further research and development directions.

Teaching Design Methodologies Across Engineering Disciplines

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron J. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Colorado School ◽  
Design Processes ◽  
Design Methodologies ◽  
Design Program ◽  
Mechanical Products ◽  
Capstone Design

The Colorado School of Mines (CSM) offers a combined capstone design experience for mechanical, civil, electrical and environmental engineering students. In a recent re-invention of our design curriculum, a new emphasis on design methodologies has been implemented. Many of these design methods have origins in the design of electro-mechanical products, and it is certainly in these areas where the most vibrant design communities seem to reside. Yet in a combined setting, analogous design processes appear to exist in a broader engineering design community. This paper describes the capstone design program at CSM, with a focus on the methods that we are teaching and how they translate between disciplines. The lessons learned in such a translation not only illuminate how engineering design may differ in other disciplines, but also may reveal new perspectives on mechanical design processes.

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