A Case Study in Challenging Engineering Requirements

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth R. Crouch ◽  
Gregory M. Mocko
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Idea Generation ◽  
Concept Selection ◽  
A Value ◽  
Value Model

Requirements are an essential element to engineering design as they are used to focus idea generation during conceptual design, provide criteria for decision making during concept selection, and verify the chosen concept fulfills product needs. Because they are essential to the entire design process, emphasis must be placed on ensuring that they are correct. This research focuses on a value-based methodology useful for challenging and validating established requirements. A case study was conducted on an industry-sponsored project to use this value-based process on the requirements that constrain the design of an automotive seat. A human anthropomorphic model, comfort value model, occupant safety model, and a model of an automotive seat are integrated to establish an H-point travel window to maximize the safety and comfort of an automotive seating structure. This case study shows that this approach provides evidence to establish requirements based on value to the human rather than legacy seating requirements.

Concept-to-Value: Method and Tool for Value Creation in Conceptual Design

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ndrianarilala Rianantsoa ◽  
Bernard Yannou ◽  
Romaric Redon
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Production Model ◽  
Design Problems ◽  
Design Concepts ◽  
A Value ◽  
Innovation Project ◽  
Design Objects ◽  
Value Model

This paper is dealing with the problem of steering the conceptual design by value. Indeed, the preliminary phase of the design process, which generates the innovative concepts that will be developed in detail, already defines broadly the created value of an innovation project. Contrarily to the detailed design that consists in design solutions refinement for well defined performances increase, the conceptual design is characterized by the fact that the design objects, like the design problems, the design concepts and knowledge, are not frozen, known or precised, and have to be defined progressively in a value creation way for customers and stakeholders. Since there are few works on this issue, we try then to suggest a conceptual design process based on the capture and evaluation of the generated intermediate objects for the maximization of the created value of this phase, and so of an innovative project. A descriptive model, a value model and a prescriptive production model of the intermediate objects are thus built and explained.

scholarly journals Support of Product Innovation With a Modular Framework for Knowledge Management: A Case Study

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Eddy ◽  
Sundar Krishnamurty ◽  
Ian Grosse ◽  
Jack Wileden
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Integrated Design ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Design Framework

This paper presents an e-Design framework for knowledge management through its application in an engineering design case study. The e-Design framework enables the implementation of integrated design information throughout the entire design process. It facilitates the ease of sharing real time information across multiple individual designers, departments, or organizations as would be required in large scale design efforts. Similarly, it allows for the ease of use of technical tools integral to the design process that small design departments depend upon. Thus, regardless of the scale, the efficiency of engineering design can be improved with the use of the e-Design framework. The many features of the e-Design framework are exemplified through its application in a practical industry design problem. The case study in this paper addresses the utility and ease of use of this framework and provides one potential implementation method. This study involves a representative application of an innovative new mast design to elevate a surveillance camera on a military vehicle. The design process utilizes the NIST functional basis [3] to improve effectiveness and efficiency during conceptual design. The decision tool module of the e-Design framework is then used to evaluate and select the best conceptual design based on product design criteria. We use this case study to illustrate information quality and the clarity of design intent throughout the entire design process. The results reveal a usable design process method that can improve the transparency of design knowledge from design conception to completion. Additional benefits include storing of the information generated at the early stages for sharing and reuse throughout the entire design process. Most of all, improved transparent communication throughout the design process will reduce duplication of efforts and trial and error occurrences.

Re-Interpretation of Conceptual Design Sketches in Mechanical Engineering

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Pache ◽  
Anne Roemer ◽  
Udo Lindemann ◽  
Winfried Hacker
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
The Other ◽  
Levels Of Abstraction ◽  
Functional Elements ◽  
Functional Features ◽  
Different Levels

Abstract In this paper a case study on conceptual design in mechanical engineering design is presented. At first, an exemplary sketch from the design process is discussed with regard to the modality and level of abstraction of the elements used in this sketch. The possibility to predefine geometry of components, as well as functional features on different levels of abstraction provides clues for reinterpretation of the sketch. Furthermore a remarkable sequence of sketching is presented, that shows how reinterpretation of a sketch can result in significant changes of the conceptual solution. This may be due to the combination of geometrical and functional elements, that gain meaning within the overall context of the sketch only in combination with the other elements. Therefore recombination by reinterpretation may change this context entirely. The proposed mechanisms could not be verified due to the rareness of their occurrence, still these mechanisms may have a significant impact on a design process. Therefore this paper is supposed to provide hypotheses for further research on this subject.

The Preferences for Creativity Scale (PCS): Identifying the Underlying Constructs of Creative Concept Selection

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine A. Toh ◽  
Scarlett R. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Risk Tolerance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Concept Selection ◽  
Engineering Design Process ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Decision Making Biases

Creativity is highly emphasized during the engineering design process, but prior research has shown that decision-making biases and individual attributes can affect perceptions and preferences for creativity. However, there is a lack of knowledge of how to measure creativity during concept selection, or about the factors that affect designers’ preferences for creative concepts in an engineering design context. As a first step in understanding what factors contribute to the promotion or filtering of creative concepts during concept selection, this study investigates the factors that can affect preferences for creativity through the development of a psychometric survey that assesses student designers’ preferences for creativity through Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The result of these analyses is the 23-item Preferences for Creativity Scale (PCS) that assesses an individual’s preference for creativity in engineering design on 4 major dimensions: (1) Team Centrality, (2) Risk Tolerance, (3) Creative Confidence/ Preference, and (4) Motivation. The results of these analyses provide a foundation for studying creativity in the design process and allow for future research that investigates the factors that influence creative concept selection in engineering design.

Idea generation with Technology Semantic Network

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Serhad Sarica ◽  
Binyang Song ◽  
Jianxi Luo ◽  
Kristin L. Wood
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Common Sense ◽  
Semantic Network ◽  
Idea Generation ◽  
Semantic Distance ◽  
The Core ◽  
Design Idea ◽  
Design Ideas ◽  
Design Ideation

Abstract There are growing efforts to mine public and common-sense semantic network databases for engineering design ideation stimuli. However, there is still a lack of design ideation aids based on semantic network databases that are specialized in engineering or technology-based knowledge. In this study, we present a new methodology of using the Technology Semantic Network (TechNet) to stimulate idea generation in engineering design. The core of the methodology is to guide the inference of new technical concepts in the white space surrounding a focal design domain according to their semantic distance in the large TechNet, for potential syntheses into new design ideas. We demonstrate the effectiveness in general, and use strategies and ideation outcome implications of the methodology via a case study of flying car design idea generation.

An Advisory Conceptual Design Tool for Mechanical Transmission Systems

1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. Huang ◽  
F. W. Liou ◽  
J. J. Malyamakkil ◽  
W. F. Lu
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Expert System ◽  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Tool ◽  
Mechanical Transmission ◽  
Transmission Systems ◽  
Knowledge Based System ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Packaging Machine

Abstract This paper presents an advisory conceptual design tool for mechanical transmission systems. Space consideration was taken into account during the design process. A prototype function tree was built in the form of knowledge-based system to transfer a designer’s idea into a set of mechanical components. An advisory expert system was also developed to help a designer in decision making. As an example, a packaging machine is designed using the developed system.

Development of a DSM-Based Methodology in an Academic Setting

2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
George Platanitis ◽  
Remon Pop-Iliev ◽  
Ahmad Barari
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Design Structure ◽  
Academic Settings ◽  
Task Durations ◽  
Random Disturbances ◽  
Process Convergence ◽  
Work Transformation

This paper proposes the use of a design structure matrix/work transformation matrix (DSM/WTM)-based methodology in academic settings to serve engineering educators as a facilitating tool for predetermining the difficulty and feasibility of design engineering projects they assign, given both the time constraints of the academic term and the expected skill level of the respective learners. By using a third-year engineering design project as a case study, engineering students actively participated in this comprehensive use of DSM methodologies. The engineering design process has been thoroughly analyzed to determine convergence characteristics based on the eigenvalues of the system followed by a sensitivity analysis on the originally determined DSM based on data provided by students in terms of task durations and number of iterations for each task. Finally, an investigation of the design process convergence due to unexpected events or random disturbances has been conducted. The obtained predictive model of the design process was compared to the actual dynamics of the project as experienced by the students and the effect of random disturbances at any point in the design process has thereby been evaluated.

A Novel Method for Providing Global Assessments of Design Concepts Using Single-Word Adjectives and Semantic Similarity

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Gosnell ◽  
Scarlett R. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Semantic Similarity ◽  
Idea Generation ◽  
Concept Selection ◽  
Single Word ◽  
Design Concepts ◽  
Rating Process ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Design Idea ◽  
Gold Standards

Engineering design idea-generation sessions often result in dozens, if not hundreds, of ideas. These ideas must be quickly evaluated and filtered in order to select a few candidate concepts to move forward in the design process. While creativity is often stressed in the conceptual phases of design, it receives little attention in these later phases — particularly during concept selection. This is largely because there are no methods for quickly rating or identifying worthwhile creative concepts during this process. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop and test a novel method for evaluating the creativity and feasibility of design concepts and compare this method to gold standards in our field. The SCAT method employed in this paper uses word selections and semantic similarity to quickly and effectively evaluate candidate concepts for their creativity and feasibility. This method requires little knowledge of the rating process by the evaluator. We tested this method with 10 engineering designers and three different design tasks. Our results revealed that SCAT ratings can be used as a proxy for measuring design concepts but there are modifications that could enhance its utility. This work contributes to our understanding of how to evaluate creativity after idea generation and provides a framework for further research in this field.

scholarly journals CASE STUDY IN SYSTEMATIC DESIGN ENGINEERING – BOW THRUSTER COVERS

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
W Ernst Eder
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Process Engineering ◽  
Design Engineering ◽  
Learning Design ◽  
Systematic Design ◽  
Methodical Approach ◽  
Novel Design

Students learning design engineering at times need a good example of procedure for novel design engineering. The systematic heuristic-strategic use of a theory to guide the design process – Engineering Design Science – and the methodical design process followed in this case study is only necessary in limited situations. The full procedure should be learned, such that the student can select appropriate parts for other applications. Creativity is usually characterized by a wide search for solutions, especially those that are innovative. The search can be helped by this systematic and methodical approach. This case example is presented to show application of the recommended method, and the expected scope of the output, with emphasis on the stages of conceptualizing. The case follows a novel design problem of a mechanism to open and close the bow thruster covers for the Caravan Stage Barge.

A Model for Make-or-Buy Decisions in Engineering Design Services Sector: A Case Study from Turkey

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (04) ◽  
pp. 1850038
Author(s):  
Z. Aytan Ediz ◽  
M. Atilla Öner ◽  
Y. Can Erdem ◽  
Nesimi Kaplan
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Administrative Support ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Cluster Membership ◽  
Services Sector ◽  
Engineering Company

Make-or-buy decision is an important factor affecting the profitability of the firms in all sectors. The goal of this study is to propose a model for firms in engineering design services sector for make-or-buy decisions. A survey was conducted to determine the importance percentages given in an engineering company in make-or-buy decisions and a model was developed. The results of the case study show intriguing clusters of company personnel. As the lack of consensus among company managers and personnel may inhibit the successful implementation of the developed strategy, we use K-Means Clustering to determine the different perspectives of different groups of employees (managers, senior engineers, junior engineers, technical and administrative support personnel) which may contribute to the understanding of social dynamics of decision making within the company. 4-cluster and 5-cluster analysis results indicate the need for further study on the dynamics of cluster membership.

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