Building information modeling as a tool for prevention ofdesign defects

Purpose In recent decades, professionals in the architecture, engineering and construction industry have come to recognize building information modeling (BIM) as one of the most powerful technologies available to ensure successful project outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to explore the benefits of BIM on design defect prevention during the design phase of building projects. Design/methodology/approach The authors qualitatively analyzed 160 design defect leading indicators (LIs) to identify key themes for design defect prevention. Then, by matching appropriate BIM functionalities to each key LI theme, they identified BIM-supported key LI themes. Findings The result of this paper served as the foundation of a BIM-based key design processes framework, which identifies the necessary data, project parties, actions and applicable BIM functions for preventing particular design defects. In addition, the authors found that BIM implementation can benefit 71.2% of the LIs of the design defects associated with problematic deliverables. Originality/value This study establishes the current state of BIM use for design defect prevention and also gives practitioners precisely targeted guidelines for using BIM functions during the design phase for better quality management.

Pinched Power Cord is Latent Defect Causing Fire When Appliance Is Not in Use

After a fatal residential fire, witness statements and burn patterns pointed investigators toward an electrically powered upholstered reclining chair as the origin. A search for exemplar recliners identified slightly different designs of the power supply, which converts house current to low-voltage direct current for driving the motor. Although the fire left no direct evidence of its cause, analysis of unburned exemplars uncovered a design defect in the power supply electrical enclosure design, causing damage to the power cord during assembly. The transformer was found to press against the two-conductor power cord, in a location inside the unit that was concealed after assembly. The newer units did not have this design defect. Investigators developed the hypothesis that over time, the sustained force of the transformer against the cord enabled the insulation to deform such that a short circuit occurred in the power cord and caused the fire — even when the recliner was not in use and if the house wiring circuit had been protected by a circuit breaker. This paper details the investigation, testing, and findings, including dissenting expert opinions. More importantly, it shows how forensic engineers conduct detective work and apply scientific principles to achieve useful results.

Prediction of Software Design Defect using Enhanced Machine Learning Techniques

Prediction of software detection is most widely used in many software projects and this will improve the software quality, reducing the cost of the software project. It is very important for the developers to check every package and code files within the project. There are two classifiers that are present in the Software Package Defect (SPD) prediction that can be divided as Defect–prone and not-defect-prone modules. In this paper, the merging of Cost-Sensitive Variance Score (CSVS), Cost-Sensitive craniologist Score (CSLS) and Cost-Sensitive Constraint Score (CSCS). The comparitive analysis can be shown in between the three algorithms and also individually.

Levels of Vibration Impact during Testing of Spacecraft Avionics Equipment

The tightening of avionics lifetime and reliability requirements necessitates a profound and efficient experimental method. At the same time, the not infrequent absence of even two equipment samples for conducting tests (considering the variation of properties of materials and technological processes) makes the problem of confirming hardware strength characteristics difficult to solve. The present paper describes a methodology for vibration tests of spacecraft onboard electronics that allows us to reliably confirm the strength of a random sample of the given equipment based on the testing of a single test specimen. Safety margins for different stages of equipment vibration testing are determined. These margins are necessary to ensure the given probability of design defect detection. The proposed methodology is compared with current foreign regulatory documents dedicated to testing spacecraft onboard electronics. The proposed method allows a flexible approach to the selection of vibration test levels since it takes into account the design features of the equipment affecting strength spread from sample to sample during the determination of the scope of required tests.

Let’s Be Reasonable: The Consumer Expectations Test is Simply Not Viable to Determine Design Defect for Complex Autonomous Vehicle Technology

Although highly automated vehicles (“HAVs”) have potential to reduce deaths and injuries from traffic crashes, product liability litigation for design defects in vehicles incorporating autonomous technology is inevitable. During the early stages of implementation, courts and juries will be forced to grapple with the application of traditional product liability principles to a never before experienced category of highly technical products. Recent decisions limiting the use of the consumer expectations test in cases involving complex products prompted the authors to examine more closely the history behind and the future viability of the consumer expectations test in HAV litigation.

Economic Rationality and Ethical Values in Design-Defect Analysis: The Trolley Problem and Autonomous Vehicles

The trolley problem is a well-known thought experiment in moral philosophy, used to explore issues such as rights, deontological reasons, and intention and the doctrine of double effect. Recently it has featured prominently in popular discussions of decision making by autonomous vehicle systems. For example, a Mercedes-Benz executive stated that, if faced with the choice between running over a child that had unexpectedly darted into the road and steering suddenly, causing a rollover accident that would kill the driver, an automated Mercedes would opt to kill the child. This paper considers not the ethical issues raised by such dilemmas, but the liability of vehicle manufacturers for injuries that foreseeably result from the design of autonomous systems. Some of the recent commentary on the liability of autonomous vehicle manufacturers suggests unfamiliarity with modern products liability law, particularly the design-defect standard in the Third Restatement of Torts. A superficial understanding of products liability principles – for example, believing it is a regime of strict liability in any meaningful sense – can lead to serious errors in the application of this area of law to autonomous vehicles. It is also a mistake to believe that the economic approach to negligence liability, as developed by Posner and Calabresi, accurately characterizes modern products liability principles. Under the Third Restatement approach, a court or jury will consider whether a product embodies a reasonable balance of safety and utility, and “reasonable” can be interpreted in accordance with ordinary community ethical standards. Thus, some of the issues that are central to resolving trolley problems in moral philosophy may actually recur in design-defect litigation.