Abstract: The bridge between engineering design and cognitive science research is critical to understand the effectiveness of design methods as implemented by human designers. The study reported in this paper evaluates the effects of design fixation in a group of engineering design faculty, and also provides evidence for approaches to overcome design fixation. Three conditions are compared, a control, a fixation group whom were provided with an example solution, and a defixation group whom were also given materials to mitigate their design fixation. Measures include indicators of design fixation and participant perceptions. The study demonstrates that the engineering design faculty show statistically significant evidence of design fixation, but only partially perceive its effects. This study also indicates that design fixation can be mitigated. The group of participants in this study, due to their background in engineering design research and experience with student design teams, was expected to have more accurate perceptions or awareness of design fixation than the typical participant. Understanding the incongruities between participant perceptions and quantitative design outcomes are particularly of interest to researchers of design methods. For this study, clear evidence exists that designers, even those that study and teach design on a regular basis, do not know when they are being influenced or fixated by misleading or poor information. DOI: 10.1115/1.4001110

Abstract: Analytical modeling of thermal and mechanical response is a fundamental step in the design process for ultra-high-temperature ceramic components, such as nose tips and wing leading edges for hypersonic applications. The purpose of the analyses is to understand the response of test articles to high-enthalpy flows in ground tests and to predict component performance in particular flight environments. Performing these analyses and evaluating the results require comprehensive and accurate physical, thermal, and mechanical properties. In this paper, we explain the nature of the analyses, highlight the essential material properties that are required and why they are important, and describe the impact of property accuracy and uncertainty on the design process.

Abstract: Making Senseof Design Effective design is at the heart of everything from software development to engineering to architecture. But what do we really know about the design process? What leads to effective, elegant designs? The Design of Design answers these questions. This new book by Fred Brooks contains extraordinary insights for designers in every discipline. Brooks pinpoints the constants inherent to all design projects and uncovers processes and patterns most likely to lead to excellence. Drawing on the observations and intuitions of dozens of exceptional designers, as well as his direct experiences in several design domains, Brooks argues convincingly that bold design decisions lead to better outcomes. The author tracks the evolution of the design process, delves into complex systems based on distributed design, and illuminates what makes a truly great designer. He examines the nuts and bolts that affect all design processes, including budget and other constraints, aesthetics, design empiricism, and tools, and then grounds this discussion in his own real-world examplescase studies ranging from home construction to IBMs Operating System/360. Throughout the book, Brooks reveals the keys to success that every designer, design project manager, and design researcher should know.

Abstract: The aim of Search Based Software Engineering (SBSE) research is to move software engineering problems from human-based search to machine-based search, using a variety of techniques from the metaheuristic search, operations research and evolutionary computation paradigms. The idea is to exploit humans' creativity and machines' tenacity and reliability, rather than requiring humans to perform the more tedious, error prone and thereby costly aspects of the engineering process. SBSE can also provide insights and decision support. This tutorial will present the reader with a step-by-step guide to the application of SBSE techniques to Software Engineering. It assumes neither previous knowledge nor experience with Search Based Optimisation. The intention is that the tutorial will cover sufficient material to allow the reader to become productive in successfully applying search based optimisation to a chosen Software Engineering problem of interest.

Abstract: Holonic multiagent systems (HMAS) offer a promising software engineering approach for developing complex open software systems. However the process of building Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) and HMAS is mostly different from the process of building more traditional software systems as it introduces new design and development challenges. This paper introduces an agent-oriented software process for engineering complex systems called ASPECS. ASPECS is based on a holonic organisational metamodel and provides a step-by-step guide from requirements to code allowing the modelling of a system at different levels of details using a set of refinement methods. This paper details the entire ASPECS development process and provides a set of methodological guidelines for each process activity. A complete case study is also used to illustrate the design process and the associated notations. ASPECS uses UML as a modelling language. Because of the specific needs of agents and holonic organisational design, the UML semantics and notation are used as reference points, but they have been extended by introducing new specific profiles.

Abstract: SUMMARY This study describes a holistic methodology for sustainable packaging design. This methodology studies the combined systems of packaging and the packaged products across the whole distribution chain from manufacturer to end consumer and the life cycle from raw material extraction to the waste phase. It contains a number of indicators that are grouped into the following main categories: environmental sustainability, distribution costs, product protection, market acceptance and user friendliness. The methodology integrates a number of different analytical methods. It is intended to be used in packaging design and optimisation, for idea generation, decision support and as documentation of properties of existing packaging systems. The study describes experiences with the methodology from one case study in the Norwegian Food Industry. The experiences show that the methodology is very comprehensive, and gives a good overview of the properties of a packaging solution. It enables quantitative comparisons between different packaging solutions throughout the design process. The methodology reduces the risk of implementing sub-optimal packaging solutions. An additional benefi t of the methodology is gained by working in cross-functional teams. One potential drawback is that the methodology can be resource and data intensive. The methodology can be used as a tool box in packaging design, i.e. it is not necessary to use all methods and quantify all indicators to gain benefi t. However, all indicators and requirements should be evaluated and considered. In all cases, it should be considered to include additional indicators if important sustainability issues have not been addressed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract: With the fast development of computational mechanics and the capacity as well as the speed of modern computers, simulation-based structural optimization has become an indispensable tool in the design process of competitive products. This paper presents a brief description of the current status of structural optimization by reviewing some significant progress made in the last decades. Potential research topics are also discussed. The entire literatures of the field are not covered due to the limitation of the length of paper. The scope of this review is limited and closely related to the authors’ own research interests.

Abstract: The issue of environmental sustainability, which is unprecedented in both magnitude and complexity, presents one of the biggest challenges faced by modern society. Design engineers can make significant contributions by incorporating environmental awareness into product and process development. It is critical that engineers make a paradigm shift in product design from centering on cost and performance to balancing economic, environmental, and societal considerations. Although there have been quite a few designs for environment (or ecodesign) tools developed, so far, these tools have only achieved limited industrial penetration. The present-day methods are either too qualitative to offer concrete solutions and not effective for designers with limited experience or too quantitative, costly, and time consuming. Thus, current ecodesign tools cannot be implemented during the early design phases. This paper develops a novel, semiquantitative ecodesign methodology that is targeted specifically toward the early stages of the design process. The new methodology is a combination of environmental life cycle assessment and visual tools such as quality function deployment, functional-component matrix, and Pugh chart. Since the early design process is function-oriented, a new visual tool called the function impact matrix has been developed to correlate environmental impacts with product function. Redesign of office staplers for reduced carbon footprint has been selected as a case study to demonstrate the use of the proposed approach. Life cycle assessment results confirm that the new stapler design generated using this methodology promotes improved environmental performance.

Abstract: Computational tools such as finite element analysis and simulation are widely used in engineering, but they are mostly used for design analysis and validation. If these tools can be integrated for design optimization, it will undoubtedly enhance a manufacturer's competitiveness. Such integration, however, faces three main challenges: (1) high computational expense of simulation, (2) the simulation process being a black-box function, and (3) design problems being high dimensional. In the past two decades, metamodeling has been intensively developed to deal with expensive black-box functions, and has achieved success for low dimensional design problems. But when high dimensionality is also present in design, which is often found in practice, there lacks of a practical method to deal with the so-called high dimensional, expensive, and black-box (HEB) problems. This paper proposes the first metamodel of its kind to tackle the HEB problem. This paper integrates the radial basis function with high dimensional model representation into a new model, RBF-HDMR. The developed RBF-HDMR model offers an explicit function expression, and can reveal (1 ) the contribution of each design variable, (2) inherent linearity/nonlinearity with respect to input variables, and (3) correlation relationships among input variables. An accompanying algorithm to construct the RBF - HDMR has also been developed. The model and the algorithm fundamentally change the exponentially growing computation cost to be polynomial. Testing and comparison confirm the efficiency and capability of RBF-HDMR for HEB problems.

Abstract: In engineering design, an optimized solution often turns out to be suboptimal when errors are encountered. Although the theory of robust convex optimization has taken significant strides over the past decade, all approaches fail if the underlying cost function is not explicitly given; it is even worse if the cost function is nonconvex. In this work, we present a robust optimization method that is suited for unconstrained problems with a nonconvex cost function as well as for problems based on simulations, such as large partial differential equations (PDE) solver, response surface, and Kriging metamodels. Moreover, this technique can be employed for most real-world problems because it operates directly on the response surface and does not assume any specific structure of the problem. We present this algorithm along with the application to an actual engineering problem in electromagnetic multiple scattering of aperiodically arranged dielectrics, relevant to nanophotonic design. The corresponding objective function is highly nonconvex and resides in a 100-dimensional design space. Starting from an “optimized” design, we report a robust solution with a significantly lower worst-case cost, while maintaining optimality. We further generalize this algorithm to address a nonconvex optimization problem under both implementation errors and parameter uncertainties.

Abstract: The concept of chaining, or in more general terms, sparse process structure, has been extremely influential in the process flexibility area, with many large automakers already making this the cornerstone of their business strategies to remain competitive in the industry. The effectiveness of the process strategy, using chains or other sparse structures, has been validated in numerous empirical studies. However, to the best of our knowledge, there have been relatively few concrete analytical results on the performance of such strategies vis-a-vis the full flexibility system, especially when the system size is large or when the demand and supply are asymmetrical. This paper is an attempt to bridge this gap. We study the problem from two angles: (1) For the symmetrical system where the (mean) demand and plant capacity are balanced and identical, we utilize the concept of a generalized random walk to evaluate the asymptotic performance of the chaining structure in this environment. We show that a simple chaining structure performs surprisingly well for a variety of realistic demand distributions, even when the system size is large. (2) For the more general problem, we identify a class of conditions under which only a sparse flexible structure is needed so that the expected performance is already within e optimality of the full flexibility system. Our approach provides a theoretical justification for the widely held maxim: In many practical situations, adding a small number of links to the process flexibility structure can significantly enhance the ability of the system to match (fixed) production capacity with (random) demand.

Abstract: A method, system, process, and computer program that receives, collects, displays, and optimizes user-defined data The collection, analysis, and optimization process is applicable to a wide variety of industries for both real-time and historical data Some sample industries that will benefit from this invention include: securities trading, vehicular traffic optimization, medical image scanning, wireless communications, and aircraft routing

Abstract: The usability of the user interface is a key aspect for the success of several industrial products. This assumption has led to the introduction of numerous design methodologies addressed to evaluate the user-friendliness of industrial products. Most of these methodologies follow the participatory design approach to involve the user in the design process. Virtual Reality is a valid tool to support Participatory Design, because it facilitates the collaboration among designers and users. The present study aims to evaluate the feasibility and the efficacy of an innovative Participatory Design approach where Virtual Reality plays a 'double role': a tool to evaluate the usability of the virtual product interface, and a communication channel that allows users to be directly involved in the design process as co-designers. In order to achieve these goals, we conducted three experiments: the purpose of the first experiment is to determine the influence of the virtual interface on the usability evaluation by comparing ''user-real product'' interaction and ''user-virtual product'' interaction. Subsequently, we tested the effectiveness of our approach with two experiments involving users (directly or through their participation in a focus group) in the redesign of a product user interface. The experiments were conducted with two typologies of consumer appliances: a microwave oven and a washing machine.

Abstract: The natural world provides numerous cases for inspiration in engineering design. Biological organisms, phenomena, and strategies, which we refer to as biological systems, provide a rich set of analogies. These systems provide insight into sustainable and adaptable design and offer engineers billions of years of valuable experience, which can be used to inspire engineering innovation. This research presents a general method for functionally representing biological systems through systematic design techniques, leading to the conceptualization of biologically inspired engineering designs. Functional representation and abstraction techniques are used to translate biological systems into an engineering context. The goal is to make the biological information accessible to engineering designers who possess varying levels of biological knowledge but have a common understanding of engineering design. Creative or novel engineering designs may then be discovered through connections made between biology and engineering. To assist with making connections between the two domains concept generation techniques that use biological information, engineering knowledge, and automatic concept generation software are employed. Two concept generation approaches are presented that use a biological model to discover corresponding engineering components that mimic the biological system and use a repository of engineering and biological information to discover which biological components inspire functional solutions to fulfill engineering requirements. Discussion includes general guidelines for modeling biological systems at varying levels of fidelity, advantages, limitations, and applications of this research. The modeling methodology and the first approach for concept generation are illustrated by a continuous example of lichen.

Abstract: There is little in-depth research that can assist designers to use culture as a catalyst for designing innovative products within Botswana’s context. The concept of culture and design are intertwined, thus modifications stemming from cultural evolution both reflect and determine developments in design. The paper discusses an experimental design approach conducted at the University of Botswana and participants challenge was to transform and encode socio-cultural factors into product design features. The paper concludes by discussing a model which has shown one way concerning how to consciously specify, analyse and integrate socio-cultural factors in the design process.

Abstract: This paper assesses the fundamental approaches and main procedures adopted in the seismic design of steel frames, with emphasis on the provisions of Eurocode 8. The study covers moment-resisting as well as concentrically-braced frame configurations. Code requirements in terms of design concepts, behaviour factors, ductility considerations and capacity design verifications, are examined. The rationality and clarity of the design principles employed in Eurocode 8, especially those related to the explicit definitions of dissipative and non dissipative zones and associated capacity design criteria, are highlighted. Various requirements that differ notably from the provisions of other seismic codes are also pointed out. More importantly, several issues that can lead to unintentional departure from performance objectives or to impractical solutions, as a consequence of inherent assumptions or possible misinterpretations, are identified and a number of clarifications and modifications suggested. In particular, it is shown that the implications of stability and drift requirements as well as some capacity design checks in moment frames, together with the treatment of post-buckling response and the distribution of inelastic demand in braced frames, are areas that merit careful consideration within the design process.

Abstract: In this paper, we introduce a new methodology for reasoning about the functional failures during early design of complex systems. The proposed approach is based on the notion that a failure happens when a functional element in the system does not perform its intended task. Accordingly, a functional criticality is defined depending on the role of functionality in accomplishing designed tasks. A simulation-based failure analysis tool is then used to analyze functional failures and reason about their impact on overall system functionality. The analysis results are then integrated into an early stage system architecture analysis framework that analyzes the impact of functional failures and their propagation to guide system-level architectural design decisions. With this method, a multitude of failure scenarios can be quickly analyzed to determine the effects of architectural design decisions on overall system functionality. Using this framework, design teams can systematically explore risks and vulnerabilities during the early (functional design) stage of system development prior to the selection of specific components. Application of the presented method to the design of a representative aerospace electrical power system (EPS) testbed demonstrates these capabilities.

Abstract: The present paper describes the parametric design of a mixed-flow water-jet pump. The pump impeller and diffuser geometries were parameterized by means of an inverse design method, while CFD analyses were performed to assess the hydrodynamic and suction performance of the different design configurations that were investigated. An initial pump design was first generated and used as baseline for the parametric study. The effect of several design parameters was then analyzed in order to determine their effect on the pump performance. The use of a blade parameterization, based on inverse design, led to a major advantage in this study, because the three-dimensional blade shape is described by means of hydrodynamic parameters, such as blade loading, which has a direct impact on the hydrodynamic flow field. On the basis of this study, an optimal configuration was designed with the aim of maximizing the pump suction performance, while at the same time, guaranteeing a high level of hydrodynamic efficiency, together with the required mechanical and vibrational constraints. The final design was experimentally tested, and the good agreement between numerical predictions and experimental results validated the design process. This paper highlights the contrasting requirements in the pump design in order to achieve high hydrodynamic efficiency or good cavitation performance. The parametric study allowed us to determine design guidelines in order to find the optimal compromise in the pump design, in cases where both a high level of efficiency and suction performance must simultaneously be achieved. The design know-how developed in this study is based on flow field analyses and on hydrodynamic design parameters. It has therefore a general validity and can be used for similar design applications.

Abstract: Ultraprecision machines with small footprints or micro-machines are highly desirable for micro-manufacturing high-precision micro-mechanical components. However, the development of the machines is still at the nascent stage by working on an individual machine basis and hence lacks generic scientific approach and design guidelines. Using computer models to predict the dynamic performance of ultraprecision machine tools can help manufacturers substantially reduce the lead time and cost of developing new machines. Furthermore, the machine dynamic performance depends not only upon the mechanical structure and components but also the control system and electronic drives. This paper proposed a holistic integrated dynamic design and modelling approach, which supports analysis and optimization of the overall machine dynamic performance at the early design stage. Based on the proposed approach the modelling and simulation process on a novel 5-axis bench-top ultraprecision micro-milling machine tool – UltraMill – is presented. The modelling and simulation cover the dynamics of the machine structure, moving components, control system and the machining process, and are used to predict the overall machine performance of two typical configurations. Preliminary machining trials have been carried out and provided the evidence of the approach being helpful to assure the machine performing right at the first setup.

Abstract: Multiple power sources in a hybrid vehicle allow for flexible vehicle power-train operations, but also impose kinematic constraints due to component characteristics. This paper presents a design process that enables systematic search and screening through all three major dimensions of hybrid vehicle designs - system configuration, component sizing and control, to achieve optimal performance while satisfying the imposed constraints. An automated dynamic modelling method is first developed which enables the construction of hybrid vehicle model efficiently. A screening process then narrows down to configurations that satisfy drivability and operation constraints. Finally, a design and control optimisation strategy is carried out to obtain the best execution of each configuration. A case study for the design of a power-split hybrid vehicle with optimal fuel economy is used to demonstrate this overall hybrid vehicle design process.

Abstract: Purpose – The increasing “globalisation” and complexity of construction design implies that the project team may involve subcontractors in the construction supply chain from widely distributed geographic areas. Thus communication is a vital process for the design. The aim of the present work is to investigate how construction design under supply chain partnering can be improved through a study of communication issues and problems.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey is initially conducted to investigate communication issues and problems in construction design. Based on the survey results, a case study is carried out to gain further insights into these issues and problems, exploring how the procurement like supply chain partnering influences the multi‐team communications in construction design.Findings – The paper finds that partnering can eliminate many communication barriers and has a positive impact on social collaboration in the design process. It could have a negative impact on the tea...

Abstract: Engineering design is considered a creative field that involves many activities with the end goal of a new product that fulfills a purpose. Utilization of systematic methods or tools that aid in the design process is recognized as standard practice in industry and academia. The tools are used for a number of design activities (i.e., idea generation, concept generation, inspiration searches, functional modeling) and can span across engineering disciplines, the sciences (i.e., biology, chemistry) or a non-engineering domain (i.e., medicine), with an overall focus of encouraging creative engineering designs. Engineers, however, have struggled with utilizing the vast amount of biological information available from the natural world around them. Often it is because there is a knowledge gap or terminology is difficult, and the time needed to learn and understand the biology is not feasible. This paper presents an engineering-to-biology thesaurus that affords engineers, with limited biological background, a tool for leveraging nature’s ingenuity. The thesaurus aids in many steps of the design process and increases the probability of a creative, analogical design. Biological terms in the thesaurus are correlated to the engineering domain through pairing with a synonymous function or flow term of the Functional Basis lexicon, which supports functional modeling and abstract representation of any functioning system. The version of the thesaurus presented in this paper represents an integration of three independent research efforts, which include research from Oregon State University, the University of Toronto, and the Indian Institute of Science, and their industrial partners. The overall approach for term integration and the final results are presented. Applications to the areas of design inspiration, comprehension of biological information, functional modeling, creative design and concept generation are discussed.

Abstract: Existing knowledge-based engineering methodologies offer opportunities for improvement, as the multidisciplinary character of engineering design is not well implemented and as the current methodologies are not optimally substantiated. To better address the integration of multidisciplinary engineering knowledge within a knowledge based engineering (KBE) framework, the KNOMAD methodology has been devised. KNOMAD stands for Knowledge Nurture for Optimal Multidisciplinary Analysis and Design and is a methodology for the analytical utilization, development and evolution of multi-disciplinary engineering knowledge within the design and production realms. The KNOMAD acronym can also be used to highlight KNOMAD's formalized process of: (K)nowledge capture; (N)ormalisation; (O)rganisation; (M)odeling; (A)nalysis; and (D)elivery. These implementation steps are taken and repeated as part of the knowledge life cycle and in this context KNOMAD nurtures the whole Knowledge Management across that life cycle. The main contribution of the paper is to highlight the development of the KNOMAD methodology and to substantiate its individual steps with sufficient detail to support the application of KNOMAD in practice. A discipline-specific case study shows the potential of the KNOMAD methodology.

Abstract: Going beyond isolated research ideas and design experiences, Designing Network On-Chip Architectures in the Nanoscale Era covers the foundations and design methods of network on-chip (NoC) technology. The contributors draw on their own lessons learned to provide strong practical guidance on various design issues. Exploring the design process of the network, the first part of the book focuses on basic aspects of switch architecture and design, topology selection, and routing implementation. In the second part, contributors discuss their experiences in the industry, offering a roadmap to recent products. They describe Tileras TILE family of multicore processors, novel Intel products and research prototypes, and the TRIPS operand network (OPN). The last part reveals state-of-the-art solutions to hardware-related issues and explains how to efficiently implement the programming model at the network interface. In the appendix, the microarchitectural details of two switch architectures targeting multiprocessor system-on-chips (MPSoCs) and chip multiprocessors (CMPs) can be used as an experimental platform for running tests. A stepping stone to the evolution of future chip architectures, this volume provides a how-to guide for designers of current NoCs as well as designers involved with 2015 computing platforms. It cohesively brings together fundamental design issues, alternative design paradigms and techniques, and the main design tradeoffsconsistently focusing on topics most pertinent to real-world NoC designers.

Abstract: To achieve a systematic and holistic analysis and improvement of an engineering design process, the thesis on “A Structural Measurement System for Engineering Design Processes” proposes a measurement system that makes use of complexity metrics to embody various patterns of the interplay of a process’ entities (e.g. tasks, documents, organizational units, etc.). These metrics are used to draw inferences about the process’ behavior (e.g. timeliness, need for communication, risks, etc.). The 52 metrics are supported by a meta-model for process modeling and a framework to select the metrics in accordance with the goals of the process analysis. The metrics embody the foundations of network theory and the management of structural complexity to generate a practice-oriented application.

Abstract: Ideation Decks is a project that explores the development of a methodological tool for design ideation It involves the creation and use of bespoke project-specific card based systems which help to define constrained design problems within a broader overall problem space. Use of this system is intended to support the practice of parallel design by design practitioners, and to help more effectively explore specific problems by aiding in iterative design explorations.