FunctionCAD: A Functional Modeling Application Based on the Function Design Framework

Author(s):  
Robert L. Nagel ◽  
Kenneth L. Perry ◽  
Robert B. Stone ◽  
Daniel A. McAdams

This paper presents a functional modeling application, FunctionCAD, based on integrated functional and process modeling within the Function Design Framework. FunctionCAD provides for mixed, hierarchical models of environment, process and function with relationships represented via flows of material, energy and signal. This paper discusses the technical details of the FunctionCAD software including its two major components: (1) the library, libFCAD, for handling the internal representation of the model and (2) the GUI for user-based model manipulation and visualization. The application of FunctionCAD within a computational, function-based conceptual design process is discussed along with the plugin manager and interface that have been developed as a part of the FunctionCAD software to allow interconnectivity with existing conceptual design tools. And finally, a detailed description of model creation within the FunctionCAD environment is provided to illustrate software operability.

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 3219-3228
Author(s):  
Koray Benli ◽  
Jonathan Luntz ◽  
Diann Brei ◽  
Wonhee Kim ◽  
Paul Alexander ◽  
...  

AbstractPneumatically activated systems enable myriad types of highly functional inflatables employing a wide range of architectural approaches affecting their form and function, making systematic conceptual design difficult. A new architectural class of pneumatically activated systems, constrained layer inflatable systems, consists of hierarchically architected flat layers of thin airtight bladders that are internally and/or externally constrained to generate a variety of functionalities. The highly hierarchical architectural structure of constrained layer inflatable systems coincides with the hierarchy of produced functions, providing an opportunity for the development of a functional architectural decomposition, capturing the inherent relationship between architectural and functional hierarchies. The basis of the approach is conveyed through the design of an example constrained layer inflatable system. This approach empowers the systematic understanding of the interrelated architectural and functional breakdown of constrained layer inflatable systems, enabling designers to iteratively analyze, synthesize, and re-synthesize the components of the system improving existing designs and exploring new concepts.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Gelman ◽  
Philip A. Romero ◽  
Anthony Gitter

ABSTRACTThe mapping from protein sequence to function is highly complex, making it challenging to predict how sequence changes will affect a protein’s behavior and properties. We present a supervised deep learning framework to learn the sequence-function mapping from deep mutational scanning data and make predictions for new, uncharacterized sequence variants. We test multiple neural network architectures, including a graph convolutional network that incorporates protein structure, to explore how a network’s internal representation affects its ability to learn the sequence-function mapping. Our supervised learning approach displays superior performance over physics-based and unsupervised prediction methods. We find networks that capture nonlinear interactions and share parameters across sequence positions are important for learning the relationship between sequence and function. Further analysis of the trained models reveals the networks’ ability to learn biologically meaningful information about protein structure and mechanism. Our software is available from https://github.com/gitter-lab/nn4dms.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 263310552092341
Author(s):  
Claudia Lodovichi

A unique feature in the organization of the olfactory system is the dual role of the odorant receptors: they detect odors in the nasal epithelium and they play an instructive role in the convergence of olfactory sensory neuron axons in specific loci, ie, glomeruli, in the olfactory bulb. The dual role is corroborated by the expression of the odorant receptors in 2 specific locations of the olfactory sensory neurons: the cilia that protrude in the nostril, where the odorant receptors interact with odors, and the axon terminal, a suitable location for a potential axon guidance molecule. The mechanism of activation and function of the odorant receptors expressed at the axon terminal remained unknown for almost 20 years. A recent study identified the first putative ligand of the axonal odorant receptors, phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein1, a molecule expressed in the olfactory bulb. The distinctive mechanisms of activation of the odorant receptors expressed at the opposite locations in sensory neurons, by odors, at the cilia, and by molecules expressed in the olfactory bulb, at the axon terminal, explain the dual role of the odorant receptors and link the specificity of odor perception with its internal representation, in the topographic map.


Procedia CIRP ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 72 ◽  
pp. 586-591
Author(s):  
Haibo Hong ◽  
Zhenhua Jiang ◽  
Yuehong Yin

Author(s):  
Timothy F. Miller

An unfortunate aspect of engineering education in general, and turbomachinery education in specific, has been the difficulty of incorporating the design aspect of instruction with the time-consuming components that make up theoretical instruction. The primary reason for this difficulty is the extremely limited time (typically three months) allocated to teach turbomachinery as a senior-level quarter or semester technical elective. It is desirable to develop an educational design tool that can be simultaneously exercised by a student to perform various design tasks and function as a means of theoretical instruction. Such a tool can permit the students both greater depth and breadth of exposure and may be subsequently used by the students in their future capacity as professional engineers. In this paper, this tool is illustrated by several applications of a commercial “graphical spreadsheet” software package (MathCAD, though others such as Mathmatica and Macsyma are appropriate as well). Some graphical spreadsheet design tools are presented, and these tools are applied to the analysis and design of a radial pump, centrifugal compressor, and radial-inflow turbine.


Author(s):  
Manish Verma ◽  
Hui Dong ◽  
William H. Wood

Design for Manufacture (DfM) tends to explore only a small space of possible designs toward improving manufacturability. By focusing primarily on detailed geometry, DfM tends to recommend incremental changes. This paper presents a methodology that begins at the conceptual design stage, applying functional modeling to the generation of design configurations. These functional abstractions are merged with real part geometry toward generating potentially manufacturable design skeletons. The direct connection from function to manufacturable form afforded by this method allows the designer to make better-informed design decisions at the earliest stages of the design process.


Author(s):  
James L. Greer ◽  
Michael E. Stock ◽  
Robert B. Stone ◽  
Kristin L. Wood

A standard naming convention for mechanical parts is proposed in this paper. We refer to this naming convention as the component basis. The component basis is a first step at classifying an exhaustive list of human-made mechanical transmission artifacts as functional forms, geometric shapes, simple machines, and natural forms. The proposed component basis provides a framework for the development of a suite of computational conceptual design tools. This suite of design tools includes a function-based computational concept generator and a product evolution methodology.


Author(s):  
H. V. Darbinyan

Mechanism and function formalization problem is touched in a novel task based conceptual mechanical design method. The general concept and a specific application of this method were reported in earlier publications. Direct dependence between the function and mechanism, identical synthesis tools for various stages of design and for various mechanical objects are the features making the suggested method advantageously different from existing concept design approaches. The core idea of suggested conceptual design method is the direct relation between challenged function and the mechanical entity which is in charge of implementing the requested function. The existing task based conceptual design methods are not satisfying the designer’s needs for scope of application, universality of design means, visualization and formalization of both mechanical and functional fields. Formalization of functions and mechanisms is an important design tool that will facilitate synthesis, analyzes, visualization and archiving (data base creating) processes of mechanical development. Further progress in unveiling the resources of the suggested design method is mostly based on development of formalization means for both categories of functions and mechanisms. The current study is unveiling newly developed function and mechanism description language that is helping to formalize both mechanical and functional categories facilitating their involvement in design process and making the description of a new product’s mechanical development easy and understandable. Function formalization in conjunction with mechanism formalization allows to formulate precisely the design task and concentrate the designer’s attention on solution of a single task strictly arranged in the hierarchical function tree of all involved tasks and functions.


1980 ◽  
Vol 102 (3) ◽  
pp. 469-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Johnson ◽  
G. N. Vanderplaats ◽  
P. J. Marto

Computer codes for the analysis of marine steam condensers were coupled with a numerical optimization code to provide fully automated design. The resulting programs are excellent design tools for the conceptual design of a condenser to meet specified constraints. Examples illustrate the versatility of this method.


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