A Tablet Based Application for Teaching Function and Exploring Concept Alternatives During Early Design

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt R. Bohm ◽  
Robert L. Nagel ◽  
Melissa L. Shirley
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Engineering Problem ◽  
Potential Solution ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Design Fixation ◽  
Concept Exploration ◽  
Early Stage Design ◽  
Teaching Function ◽  
And Function ◽  
Initial Concept

This paper describes the design, implementation, and usage of a tablet based application as a mechanism for concept exploration and function realization in early stage design. Specifically, this work reports on the transformation of a methodology, known as Form Follows Form, into an interactive, multi-touch iPad application that can be used to explore concept alternatives and as tool to increase student awareness and recognition of functionality. Users are able to specify an initial concept to an engineering problem by dragging, dropping, and connecting basic components that they envision as a potential solution. The application then leverages a database of reverse engineered products and algorithms to abstract the underlying functionality of the user specified solution. Students can use the abstracted functionality as a baseline for generating concept alternatives on their own, and also, explore concept and component alternatives suggested by the application. The goal of the application is to reduce design fixation and to provide multiple approaches for concept exploration activities.

Integrating Function- and Affordance-Based Design Representations

2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin T. Ciavola ◽  
Chunlong Wu ◽  
John K. Gershenson
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Function Concept ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Traditional Function ◽  
Design Representations ◽  
Early Stage Design ◽  
And Function

In this paper, we explore the possibility of reconciling and integrating practical affordance- and function-based design representations. We present a classic function-based design method and representation and argue for the benefits of augmenting it with affordance-based approaches. Building on existing function concept ontologies, we present an integrated approach to developing early-stage design representations. This approach combines the use of affordance and function representations to capture user needs across a device's life cycle. We demonstrate how affordances add rigor and expressiveness to the early stages of traditional design processes, and how traditional function-based tools provide affordance-based design (ABD) with structured methods for concept generation. The integrated approach is illustrated with an example, in which a use case is explicitly decomposed to demonstrate the structure of relationships between users, goals, actions, artifacts, functions, and affordances.

scholarly journals Toward Automated Functional Modeling: An Association Rules Approach for Mining the Relationship between Product Components and Function

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1713-1722
Author(s):  
Melissa Tensa ◽  
Katherine Edmonds ◽  
Vincenzo Ferrero ◽  
Alex Mikes ◽  
Nicolas Soria Zurita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Product Performance ◽  
Design Knowledge ◽  
Product Modeling ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Design Activities ◽  
Early Stage Design ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Early Phases

AbstractThe objective of this research is to support DfX considerations in the early phases of design. In order to do conduct DfX, designers need access to pertinent downstream knowledge that is keyed to early stage design activities and problem knowledge. Product functionality is one such “key” connection between early understanding of the design problem and component choices which dictate product performance and impact, and repositories of design knowledge are one way to archive such design knowledge. However, curation of design knowledge is often a time-consuming activity requiring expertise in product modeling. In this paper, we explore a method to automate the populating of design repositories to support the overall goal of having up-to-date repositories of product design knowledge. To do this, we mine information from an existing repository to better understand the relationships between the components, functions, and flows of products. The resulting knowledge can be applied to automate functional decompositions once a product's components have been entered and thus reliably provide that “key” between early design activities and the later, component dependent characteristics.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Risk and Function Information in Early Stage Design

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Van Wie ◽  
Katie Grantham ◽  
Robert Stone ◽  
Francesca Barrientos ◽  
Irem Tumer
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Relevance Theory ◽  
Risk Information ◽  
Design Team ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Common Thread ◽  
Concept Of Function ◽  
Early Stage Design ◽  
And Function ◽  
Function Information

The concept of function offers a high potential for thinking and reasoning about designs as well as providing a common thread for relating together other design information. This paper focuses specifically on risk data by examining how this information is addressed for a design team conducting early stage design for space missions. Sample risk information is decomposed into a set of key attributes which are then used to scrutinize the risk information using three approaches from the pragmatics sub-field of linguistics: i) Gricean, ii) Relevance Theory, and iii) Functional Analysis. Based on the deficiencies identified in this analysis, the concepts of functional templates and a risk worksheet are used to suggest corrective actions for improving treatment of risk data by explicitly accounting for five risk attributes developed in this work.

scholarly journals A COMPARISON OF STRUCTURED LIGHT SCANNING AND PHOTOGRAMMETRY FOR THE DIGITISATION OF PHYSICAL PROTOTYPES

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 11-20
Author(s):  
Owen Freeman Gebler ◽  
Mark Goudswaard ◽  
Ben Hicks ◽  
David Jones ◽  
Aydin Nassehi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Structured Light ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Specific Design ◽  
Model Quality ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Structured Light Scanning ◽  
Early Stage Design

AbstractPhysical prototyping during early stage design typically represents an iterative process. Commonly, a single prototype will be used throughout the process, with its form being modified as the design evolves. If the form of the prototype is not captured as each iteration occurs understanding how specific design changes impact upon the satisfaction of requirements is challenging, particularly retrospectively.In this paper two different systems for digitising physical artefacts, structured light scanning (SLS) and photogrammetry (PG), are investigated as means for capturing iterations of physical prototypes. First, a series of test artefacts are presented and procedures for operating each system are developed. Next, artefacts are digitised using both SLS and PG and resulting models are compared against a master model of each artefact. Results indicate that both systems are able to reconstruct the majority of each artefact's geometry within 0.1mm of the master, however, overall SLS demonstrated superior performance, both in terms of completion time and model quality. Additionally, the quality of PG models was far more influenced by the effort and expertise of the user compared to SLS.

scholarly journals Multi-objective Early-stage Design of Automotive Hybrid Assembly Lines

Procedia CIRP ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 125-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Colledani ◽  
L. Bolognese ◽  
D. Ceglarek ◽  
F. Franchini ◽  
C. Marine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Hybrid Assembly ◽  
Assembly Lines ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Multi Objective ◽  
Early Stage Design

Some Guidance for Hull Form Selection for SWATH Ships

1988 ◽  
Vol 25 (04) ◽  
pp. 239-252
Author(s):  
G. Robed Lamb
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
The United States ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Hull Form ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Seakeeping Performance ◽  
The World ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Early Stage Design

Even though in 1987 there were only a dozen SWATH (smali-waterplane-area twin-hull) craft and ships afloat around the world, word of their markedly superior seakeeping performance is spreading rapidly. The number of SWATH vessels is likely to double within five years. As in many other areas of technology, the United States and Japan are the acknowledged leaders in the development and practical application of the SWATH concept. This paper reviews the characteristics of existing SWATH craft and ships from the standpoint of the stated seakeeping objective. Hull form differences between four SWATH craft and ships, including the Navy's SSP Kairnalino, are analyzed and interpreted. Important considerations for the early-stage design of a SWATH ship are discussed. Differences in the range of feasible hull form geometries for coastal areas and unrestricted ocean operations, and for low-speed versus moderately high-speed applications, are pointed out.

Selecting a Compressor Meridional Topology: Axial, Mixed, Radial

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan M. Smyth ◽  
Robert J. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Design Optimization ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
New Products ◽  
Systems Design ◽  
Blade Design ◽  
Improved Method ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Specific Speed ◽  
Early Stage Design ◽  
Smith Chart

Abstract This paper proposes a new duty-based Smith Chart as part of an improved method of selecting the geometric topology of compressors (axial, mixed or radial) in the earliest stage of design. The method has a number of advantages over previous methods: it is based on the non-dimensional flow and the non-dimensional work, which aligns with the aerodynamic function of the compressor and is therefore more intuitive than specific speed and specific diameter. It is based on a large number of consistently designed compressor rotors which have been computationally predicted using RANS CFD. Most importantly, it provides the designer not only with a choice of topology but also with the complete meridional geometry of the compressor, its blade design and the number of blades. This fidelity of geometry at the very early stage of design allows the designer to undertake a true systems design optimization (noise, manufacturing, packaging constraints and cost). This has the major advantage of significantly reducing early stage design times and costs and allows the designer to explore completely new products more quickly.

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