scholarly journals Implementation of Component-based Simulation Support Tool for Conceptual Design

10.14311/504 ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Brandejský

Presented paper speaks about the problem of conceptual design stage simulation support. Simulation support is a very useful part of conceptual design system due to capability to verify ideas in early design stages. The problem excluding classical simulation tools is lack of information about designed device, is inconsistency and uncertainty. Thus specialised tool must be developed. The component-oriented editor of component descriptions and models is presented. This tool enables to describe components not only in terms of algebraic equations, but also by fuzzy rules. The problem of dynamic work with uncertainty representation during simulation and design processes is also solved. Presented tool also differentiates from standard tools like Mathematica or Matlab in its ability to work with component-based models, where each component is described from many aspects and only few of them are valid in concrete use. The tool must be able to select relations relevant in concrete simulation task and omit the rest. 

Author(s):  
Alberto Omar Vazquez-Hernandez

The conceptual design is an important stage of the engineering process of any floating production system. This design stage takes into account the specific site conditions and production requirements to find a feasible technical alternative of the system characteristics, from which in the next engineering stage the structure is improved. Among the basic characteristics of a floating production system are the hull main dimensions, which have to meet the production and stability requirements, as well as the mooring system characteristic. The mooring system definition mainly depends on the water depth, hull dimensions and the environmental site conditions. The environmental conditions are different from site to site, where in some sites around the world harsh conditions like hurricanes or typhoons may occur. Therefore, in the dimensioning of the mooring system such environmental conditions have to be considered. In the case of Gulf of Mexico, hurricane conditiones have presented a risk to the oil and gas existing facilities as it is evident on the severe damages and failures they have provoked in some cases. The present study aims to consider a computational tool that takes into account in the conceptual design stage a data base of hurricane conditions in Gulf of Mexico, as well as the production and site requirements so that to carry out the basic sizing of hull and mooring systems. The tool also considers a data base considering different hull sizes (wave force coefficients) and mooring materials to estimate the environmental loads and the mooring system design.


1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaw C. Feng ◽  
Y. Zhang

Abstract Conceptual process planning is an activity for designers to evaluate manufacturability and the manufacturing cost in the early design stage for mechanical parts production. Since major manufacturing costs of a product are committed in product specification and design, it is critical to be able to assess manufacturability and cost as early as possible in the design process. At the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Design and Process Planning Integration (DPPI) project addresses the need for improving communication between conceptual design and conceptual process planning activities. Documenting the DPPI foundation, this paper provides a definition of conceptual process planning and describes its functions in an activity model. Also, this paper describes the conceptual process planning prototype system that has been implemented and integrated with a conceptual design system. The prototype system validates the definition, the activity model, and the integration between process planning and design in the early product development stage.


2006 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 170-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Koishi ◽  
Z. Shida

Abstract Since tires carry out many functions and many of them have tradeoffs, it is important to find the combination of design variables that satisfy well-balanced performance in conceptual design stage. To find a good design of tires is to solve the multi-objective design problems, i.e., inverse problems. However, due to the lack of suitable solution techniques, such problems are converted into a single-objective optimization problem before being solved. Therefore, it is difficult to find the Pareto solutions of multi-objective design problems of tires. Recently, multi-objective evolutionary algorithms have become popular in many fields to find the Pareto solutions. In this paper, we propose a design procedure to solve multi-objective design problems as the comprehensive solver of inverse problems. At first, a multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) is employed to find the Pareto solutions of tire performance, which are in multi-dimensional space of objective functions. Response surface method is also used to evaluate objective functions in the optimization process and can reduce CPU time dramatically. In addition, a self-organizing map (SOM) proposed by Kohonen is used to map Pareto solutions from high-dimensional objective space onto two-dimensional space. Using SOM, design engineers see easily the Pareto solutions of tire performance and can find suitable design plans. The SOM can be considered as an inverse function that defines the relation between Pareto solutions and design variables. To demonstrate the procedure, tire tread design is conducted. The objective of design is to improve uneven wear and wear life for both the front tire and the rear tire of a passenger car. Wear performance is evaluated by finite element analysis (FEA). Response surface is obtained by the design of experiments and FEA. Using both MOGA and SOM, we obtain a map of Pareto solutions. We can find suitable design plans that satisfy well-balanced performance on the map called “multi-performance map.” It helps tire design engineers to make their decision in conceptual design stage.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3469
Author(s):  
Ji Han ◽  
Pingfei Jiang ◽  
Peter R. N. Childs

Although products can contribute to ecosystems positively, they can cause negative environmental impacts throughout their life cycles, from obtaining raw material, production, and use, to end of life. It is reported that most negative environmental impacts are decided at early design phases, which suggests that the determination of product sustainability should be considered as early as possible, such as during the conceptual design stage, when it is still possible to modify the design concept. However, most of the existing concept evaluation methods or tools are focused on assessing the feasibility or creativity of the concepts generated, lacking the measurements of sustainability of concepts. The paper explores key factors related to sustainable design with regard to environmental impacts, and describes a set of objective measures of sustainable product design concept evaluation, namely, material, production, use, and end of life. The rationales of the four metrics are discussed, with corresponding measurements. A case study is conducted to demonstrate the use and effectiveness of the metrics for evaluating product design concepts. The paper is the first study to explore the measurement of product design sustainability focusing on the conceptual design stage. It can be used as a guideline to measure the level of sustainability of product design concepts to support designers in developing sustainable products. Most significantly, it urges the considerations of sustainability design aspects at early design phases, and also provides a new research direction in concept evaluation regarding sustainability.


Author(s):  
Nishesh Jain ◽  
Esfand Burman ◽  
Dejan Mumovic ◽  
Mike Davies

To manage the concerns regarding the energy performance gap in buildings, a structured and longitudinal performance assessment of buildings, covering design through to operation, is necessary. Modelling can form an integral part of this process by ensuring that a good practice design stage modelling is followed by an ongoing evaluation of operational stage performance using a robust calibration protocol. In this paper, we demonstrate, via a case study of an office building, how a good practice design stage model can be fine-tuned for operational stage using a new framework that helps validate the causes for deviations of actual performance from design intents. This paper maps the modelling based process of tracking building performance from design to operation, identifying the various types of performance gaps. Further, during the operational stage, the framework provides a systematic way to separate the effect of (i) operating conditions that are driven by the building’s actual function and occupancy as compared with the design assumptions, and (ii) the effect of potential technical issues that cause underperformance. As the identification of issues is based on energy modelling, the process requires use of advanced and well-documented simulation tools. The paper concludes with providing an outline of the software platform requirements needed to generate robust design models and their calibration for operational performance assessments. Practical application The paper’s findings are a useful guide for building industry professionals to manage the performance gap with appropriate accuracy through a robust methodology in an easy to use workflow. The methodological framework to analyse building energy performance in-use links best practice design stage modelling guidance with a robust operational stage investigation. It helps designers, contractors, building managers and other stakeholders with an understanding of procedures to follow to undertake an effective measurement and verification exercise.


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