A Web Centric Architecture for Deploying Multi-Disciplinary Engineering Design Processes
Scott Woyak, Hongman Kim, James Mullins, and Jaroslaw Sobieszczanski-Sobieski
Abstract
There are continuous needs for engineering organizations to improve their design process. Current state of the art techniques use computational simulations to predict design performance, and optimize it through advanced design methods. These tools have been used mostly by individual engineers. This paper presents an architecture for achieving results at an organization level beyond individual level. The next set of gains in process improvement will come from improving the effective use of computers and software within a whole organization, not just for an individual. The architecture takes advantage of state of the art capabilities to produce a Web based system to carry engineering design into the future. To illustrate deployment of the architecture, a case study for implementing advanced multidisciplinary design optimization processes such as Bi-Level Integrated System Synthesis is discussed. Another example for rolling-out a design process for Design for Six Sigma is also described. Each example explains how an organization can effectively infuse engineering practice with new design methods and retain the knowledge over time.
Introduction
The need to improve the engineering design process is a never ending challenge. Whether the goals are to improve the quality of a design, or to reduce the amount of time required to do design, the desire to get better always exists. In the 70’s and 80’s computers moved into the design process as a required engineering tool. Initial applications involved modeling physical phenomena to better predict the performance of a design and to reduce the need for costly prototype testing. It is now common place to simulate a design before building it.
The existence of many engineering analysis tools led to a first generation of process improvement: the application of integration and optimization technologies. Integration tools automated multiple engineering codes so that multidisciplinary impacts could be better understood. Optimization tools used sophisticated algorithms to help speed the design space search process to reveal potentially unintuitive designs.
Today, there are now multiple integration and optimization solutions commercially available. For example, ModelCenter provides a flexible framework to create an integrated design model and perform design optimization studies. When applied correctly, these tools have each demonstrated proven results. While these tools continue to evolve and improve, the second generation of process improvement will come from other sources. The challenges today are about improving organizational efficiencies beyond improvement of individual efficiencies. To this end, the areas where an organization can benefit the most are:
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