DECISION ANALYSIS FOR OPTIMAL CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF CONCURRENT BRAKE ACTUATOR

Abstract

Enhanced capabilities and customization in designs demand a thorough conceptual design phase for products or equipment. To ensure favorable outcomes, a comprehensive analysis of multiple design concepts is vital. This paper aims to conduct a decision analysis to determine the most suitable design for a concurrent brake actuator (CBA) among a range of alternative design concepts. It presents the development of the conceptual design of the CBA mechanism, which serves as a foundational mechanism design for future CBA development. Four mechanism design concepts were generated by utilizing the expanding curvature contour design, linear contour design, tilted position linear slope, and the nonlinear radius profile of the cam roller. The assessment of potential failures in the CBA concept design was performed by employing the risk priority number (RPN) within the framework of Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA). The data obtained from DFMEA was utilized to conduct thorough analyses of motion and stress performance for each conceptual design using commercial software. Subsequently, the most optimal concept design for the CBA was chosen. This decision was reached by selecting the CBA concept design that achieved the highest score during the evaluation process, which employed a weighted decision matrix. According to the findings, the optimal CBA concept design was determined to be CBA Design B with the highest total score of 102 based on an RPN score is 32 and maximum stress of 3.647 x 104 N/m2. Its expanding linear contour design effectively distributes nonlinear brake force while minimizing failure risk, forming the foundational framework for future CBA development.