Integrating set-based design into cost analysis

Abstract

The Department of Defense science and technology communities seek to improve decision-making capability in analysis of alternatives through implementing model-based engineering early in the design process. Point-based design has been the traditional design method and often converges quickly on a solution that may later require unexpected engineering changes which may impact cost. Set-based design (SBD) considers sets of all possible solutions early in the design phase, and enables down-selecting possibilities to converge to a final solution. When physics-based design, cost, and value models are well integrated, design options can be simultaneously analyzed generating numerous alternatives allowing exploration of a larger tradespace. Using an Army ground vehicle as a platform of study, this research applied the principles of set-based design through integration of an engineering model with a cost model. Stakeholder requirements were integrated to incorporate value into the design tradespace. The process of integrating SBD into the cost, engineering, and value models generated analytical insights of the design alternatives within the tradespace that provides guidance for future integration efforts. By exploring the SBD tradespace, analysts can potentially explore more high-value design solutions along the efficient frontier.