Aerospace Product Development Research Articles

Application of AHP in Aerospace Configuration Management

Aerospace products undergo frequent modifications throughout their product life cycle due to changes in requirements, technology, policy or environmental concerns. These modifications/changes are dealt with through configuration management (CM), which is a techno-managerial function. Conflicting interests of teams involved, complexity due to a long product life cycle spanning over years, R&D nature and techno-political compromises often end up in sub-optimal decisions during aerospace product development. In this article, an attempt is made to apply a scientific method to CM decision-making rather than leave it to techno-political compromises. The CM decision-making is modelled as a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem and is solved using analytic hierarchy process (AHP). As an example, the CM change proposal on propellant tank material in aerospace is taken up and solved using the model. The authors believe that results of the study will also pave way for substitute development with improved attributes, realized through advances in technologies such as nanotechnology and additive manufacturing, as mentioned in directions for future research.

A Breakdown of System of Systems Needs Using Architecture Frameworks, Ontologies and Description Logic Reasoning

Aerospace systems are connected with the operational environment and other systems in general. The focus in aerospace product development is consequently shifting from a singular system perspective to a System-of-Systems (SoS) perspective. This increasing complexity gives rise to new levels of uncertainty that must be understood and managed to produce aerospace solutions for an ever-changing future. This paper presents an approach to using architecture frameworks, and ontologies with description logic reasoning capabilities, to break down SoS needs into required capabilities and functions. The intention of this approach is to provide a consistent way of obtaining the functions to be realized in order to meet the overarching capabilities and needs of an SoS. The breakdown with an architecture framework results in an initial design space representation of functions to be performed. The captured knowledge is then represented in an ontology with description logic reasoning capabilities, which provides a more flexible way to expand and process the initial design space representation obtained from the architecture framework. The proposed approach is ultimately tested in a search and rescue case study, partly based on the operations of the Swedish Maritime Administration. The results show that it is possible to break down SoS needs in a consistent way and that ontology with description logic reasoning can be used to process the captured knowledge to both expand and reduce an available design space representation.

Proposal of a New Evaluation Method for System Integration Maturity

System integration plays an important role in the aerospace product development, especially in the development of commercial aircraft as large-scale and complex system. We describe and study the definition and importance of system integration. In the present technical note, we evaluate the effectiveness of conventionally proposed evaluation indices for technology readiness and system integration maturity, etc. and propose a new Maturity Index for System Integration, SIML (System Integration Maturity Level).

EVTOL Vehicleに適したハイブリッド開発プロセスの提案

System integration plays an important role in the aerospace product development, especially in the development of commercial aircraft as a large-scale and complex system. eVTOL vehicle that attracts attention as a new aircraft development program these days is a small and concise system compared to the commercial aircraft. The development of eVTOL vehicle greatly differs from the development of conventional commercial aircraft in various aspects of development. In addition to clarifying its characteristics and differences, the waterfall-agile hybrid development processes suitable for eVTOL vehicle is proposed in this technical note.

New Framework for Effort and Time Drivers in Aerospace Product Development Projects

Product development projects, especially in the aerospace industry, still suffer from significant cost and schedule overruns. Many researchers and scientists focused first on process and tools to shorten the time and reduce the cost of new product development projects. The results were far from resolving this issue. Thus, the focus was reoriented toward enhancing the accuracy of estimates. Thereby, a large number of research papers were published regarding effort and time estimation in new product development. Most of them are modeling based on the use of some specific drivers for estimation matter. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no rules or frameworks about which drivers are relevant to use and which are not. This paper proposes a new and original framework that characterizes and organizes effort and time drivers in aerospace product development. The aim is to identify and support the understanding of most relevant drivers for aerospace product development effort and time. The framework was developed based on an extensive literature review and a postmortem analysis of cost and time overruns of a significant product development program in the aerospace industry. The final list of the frameworks’ drivers was validated and refined using a survey. Results suggested that, beside risks and uncertainty, technologies maturity, degree of change in design, ambiguity of requirements, functional decompositions, severity of standards, process overlapping and variety of key stakeholders drive effort and time as complexity drivers while processes maturity, experience with technology, risk management, change management, level of trust in suppliers and team skills drive effort and time as proficiency drivers.

A holistic engineering approach to aeronautical product development

ABSTRACTProduct development, especially in aerospace, has become more and more interconnected with its operational environment. In a constant changing world, the operational environment will be subjected to changes during the life cycle of the product. The operational environment will be affected by not only technical and non-technical perturbations, but also economical, managerial and regulatory decisions, thus requiring a more global product development approach. One way to try tackling such complex and intertwined problem advocates studying the envisioned product or system in the context of system of systems (SoS) engineering. SoSs are all around us, probably in any field of engineering, ranging from integrated transport systems, public infrastructure systems to modern homes equipped with sensors and smart appliances; from cities filling with autonomous vehicle to defence systems.Since also aerospace systems are certainly affected, this work will present a holistic approach to aerospace product development that tries spanning from needs to technology assessment. The proposed approach will be presented and analysed and key enablers and future research directions will be highlighted from an interdisciplinary point of view. Consideration of the surrounding world will require to look beyond classical engineering disciplines.

United States – Conditional Tax Incentives for Large Civil Aircraft (US–Tax Incentives), DS487

The dispute concerns tax incentives granted by the state of Washington in the United States (US) pursuant to the tax-related provisions of the Revised Code of Washington. Nine tax-related provisions incentives were adopted to attract the production of large civil aircraft in that state. The State of Washington adopted seven aerospace measures corresponding to the nine tax-related provisions. The aerospace measures fell into three general categories of measures: a reduced tax rate, tax credits, and tax exemptions, which included the following (i) reduced corporate tax rates for aircraft manufacturers and retailers (B&O aerospace rate); (ii) tax credits for property and leasehold excise taxes on computer manufacturing facilitates and aerospace product development; and (iii) exemptions of sales and use tax for certain computer hardware, software and peripherals and construction services and materials, and leasehold excise tax and leaseholder property tax. According to the European Union (EU), the measures at issue are prohibited under Article 3.1(b) and 3.2 of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM Agreement) because they are contingent on the use of domestic over imported goods. This contingency results from two siting provisions: the First Siting Provision and the Second Siting Provision, which are contained in Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5952 (ESSB 5952).

A new paradigm for virtual knowledge sharing in product development based on emergent social software platforms

The UK Government considers its Aerospace Industry a remarkable success story, enjoying a global market share of 17% in 2015. The capture, management and sharing of employee knowledge is seen as vital if the industry is to remain highly innovative and retain its pre-eminent position internationally. Aerospace manufacturers, such as BAE Systems, often have to re-engineer business processes routinely to ensure their survival. Knowledge sharing in the industry is seen as challenging due to the dispersed nature of its operations and multi-tier supply chains. This article, through a 5-year participant-observation study at the World’s second largest aerospace and defence organisation, BAE Systems, proposes a new paradigm for virtual knowledge sharing in dispersed aerospace product development based on emergent social software platforms such as Enterprise 2.0 technologies. The developed framework and methodologies are applied to the bespoke BAE Systems’ engineering lifecycle process to validate its effectiveness with results indicating that Enterprise 2.0 technologies offer a more openly innovative environment in which employees may share and interact with knowledge more effectively and easily across geographical and functional boundaries, compared with conventional engineering information systems.

An interpretative model from the elasticity theory to explore knowledge integration in new product development

This paper presents a conceptual model to explore the knowledge integration (KI) practices of internal and external company actors involved in the New Product Development (NPD) process of the aerospace industry. The model is based on the linkage of elasticity principles, particularly Hooke’s Law, to Knowledge Management theory. KI practices are considered as a force pushing the NPD process and are metaphorically described as the spring addressed by Hooke’s law. The integration of the knowledge of internal and external company actors impacts NPD, reducing the dimensions of the whole process, in terms of phases, through the application of the concurrent engineering approach. The whole NPD process is improved in terms of the reduction of uncertainty and complexity, and with an ‘integrated energy’ that sustains the pressure of the fast-changing competitive environment. The model is explored to provide an interpretation of the conceptualisation phase of a new aerospace product development process. Qualitative data were collected and analysed. Insights regarding the applications of the model and the theoretical implications are also provided for applications in other industries.

Change Control of Key Capability Factors in Product Research and Development

Change control is considered as the prime power and obstruction of growth. During product research and development, it is difficult to avoid various engineering changes (ECs). Appropriate control of ECs can improve the design and quality of products. This study examines aerospace products from development to production over 17 years including 1180 cases of EC. We use statistical methods to analyze the central and dispersion tendency of the products research and development and then test it to find which key capability factors are important to EC. Some required ECs for a typical aerospace product development are investigated. In this study, key factors for aerospace products are classified into nine categories: Structure, subsystem, electrics, control, electronics, interface, manufacture, engine and others. The results show that the life cycle of electronic parts and time to implement ECs is four to seven years and the electronics manufacturer must improve risk management in product research and development stages to reduce engineering changes effectively. Further, a regression model is developed to recompose integrated planning for controlling the cost and scheduling. Thus, the communication of various designs and the control of ECs can be improved in the initial stages of product research and development.

A Knowledge Maturity Model for Aerospace Product Development

At present, China's aerospace product development mission are characterized by mammoth task and high responsibility, in which situation, the role of knowledge in business process is particularly prominent. Although we have realized the importance of the problem, and embarked on the accumulation job, the problem faced is that we lack the criteria to judge our harvest, which spontaneously caused that we cannot define the quality and practical value of accumulated knowledge. Focusing of above problems, the paper puts forward a knowledge maturity model for aerospace product development, which divides knowledge maturity into 6 levels according to development process. Criteria of each level as well as translation condition to next grade is elaborated, assessment note is specially stated, aiming at offering enterprises a potent method for knowledge system construction and evaluation.

Assessment of 3D Annotation Tools as a Substitute for 2D Traditional Engineering Drawings in Aerospace Product Development

Computer-Aided Design and Applications is an international journal on the applications of CAD and CAM. It publishes papers in the general domain of CAD plus in emerging fields like bio-CAD, nano-CAD, soft-CAD, garment-CAD, PLM, PDM, CAD data mining, CAD and the internet, CAD education, genetic algorithms and CAD engines. The journal is aimed at all developers and users of CAD technology to ptovide CAD solutions for various stages of design and manufacturing. The journal publishes all about Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided technologies.

Cumulative global metamodels with uncertainty — a tool for aerospace integration

AbstractThe integration of multidisciplinary data is key to supporting decisions during the development of aerospace products. Multidimensional metamodels can be automatically constructed using limited experimental or numerical data, including data from heterogeneous sources. Recent progress in multidimensional response surface technology, for example, provides the ability to interpolate between sparse data points in a multidimensional parameter space. These analytical representations act as surrogates that are based on and complement higher fidelity models and/or experiments, and can include technical data from multiple fidelity levels and multiple disciplines. Most importantly, these representations can be constructed on-the-fly and are cumulatively enriched as more data become available. The purpose of the present paper is to highlight applications of these cumulative global metamodels (CGM), their ease of construction, and the role they can play in aerospace integration. A simple metamodel implementation based on a radial basis function network is presented. This model generalises multidimensional data while simultaneously furnishing an estimate of the uncertainty on the prediction. Four examples are discussed. The first two illustrate the efficiency of surrogate-based design/optimisation. The third applies CGM concepts to a data fusion application. The last example is used to visualise extrapolation uncertainty, based on computational fluid dynamics data.

Journey to lean [lean practices in aerospace product development

Grouping people by project rather than discipline reduces the classic lean waste 'unnecessary motion' where engineers and information are moving to and fro unnecessarily. This article outlines Smith's Aerospace move to lean practices in their product development department. An illustrative example presents a hardware design engineer working yards away from the production team while located close by are software engineers, programme management and manufacturing engineering.

Performance measurement experiences in aerospace product development processes

In engineering companies, intensified competition has increased interest in effective performance measurement particularly in manufacturing operations. More recently, it has been realised that significant potential for improving competitiveness may well be available by applying suitable measures to the more complex world of new product development (NPD). In this article, five case studies are presented showing how major aerospace companies are tackling this issue and some of the problems and benefits they have encountered. It was found that performance measurement's role was not confined to simple reactive monitoring but extended to a proactive mechanism for disseminating strategy and changing organisational culture. However, the measures used, in the main, focused on project/programme performance, in particular cost and lead-time metrics; and quality in terms of design errors or re-work. Measures for risk reduction, innovation, and design re-use were lacking. These issues need to be addressed too, to enable companies develop effective, innovative and risk free products or services.

2.5.3 Product Development Interrelationships

AbstractProduct development processes are driven by a tradeoff between customer, developer and market forces. Commercial consumer product development is very sensitive to market conditions and efforts to increase market share. Defense and aerospace product development is more sensitive to the government customer desire to manage cost, time and schedule of the development effort and to advance the technology. This paper examines the lessons learned from both the commercial and defense product development experiences and presents a unified approach that will respond to any combination of product development issues.

Supplier knowledge exchange in aerospace product engineering

With the high level of outsourcing in aerospace engineering and manufacture, the effective use of knowledge across the supply chain is acknowledged to be crucial to the success of any projects. “Knowledge”, however, may have different meanings and context. Presents a view of the supplier knowledge in relation to the product engineering process. The different types of supplier knowledge in the five key stages of the aerospace product development process are explained. An existing joint supplier improvement information system is used to illustrate best practice in supply‐base management. Tools that could be used in the different modes of supplier involvement are briefly introduced. Represents part of the results of three industrial research projects that interacted with the supply bases of two large British aerospace companies.