Integrated Engineering Design Research Articles

Resolving Conflict in Problem‐Solving: Systems of Artefacts in the Development of New Routines

abstractThis paper argues that, in order to understand the development process of new routines, we have to look at the emergence of systems of artefacts rather than at individual artefacts in isolation. The paper proposes a typology of artefacts understood as material objects that are the product of human activity and analyses their interactions in the case of an integrated engineering design consultancy engaged in the effort of developing a new bidding routine. The evidence from the case study shows that agents reinforce and extend the patterns of action that individual artefacts support by bundling different types of artefacts, and that in so doing, they extend the reach and influence of the community to which they belong. This study shows that the problem‐solving and truce aspects of routines are worked out in the design of these systems of artefacts.

Integration of Engineering Design and CAE Tools in Generating the Preliminary Design of a Vacuum Chamber for Internal Combustion Use

In general, variety of apparatus and tools had been developed in order to test and monitor the performance of flame propagation during combustion. As for this paper, the main objective is to present on the preliminary design outcome of a vacuum chamber, which shall be used in monitoring and investigating the performance of internal combustion experimentation during vacuum state. By adapting the Engineering Design Process, structured design phase had been conducted in order to generate a basic yet functional chamber which fits the objective. As a result, cylindrical shaped chamber with hemispherical head had been chosen as the final shape of the device. The simulation result shows that the device is able to sustain 10MPa of internal pressure; fulfilling the objective and design specifications. In future, the output shall be further studied in order to improve and enhance the design of the vacuum chamber.

Exploring a Science Teacher’s Uncertainty with Integrating Engineering Design: An Action Research Study

This study examines a fifth grade science teacher’s attempts at integrating engineering design using the construct of uncertainty. Collaborative action research served as a supportive mechanism to uncover and confront the teacher’s uncertainties. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, reflections, classroom observations, lesson plans, and student work. Data analysis entailed the use of grounded theory. Findings from this study revealed that teaching science through engineering design is both challenging and problematic. Underpinning the teacher’s pedagogical experiences was the constant force of uncertainty, in various forms, and how her sense of doubt was beneficial rather than problematic.

Integration of Engineering Design and Communication in a First Year Course

INTRODUCTION ENGR 110 – Design and Communications is a new one-term course in the first year engineering program at the University of Victoria in which engineering design and communication learning outcomes are developed in an integrated manner. Two key objectives of this course are: (1) to enhance student engagement in the first year program by establishing connections between their academic activities and engineering design as it is practiced by professional engineers in industry and (2) to enhance student understanding of the critical role that communication plays in engineering professional practice.

Biorefinery Design As A Case Study In Chemical Engineering Design

Biorefinery Design As A Case Study In Chemical Engineering Design

Integrating engineering design improvements with exoelectrogen enrichment process to increase power output from microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFC) hold promise as a green technology for bioenergy production. The challenge is to improve the engineering design while exploiting the ability of microbes to generate and transfer electrons directly to electrodes. A strategy using a combination of improved anode design and an enrichment process was formulated to improve power densities. The design was based on a flow-through anode with minimal dead volume and a high electrode surface area per unit volume. The strategy focused on promoting biofilm formation via a combination of forced flow through the anode, carbon limitation, and step-wise reduction of external resistance. The enrichment process resulted in development of exoelectrogenic biofilm communities dominated by Anaeromusa spp. This is the first report identifying organisms from the Veillonellaceae family in MFCs. The power density of the resulting MFC using a ferricyanide cathode reached 300 W m −3 net anode volume (3220 mW m −2), which is about a third of what is estimated to be necessary for commercial consideration. The operational stability of the MFC using high specific surface area electrodes was demonstrated by operating the MFC for a period of over four months.

Structure evolving systems and control in integrated design

Existing methods in Systems and Control deal predominantly with Fixed Systems, that have been designed in the past, and for which the control design has to be performed. The new paradigm of Structure Evolving Systems (SES), expresses a new form of system complexity where the components, interconnection topology, measurement-actuation schemes may not be fixed, the control scheme also may vary within the system-lifecycle and different views of the system of varying complexity may be required by the designer. Such systems emerge in many application domains and in the engineering context in problems such as integrated system design, integrated operations, re-engineering, lifecycle design issues, networks, etc. The paper focuses on the Integrated Engineering Design (IED), which is revealed as a typical structure evolution process that is strongly linked to Control Theory and Design type problems. It is shown, that the formation of the system, which is finally used for control design evolves during the earlier design stages and that process synthesis and overall instrumentation are critical stages of this evolutionary process that shapes the final system structure and thus the potential for control design. The paper aims at revealing the control theory context of the evolutionary mechanism in overall system design by defining a number of generic clusters of system structure evolution problems and by establishing links with existing areas of control theory. Different aspects of model evolution during the overall design are identified which include cases such as: (i) Time-dependent evolution of system models from “early” to “late” stages of design. (ii) Design stage-dependent evolution from conceptualisation to process synthesis and to overall instrumentation. (iii) Redesign of given systems and constrained system evolution. Within each cluster a number of well defined new Control Theory problems are introduced, which may be studied within the structural methodologies framework of Linear Systems. The problems posed have a general systems character, but the emphasis here is on Linear Systems; an overview of relevant results is given and links with existing research topics are established. The paper defines the Structural Control Theoretic context of an important family of complex systems emerging in engineering design and defines a new research agenda for structural methods of Control Theory. Copyright © 2002 IFAC

光造形の外科手術支援への適用と医療情報からの考察

Computer graphics and rapid prototyping have been combined to convert computer tomography into three-dimensional data. This method has been turned to practical use in preoperative planning, inter operative support, and informed consent. Over 17 different types of medical procedures have been developed through this rapid- prototyping method, including procedures related to fracture deformation healing, osteoarthritis, and scaphoid nonunion. From an integrated design engineering perspective, we consider how surgical support through rapid modeling relates to the verification of sequences in medical behavior (information). Finally, we consider future developments.

Review of Engineering Design, by Rudolph J. EggertEngineering DesignPearson Education, Inc.$82.67

One of the more difficult tasks in engineering education is to effectively teach the concept of “design.” The design process is very broad and involves a wide range of activities, from abstract thinking to detailed modeling and calculations. In Engineering Design, author Rudolph J. Eggert presents a well-structured and thorough overview of engineering design concepts and methods. A major strength of this book is the presentation of the overall design process, the illustration of the systematic concepts that are involved in every phase of design, and definitions of the terms that are used in design. The author has experience with various organizations, including General Electric, Fisher-Price Toys, Wurlitzer, and the New York State Energy and Development Authority, and that experience with the design process no doubt contributed to the effective organization of this text. The author states that this is a text for undergraduate or firstyear graduate engineering students. He also states that the book has a focus of integrating engineering design with topics about the business of manufacturing. This reviewer teaches civil engineering. In my opinion this textbook might be particularly appropriate for use in senior-level capstone design courses. It is my observation that engineering educators are very good at teaching the science of design. By this I mean they are good at making appropriate engineering calculations once a design concept has been established. However, the more abstract processes of design, such as developing an initial design concept or working with customers, are not as easy to teach. The strength of this textbook is its presentation of a coherent structure for understanding the more abstract processes. In this book Rudolph Eggert provides a systematic description for every phase of the design process. Chapter 3 gives an example of the design of a motorcycle that clearly illustrates the steps involved in developing design concepts. Other examples in the text also use items that students can relate to, including the design of a coffee pot and the manufacturing of bicycles. The discussion of customer satisfaction curves, in Chapters 3 and 8, is particularly useful in terms of providing the basis for the concepts of performance functions and ultimately multicriteria decision analysis techniques. These tools provide a basis for both guiding decisions as well as documenting decisions made during the design process. Chapter 10 covers topics of design failure, safety, and environment that it is crucial to present to engineering students. Finally, Chapter 14 on Projects, Teamwork, and Ethics has some very useful material. While I believe that this would be a textbook strongly worth considering for an engineering capstone design course, as a civil engineer I would have liked some detailed examples of design that relate to large, one-of-a-kind projects. While the material

大学院理工学教育の改革―慶応義塾大学における試み

The Graduate School of Science and Technology in Keio University launched a new educational program from April 2000. This program aims to provide future leaders of society who can make use of their scientific/technological knowledge and skills towards the sound advancement of civilization. To embody the idea of this program, the Graduate School drastically changed its structure. Currently, the Graduate School consists of three sub-schools each based on an interdisciplinary educational concept: (a) School of Fundamental Science and Technology, (b) Integrated Design Engineering, and (c) Science for Open and Environmental Systems. Each sub-school consists of six educational/research groups, which may be reconstructed at intervals of several years. Details of this educational reform and our four-year experience in running the new program are described.

Solving the forward problem in electrical impedance tomography for thehuman head using IDEAS (integrated design engineering analysis software),a finite element modelling tool

If electrical impedance tomography is to be used as a clinical tool, the imagereconstruction algorithms must yield accurate images of impedance changes. Oneof the keys to producing an accurate reconstructed image is the inclusion ofprior information regarding the physical geometry of the object. To achievethis, many researchers have created tools for solving the forward problem bymeans of finite element methods (FEMs). These tools are limited, allowing onlya set number of meshes to be produced from the geometric information of theobject. There is a clear need for geometrical accurate FEM models to improvethe quality of the reconstructed images. We present a commercial tool calledIDEAS, which can be used to create FEM meshes for these models. Theapplication of this tool is demonstrated by using segmented data from thehuman head to model impedance changes inside the head.

An innovative approach to integrating engineering design The Newcastle Engineering Design Centre

This paper describes how the innovative idea of an Engineering Design Centre (EDC) has been used to integrate academia, industry and government to build a highly successful internationally respected design research base. We restrict our description to the marine, offshore, civil and structural engineering areas and show how the research council's requirements for innovative design were met at the Newcastle EDC, the biggest and most successful of the United Kingdom's EDC's.

Engineering design of counter-rotating twin-screw extruders

This paper reviews current practice in the application of concurrent engineering in design of counter-rotating twin-screw extruders, and outlines new progress in the development of expert knowledge to support capable twin-screw system design. A concept for the design of twin-screw extruders has been presented. Main features of competitive engineering design have been described. Fundamental issues of integrated engineering design and approaches to their solution have been characterized.

Design fundamentals of a reconfigurable robotic gripper system

Discusses the design and modeling fundamentals of a multi-degree-of-freedom reconfigurable robotic gripper system (RGS), designed to automate the process of limp material handling, reliably and without distortion, deformation, and/or folding. The reconfigurable gripper design draws upon a previously reported flat surfaced, fixed-dimensions gripper system (Kolluru et al., 1998). The design consists of four arms in a cross-bar configuration, with a flat surfaced, fixed dimensions, suction-based gripper unit mounted on each of the arms. The kinematic and dynamic performance of the reconfigurable RGS is analyzed theoretically and then validated using Integrated Design Engineering Analysis Software (I-DEAS) simulation software.

Integrating engineering design and analysis using a multi-representation approach

With the present gap between CAD and CAE, designers are often hindere in their efforts to explore design alternatives and ensure product robustness. This paper describes the multi-representation architecture (MRA)—a design-analysis integration strategy that views CAD-CAE integration as an information-intensive mapping between design models and analysis models. The MRA divides this mapping into subproblems using four information representations: solution method models (SMMs), analysis building blocks (ABBs), product models (PMs), and product model-based analysis models (PBAMs). A key distinction is the explicit representation of design-analysis associativity as PM-ABB idealization linkages that are contained in PBAMs. The MRA achieves flexibility by supporting different solution tools and design tools, and by accommodating analysis models of diverse discipline, complexity and solution method. Object and constraint graph techniques provide modularity and rich semantics. Priority has been given to the class of problems termedroutine analysis—the regular use of established analysis models in product design. Representative solder joint fatigue case studies demonstrate that the MRA enables highly automated routine analysis for mixed formula-based and finite element-based models. Accordingly, one can employ the MRA and associated methodology to create specialized CAE tools that utilize both design information and general purpose solution tools.

Integrating Design Engineering and the Work-Force

This paper discusses efforts to integrate workers into the process of design (collaborative). It will survey Federal Government programs which support this process. It will describe examples of best practice projects and the initial steps of a multi-site project whose object is to develop collaborative decision making tools.

Drilling engineering package used for extended reach project : P. Chapman & A. Good, Oil & Gas Journal, 93(8), 1995, pp 48–53

Extended reach drilling can improve the economics of some field developments by minimizing the number of facilities required to access remote reserves. The technique requires detailed engineering design and monitoring, however, to minimize the risk of operating at the limits of drilling equipment. Working as a team over the past 4 years, BP Exploration (BPX) and Baker Hughes Inteq have developed an integrated drilling engineering package for the planning, monitoring, and review of well construction data. The drilling engineering application platform (DEAP) is now used by BP Exploration worldwide for the integrated engineering design, monitoring, and review of its wells. These engineering applications are linked together via a data base and drilling reporting system. Integration between rig site reporting and the engineering applications allows the current drilling operation to be analyzed at the touch of a single computer button. DEAP also provides links to commercially available software packages. This facility, along with its graphical user interface, encourages and simplifies the use of engineering tools at the rig site. The full capabilities of DEAP can perhaps be seen as four key functions necessary for successful well bore construction management.

Integrating Design Engineering and the Work-Force

This paper will discuss efforts to integrate workers into the process of design (collaborative). It will briefly survey Federal Government programs which support this process, including the development of software systems. It will describe examples of best practice firms, suggest some exciting directions for future developments, and initial steps in a multi-site projects whose object is to develop collaborative decision making tools. The development itself is being conducted with teams of skilled workers and engineers.

Object‐Oriented Approaches for Integrated Engineering Design Systems

The development of computer‐integrated design systems requires formal models of engineering design. Object‐oriented approaches promise to have a major impact in this area. Two types of engineering design models that could be implemented using an object‐oriented approach are product models, which describe the physical entities that are designed, and process models, which describe design processes. The main difference between these two models is whether the objects implement physical entities or design activities. A general discussion of models for engineering design is presented, followed by more detailed discussion of both product and process models. Object‐oriented concepts are summarized and object‐oriented implementation of product and process models is reviewed. Each implementation consists of objects that bind data and procedures into a single package. The paper then considers how the object‐oriented approach helps to unify product and process models.

An integrated CAD data structure for structural engineering

This paper presents an integrated 2D and 3D structure which is intended to form the basis of a structural engineering CAD system. The data structure addresses the structural engineering needs of compliant drawings, flexibility, associated non-graphical data, and, to some extent, the wider issue of an integrated engineering design environment. These requirements have previously been discussed in some detail (A. S. Watson and C. J. Anumba, CIVIL-COMP '89, pp. 111–119, 1989). 1 Details of a unified 2D/3D graphical data structure and a quasi-relational non-graphical data structure which constitute the integrated data structure are presented in the current paper. Of particular interest is the adopted schema for bi-directional coordination of the graphical elements and their associated attributes.