Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An integrated modelling approach for the representation and embodiment of engineering systems with standard components

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Engineering with Computers Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In today’s global markets the commercial success of a product, however defined, is highly dependent upon the rapid and efficient transformation of an engineering system from a design schema to a fully embodied optimal solution. The ability of the designer to achieve this is severely frustrated by the analytically intensive and time-consuming aspects of embodying a concept. This is particularly the case where standard components have to be considered. This paper presents a new modelling approach that supports the designer during the transformation of a concept to an embodied solution. This modelling approach provides for the representation of conceptual schemas and their subsequent embodiment with standard components from third-party electronic representations. The modelling strategies and associated software issues for representing a mechanical system, handling the interactions between components and incorporating the governing representations for the design and selection of individual components are discussed. The process of constructing a system model, specifying the desired performance characteristics and the process of system resolution are also described. The paper concludes with an industrial case study which is used to demonstrate the capabilities and potential of the new approach for supporting the embodiment of systems and the important task of design synthesis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 7.
Fig. 8.
Fig. 9.
Fig. 10.
Fig. 11.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Shakar SR, Jansson DG (1993) A eneralised methodology for evaluating manufacturability; concurrent engineering. Chapman & Hall, London

  2. Allen RD, Hicks BJ, Culley SJ (2000) Integrating electronic information for the design of mechanical systems: the designers perspective. In: Proceedings of the 4th World Multi-Conference on Systematics, Cybernetics and Informatics, Orlando, FL, July 2000

  3. Ullman DG (1992) The mechanical design process. McGraw-Hill, New York

  4. Wallace AP (1995) The modelling of engineering assemblies based on standard catalogue components. Master’s thesis, University of Bath

  5. Culley SJ, Webber SJ (1992) Implementation requirements for electronic standard component catalogues. Proc Inst Mech Eng, J Eng Manufact B 206:253–260

    Google Scholar 

  6. Flood RL, Carson ER (1988) Dealing with complexity: an introduction to theory and application of systems science. Plenum, New York

    Google Scholar 

  7. Papalambros PY, Wilde DJ (1988) Principles of optimal design: modelling and computation. Cambridge University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  8. Ashby MF (1998) Cambridge materials selector. Dept. of Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK

  9. Culley SJ, Theobold G (1996) Dealing with standard components for knowledge intensive CAD, knowledge intensive CAD, vol 2. In: Proceedings of the IFIP TC5 WG5.2 International conference on knowledge intensive CAD, Lancaster, UK, 16–18 December 1996

  10. Richards TG, Hughes EJ, Tilley DG (1999) A multimedia approach to fluid power systems design. In: Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Multimedia Computing and Systems, Florence, Italy, 7–11 June 1999

  11. Counsell J, Porter I, Dawson D, Duffy M (1999) Schemebuilder: computer aided knowledge based design of mechatronic systems. Assem Automat 19:2:129–138

    Google Scholar 

  12. Keown J (1994) Pspice and Circuit Analysis. Macmillan, New York

  13. AMESIM (2000)http://www.amesim.com/amesim.htm. Cited 2000

  14. Ward AC, Seering WP (1989) The performance of a mechanical design compiler. ASME Des Eng 17:89–97

    Google Scholar 

  15. Hicks BJ, Culley SJ, Mullineux G (2001) Integrating engineering component representations for the design and synthesis of mechanical systems. Proc ICED 1:437–444

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  16. Hicks BJ, Culley SJ (1999) A flexible representation of engineering assemblies for an integrated modelling environment. Proc ICED 99:1113–1116

    Google Scholar 

  17. Hicks BJ, Culley SJ (2000) A protocol for communication in a component based modelling infrastructure. Institut Mech Eng J Eng Manufact B 215(B4):453–464

    Google Scholar 

  18. Hicks BJ, Culley SJ (2002) Compatibility issues for mechanical system modelling with standard components. Institut Mech Eng J Eng Manufact B 216(B2):235–250

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Ulrich KT, Eppinger SD (2000) Product design and development, 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill, New York

  20. Kusiak A, Larson N (1995) Decomposition and representation methods on mechanical design; American Society of Mechanical Engineers. J Mech Des 117:17–24

    Google Scholar 

  21. Culley SJ, Theobold G (1997) Dealing with standard components for knowledge intensive CAD. Proc of IFIP TC5 WG5.2 1997

  22. Allen RD, Hicks BJ, Culley SJ (2001) Integrating electronic information for mechanical systems design. J Tech Manag 1(4):367–384

    Google Scholar 

  23. Engelmore R, More T (1988) Blackboard systems. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA

  24. Sreeram RT (2000) Resolving conflicts in agent-supported collaborative product development. Dissertation, University of Bath

  25. Hicks BJ (2001) The representation of engineering systems for building, embodiment and optimisation with standard components. Dissertation, University of Bath

Download references

Acknowledgements

The work reported in this paper has been undertaken as part of the EPSRC Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre at The University of Bath (grant reference GR/R67507/01).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre, Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK

    B. J. Hicks & S. J. Culley

Authors
  1. B. J. Hicks
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. S. J. Culley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to B. J. Hicks.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hicks, B.J., Culley, S.J. An integrated modelling approach for the representation and embodiment of engineering systems with standard components. Engineering with Computers 20, 96–113 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00366-004-0276-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00366-004-0276-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation