Capturing the Relationships between Design Problems and Analysis Models

1
Capturing the Relationships between Design
Problems and Analysis Models

• Gregory Mocko, Jitesh Panchal, and Farrokh
  Mistree
• Systems Realization LaboratoryGeorgia Institute
  of TechnologyAtlanta, Georgia 30332-0405

7th Annual PDE Conference at Georgia Tech Georgia
Institute of Technology Atlanta, Georgia April 19
22, 2005
Systems Realization Laboratory
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Research Focus

• Objective
• Capture the linkages between design problems and
  support models
• Decision models, design models, and analysis
  models
• Overarching Question
• How can product-related information and the
  relationships between design problem and analysis
  models be captured?
• Approach
• Formalize the information transformations between
  support models in decision-based design
• Characterize the information associated with
  engineering design decisions
• Develop a representation of the linkages between
  design problems and analysis models

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Design-Analysis Integration Problem

• Design-analysis integration (DAI) is the seamless
  integration between design and analysis
  perspectives by capturing the relationships
  between computer-based design and analysis models
  Peak and co-authors 1998
• The design/structural analysis integration
  problem is typified by the requirement to share
  geometric shape and analysis information in an
  iterative environment Hunten 1997

• Why do we link design and analysis?
• It is not just a matter of sharing data
• We need to link design and analysis to support
  design decision making
• Additional information must be shared to support
  design decisions

4
Design Information Integration Missing Link
Identify design decisions based on design
requirements
Analysis (e.g., FEA)
Design (e.g., CAD)
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Research Foundation - Background
Overview
Research Opportunities

• Decision-Based Design (DBD) Mistree et. al 1990
  
• Principle role of designer is to make decisions
• Decisions serves as markers of progress and
  information transformations
• Decisions serves as units of communication that
  involve hierarchical decision making
• Decision Support Problem (DSP) Technique Muster
  et. al 1988
• A specific instantiation of DBD
• Supports the human designer
• Domain-independent constructs for modeling design
  processes

• Information models and knowledge representation
  for modeling design information transformations
• Interface for linking computer-based design and
  analysis models
• Increase the use of standard product models to
  support product data exchange

• RQ How can product-related information and the
  relationships between design problem and analysis
  models be captured?
• RH Decision constructs serve as information
  integrators between design and analysis models.

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Product Data Exchange-Standard Product Models

• Standard product models
• Product data must be exchanged between design
  support software
• A neutral mechanism for exchanging product data
• Product data exchange is a required technology
• STEP AP203/AP209
• Addresses interoperability of product models
  between CAD and FEA applications
• Captures the relationships between design
  specification and analysis specification
• Captures shape, analysis control, analysis output
• Support design and analysis geometry definitions
• Configuration control and management of analysis

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Product Data Exchange-Standard Product Models
Relationships between design shape, analysis
shape, and additional analysis parameters are
captured
Source http//pdesinc.aticorp.org/pilots/engineer
ing.html
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Product Data Exchange Analysis Templates

• Analysis templates
• MRA captures several aspects in design-analysis
  integration including
• automation of routine analyses,
• the representation of design and analysis
  associativity and of the relationships among the
  models, and
• the support of various analysis models throughout
  the life cycle of the product
• Address the need to capture fine-grained
  associativities between engineering CAD and CAE
  models
• Realized through the constrained object (COB)
  information modeling language
• Templates enable quick and efficient analysis
  integration when product variants are limited to
  parametric changes in design specifications

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Product Data Exchange Analysis Templates

• Coordination of various data sources
• Linkages between design and analysis parameters
• Enables information to be shared between CAD and
  CAE tools

Source Peak, R. S. Fulton, R. E. Nishigaki,
I. Okamoto, N. (1998) Integrating Engineering
Design and Analysis Using a Multi- Representation
Approach. Engineering with Computers, Volume 14
No.2, 93-114.
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Product Data Exchange - Summary

• Benefits
• Design and analysis information must be exchanged
• Relationships between product data and analysis
  data must be captured
• A common language is needed to integrate design
  tools
• What is Missing?
• Data exchange between design and analysis must be
  in the context of design decision making
• Design process and information transformations
  must be captured
• Current efforts focus on product-related
  information

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Approach Product and Process

• Formalization of design decisions
• Develop a knowledge representation of engineering
  design decisions
• Development of interface
• Specification of information exchange in design
  and analysis to facilitate access to product data
• Plug-and-play approach for linking design and
  analysis models and design support tools

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ModelCenter Implementation Design Problem
Design Requirements

• Formulate decisions and organize design and
  analysis models in light of design requirements
• Capture the decision related information
• Approach for allocating design requirements

Identify design decisions based on design
requirements
Compare analysis results with design requirements
Design Problem (Decision)
Design Iteration
Configuration control of design and analysis
(AP209)
Analysis (e.g., FEA)
Design (e.g., CAD)
Fine grained associativities (MRA/COBs)
Application of analysis information on geometry
(Simmetrix)
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ModelCenter Implementation Models
Design Requirements

• Leverage standardized product models
• Integrate design tools and product data into the
  design decision
• Reuse design and analysis models
• Interfaces / wrappers are needed to integrate
  standards models

Identify design decisions based on design
requirements
Compare analysis results with design requirements
Design Problem (Decision)
Design Iteration
Configuration control of design and analysis
(AP209)
Analysis (e.g., FEA)
Design (e.g., CAD)
Fine grained associativities (MRA/COBs)
Application of analysis information on geometry
(Simmetrix)
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ModelCenter Implementation Linkages
Design Requirements

• Capture the linkages between design and analysis
  parameters in the context of a design decision
• Design-analysis integration has meaning in the
  context of a design decision!

Identify design decisions based on design
requirements
Compare analysis results with design requirements
Design Problem (Decision)
Design Iteration
Configuration control of design and analysis
(AP209)
Analysis (e.g., FEA)
Design (e.g., CAD)
Fine grained associativities (MRA/COBs)
Application of analysis information on geometry
(Simmetrix)
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ModelCenter Implementation - Discussion

• Information exchange between design and analysis
  is relevant in the context of design decisions
• Additional information must be captured in design
  and analysis models
• Constraints and bounds on system variables and
  responses
• Decision-related information
• Relationships/transformations between variables
• Shortcomings
• Does not rely on standardized product models
• Decision templates interface are developed for
  specific problems
• Generalized decision models and interfaces are
  needed

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Closure

• Design and analysis information must be exchanged
  in the context of design decision making
• A standardized information model is needed to
  capture decision-related information
• Engineering decision enable the design process to
  be modeled
• Decisions serve information integrators
• Decisions capture the information transformation
  in the design process
• A standardized interface is needed between design
  and analysis models
• Towards plug-n-play integration and information
  exchange
• A look to the future
• A standardized models that captured process will
  enhance PLM
• Conventional tools address what is the design
  information, not how it was created
• Decision-based design provides a means for
  modeling design processes

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Questions?
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References

• Fenves, Steven, Choi, Young, Gurumoorthy, Balan,
  Mocko, G, Sriram, R.D. , (2003) Master Product
  Model for the Support of Tighter Integration of
  Spatial and Functional Design, NISTIR 7004
• Hunten, K.A., (1997) CAD/FEA Integration with
  STEP AP209 Technology and Implementation
• Mistree, F., W.F. Smith, B.A. Bras, J.K. Allen,
  and D. Muster, (1990) Decision-Based Design A
  Contemporary Paradigm in Ship Design.
  Transactions, Society of Naval Architects and
  Marine Engineers, 98 p. 565-597.
• Muster, D. and F. Mistree, (1988) The Decision
  Support Problem Technique in Engineering Design.
  International Journal of Applied Engineering
  Education, 4(1) p. 23-33.
• Peak, R. S. Fulton, R. E. Nishigaki, I.
  Okamoto, N. (1998) Integrating Engineering Design
  and Analysis Using a Multi- Representation
  Approach. Engineering with Computers, Volume 14
  No.2, 93-114.
• Wilson, M.W., The Constrained Object
  Representation for Engineering Analysis
  Integration, in G.W. Woodruff School of
  Mechanical Engineering. 2000, Georgia Institute
  of Technology Atlanta, GA.
• http//pdesinc.aticorp.org/pilots/engineering.html