Search results for "engineering design"
showing 10 items of 90 documents
A new design approach to the use of composite materials for heavy transport vehicles
2007
In order to keep or to reach a high level of competitiveness and performance of a product, it is necessary to explore all the possible solutions that allow the best compromise between costs and project requirements. By this point of view the study of alternative designs and/or materials to use, is an important aspect that can identify a new concept or way of thinking about a product. This paper presents how to make use of composite materials in the field of heavy vehicles transportation. A new semitrailer in composite material has been designed, using a methodical redesign approach and an optimisation process. The main innovation in this project is, besides the use of the Glass Fibre Reinfo…
A Semiotic Approach to the Design of Non-speech Sounds
2006
In the field of auditory display there is currently a lack of theoretical support for the design of non-speech sounds as elements of a user interface. Sound design methods are often based on ad hoc choices or the personal preferences of the designer. A method is proposed in this paper based on a semiotic approach to the design of non-speech sounds. In this approach, the design process is conceptualised by referring to structural semiotics, acknowledging the unique qualities of non-speech sounds, as a mode of conveying information. This method is based on a rich use scenario presented to a design panel. A case study where the design method has been applied is presented and evaluated. Finally…
Comparative Analysis of Mega Road Construction Projects in Term of Innovation
2020
Purpose This paper examines, using critical realism, the causes and mechanisms of innovation in three civil road construction projects. Its focus is to examine how value can be created within the design process through innovation. Emphasis is placed on Best Value Procurement (BVP) as a procurement strategy where the preferred contractor is considered the expert, as it is the first case of its use in Norwegian road construction projects. Data was collected through surveys and interviews. Findings indicate that procurement using early involvement is innovative in the design process yet must be adapted, to allow for early planning of innovative ideas that help, to foster innovative solutions. …
Optimization of conducting structures by using the homogenization method
2002
Approximation and numerical realization of a class of optimization problems with control variables represented by coefficients of linear elliptic state equations is considered. Convergence analysis of well-posed problems is performed by using one- and two-level approximation strategies. The latter is utilized in an optimization layout problem for two conductive constituents, for which the necessary steps to transfer the well-posed problem into a computational form are described and some numerical experiments are given.
A collaborative tool for designing and enacting design processes
2009
Today several approaches using Situational Method Engineering paradigm exist, each of them proposes methods and techniques for developing ad-hoc design processes. In this context heavy efforts were spent in the construction of appropriate tools that could help method engineers in producing a specific design process and in using it. We developed a tool called Metameth for supporting the design process definition and its enactment. Metameth is implemented as a multi-agent system, where each agent is capable of reasoning and adapting itself in order to support the designer in performing different kinds of design activities.
Methods for optimal shape design of electrical devices
1996
Often the primary problem facing designers of structural systems is determining the shape of the structure. In spite of graphical work stations and modern software for analyzing the structure, finding the best geometry for the structure by “trial and error” is still a very tedious and timeconsuming task. The goal in optimal shape design (structural optimization, or redesign) is to computerize the design process and therefore shorten the time it takes to design new products or improve the existing design. Structural optimization is already used in many applications in industry. In general, however, structural optimization is just beginning to penetrate the industrial community. Integrating F…
Computational procedures for plastic shakedown design of structures
2004
The minimum volume design problem of elastic perfectly plastic finite element structures subjected to a combination of fixed and perfect cyclic loads is studied. The design problem is formulated in such a way that incremental collapse is certainly prevented. The search for the structural design with the required limit behaviour is effected following two different formulations, both developed on the grounds of a statical approach: the first one operates below the elastic shakedown limit and is able to provide a suboptimal design; the second one operates above the elastic shakedown limit and is able to provide the/an optimal design. The Kuhn–Tucker conditions of the two problems provide usefu…
Enhanced chain dynamics in loop-sorting-systems by means of layout optimization and a kinematic model of the polygon action
2012
Published version of an article in the journal: Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00158-011-0743-7 Poor dynamics owing to polygon action is a known concern in mechanical applications of closed articulated chains. In this paper a kinematic model of the polygon action in large chains of loop-sorting-systems is proposed. Through optimization techniques the chain dynamics is improved by minimizing the polygon action using a parametric model of the track layout as design variables. Three formulations of the kinematic polygon action are tested on an average sized planer tracks layout to find a superior model. Verificati…
Wastewater treatment: New insight provided by interactive multiobjective optimization
2011
In this paper, we describe a new interactive tool developed for wastewater treatment plant design. The tool is aimed at supporting the designer in designing new wastewater treatment plants as well as optimizing the performance of already available plants. The idea is to utilize interactive multiobjective optimization which enables the designer to consider the design with respect to several conflicting evaluation criteria simultaneously. This is more important than ever because the requirements for wastewater treatment plants are getting tighter and tighter from both environmental and economical reasons. By combining a process simulator to simulate wastewater treatment and an interactive mul…
User experience targets as design drivers:A case study on the development of a remote crane operator station
2013
In recent years, the notion of user experience, or UX, as an essential aspect to be addressed in the design and development of technologies has been increasingly discussed. In this paper, we present a case study in which we have used UX targets as the main design drivers and focus areas in developing a new remote operator station user interface for container cranes. UX targets describe the experiential qualities to which the product design should aim at. However, taking UX targets into consideration during product design is challenging, because only little is known about how they would be best operationalized to serve the different phases of the design process. Through our case study, we de…