Treatment of uncertainties in integrated design and manufacturing
Abstract
The integrated design and manufacturing of mechanical systems/products is considered in order to move late engineering changes back to the early stage of design. An insight into the iterative nature of engineering design leads to the conclusion that the characteristic of design is nothing but an evolutionary process towards uncertainty reduction. Moreover, owing to the integration of design and manufacturing, manufacturing issues are taken into account and incorporated in the early stage of design. To accelerate the time-consuming early design development, uncertainties during an integrated design progression need to be investigated comprehensively and revealed clearly. Depending on the nature and extent of uncertainty, the uncertainties in integrated engineering design can be categorized into three types, indicating subjective, objective and hybrid form of uncertainties. This work aims to bridge areas of design and manufacturing to facilitate the integrated design process under embedded uncertainties. The work focuses on the development of methodologies for practical treatment of uncertainties present in the integrated design and manufacturing process. With accomplishment of the work, product quality, productivity, performance, reliability, and profit can be improved by (1) optimizing the average response value, and (2) minimizing effects of variability of process or product performance. Specially, three objectives are targeted and achieved as follows: (1) New computer-based design and analysis methods are generated by using fundamental uncertainty-based theories to capture the iterative nature of design, which is characterized by uncertainties, and to facilitate the integrated design process. (2) Current design and analysis tools are extended and advanced by incorporating the features of various uncertainties with an aim at the practical usage during the early and intermediate stages of design. (3) Computer-based modeling and design approaches are developed for computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) to assist, semi-automate and control specific manufacturing processes during the course of process development. Thus, the link between the design and manufacturing can be finally established well and connected sufficiently.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Rao, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Mechanical engineering|Systems design
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