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Improving the engineering design process by simulating iteration impact with ASM2.0

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Abstract

Engineering design processes that are dependent on Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) tools commonly involve complex patterns of tasks, including concurrency and intertwined iterations. There are often inefficiencies and improvement opportunities in such processes, but it can be difficult to identify and evaluate them—partly because of the complex iteration patterns, and partly because process knowledge is usually tacit and often distributed among process participants so that it is difficult to appreciate the causes and effects of iteration in an integrated way. The Applied Signposting Model (ASM) was developed to address these issues during more than a decade of research and case studies in the aerospace sector. This article describes an evolved version of the ASM, called ASM2.0, alongside a detailed case to demonstrate its application to improve CAE-driven, iteration-intensive engineering design processes. A review of applications is also provided. A differentiating feature of ASM2.0 is that it integrates visually-familiar flowchart mapping with quantitative analysis of process performance, to enable the modelling of complex iteration patterns that are typical of engineering design practice.

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Reproduced from Kerley et al. (2011b)

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the past and present collaborators who used and provided feedback on the ASM2.0 during its development, as indicated in the article text and bibliography. Particular acknowledgement is due to: Claudia M. Eckert, Warren P. Kerley, H. Nam Le, and Michael Moss. This work would not have been possible without the programming contribution of Seena Nair to the Cambridge Advanced Modeller software. The first author also thanks Xun Xu and Tony Gray for discussions on the bracket project over the years.

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  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Auckland, 20 Symonds Street, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand

    David C. Wynn

  2. Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1PZ, UK

    P. John Clarkson

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  1. David C. Wynn
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Correspondence to David C. Wynn.

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Wynn, D.C., Clarkson, P.J. Improving the engineering design process by simulating iteration impact with ASM2.0. Res Eng Design 32, 127–156 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00163-020-00354-5

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