Re-engineering Concurrent Design

Research Theme: Process Management

This project explored how process simulation methods can support design process change in an industry context.

The likely effects of process change are difficult to evaluate when the design process is already tightly integrated and constrained by the need to meet existing requirements. This is typically the case for companies which develop complex, high-performance products using concurrent engineering practices. The design processes in such companies are particularly complex due to their iterative nature and the need to co-ordinate the work of specialist teams.

Objectives

  • Develop methods to re-engineer complex design processes through modelling and simulation.
  • Evaluate design process modelling and simulation technologies in an industrial context.

Method

The research was conducted through extended collaboration with Rolls-Royce, a major UK aerospace manufacturer. The Cambridge Advanced Modeller software tool developed in the EDC was applied to model the processes for designing aero-engines. The resulting models were used to explore how discrete-event simulation can be used to evaluate the effect of proposed changes to this highly concurrent, iterative process.

Selected Publications

  • KERLEY, W.P., WYNN, D.C., ECKERT C.M. and CLARKSON, P.J. 'Redesigning the design process through interactive simulation: A case study of life-cycle engineering in jet engine conceptual design' International Journal of Services and Operations Management, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 30-51 (2011).
  • KERLEY, W.P., WYNN, D.C., MOSS, M.A., COVENTRY, G. and CLARKSON, P.J. (2009) 'Towards Empirically-derived Guidelines for Process Modelling Interventions in Engineering Design' in International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED09), Stanford, CA.
  • KERLEY, W.P., WYNN, D.C., MOSS, M.A., ECKERT, C.M. and CLARKSON, P.J. (2008) 'Using Simulation to Support Integration of Life-Cycle Engineering Activities into an Existing Design Process: A Case Study' in International Design Conference (Design 2008), Dubrovnik, Croatia.