Due to the growing complexity, sophistication, and interconnectedness of present day engineered products and services, the use of ontologies in engineering design is becoming more widespread. An ontology provides a standardized way of describing concepts in a domain of interest and the relationships between these concepts to better understand the...
Operating speed is one of the best performance measures that can tell transportation agencies how well or how poorly the transportation system is functioning. Fluctuating operating speeds often mean there is a design flaw or something about the physical road design that violates drivers' expectations. A primary example of this...
With the need to integrate renewable energy sources into the current energy portfolio and the proximity of many population centers to an ocean coastline, it is pressing that marine energy systems, specifically wave energy converters (WECs), are evaluated as potential solutions for meeting energy needs. In order to best understand...
The term "Intuitive use" has become a common phrase to describe interfaces and products, however it is rarely defined. Research regarding intuitive use is in its infancy, beginning primarily in 2003. With the development of new terms in Human Factors and Human-Computer Interaction, it is important for Designers and Users...
This thesis is the combination of two research publications working toward a unified strategy in which to represent complex engineered systems as complex networks. Current engineered system modeling techniques segment large complex models into multiple groups to be simulated independently. These methods restrict the evaluations of such complex systems as...
Analysis of alternative concepts has a significant impact on design project outcomes, and yet many design teams fail to consider a significantly broad range of conceptual solutions. Within the realm of conceptual design exists a technique called design by analogy (DBA) -- the practice of reapplying old solutions to new...
While many organizations claim to "put safety first," safety is rarely considered early in the design process when system-level architectural decisions are made. Instead, system design follows an abstraction-to-detail process to first meet functional and then performance requirements. Following this process, safety assurance occurs in the later stages of design...
Pillars in modern vehicles provide structural integrity by surrounding the windows and joining the roof with the frame. Although they protect the driver and passengers, A-pillars also create obstruction zones by limiting drivers' forward field of view leading to unforeseeable accidents or mishaps. We argue that providing a better pillar...
This thesis is the combination of two research publications working towards automating functional modeling. Functional modeling is an underutilized yet critical tool for concept generation and product design. Understanding the difficulty both novice and expert designers have in implementing functional modeling in their design process, this research sets out to...
As manufacturing advancements continue to develop, designers must be able to consider these technologies during the design process. Unfortunately, many of these new technologies, such as additive and advanced joining, have many nuances that require expert knowledge to effectively apply. Additionally, new design techniques, such as topology optimization, allow users...