Publications / 2019 Proceedings of the 36th ISARC, Banff, Canada

A Decision Tool to Simulate the Concurrent Interdependencies Between Multi-DFX Techniques in Machine Design Conflict Resolution

Anas Itani, Rafiq Ahmad and Mohamed Al-Hussein
Pages 1-9 (2019 Proceedings of the 36th ISARC, Banff, Canada, ISBN 978-952-69524-0-6, ISSN 2413-5844)
Abstract:

The overall performance of a life-cycle phase under investigation can be improved if Multi-Design for X (MDFX) technique’s design guidelines are applied concurrently. However, the complexity of selecting MDFX techniques at the conceptual and detailed design stages during machine development can increase by uncertain and imprecise knowledge about the MDFX interdependencies. For many industrial companies, alleviating the design decision complexity at these stages can have a positive impact on the industry’s competitive market. Therefore, it becomes crucial to have a robust MDFX tool embedded with conflict resolution in valuing potential applications to justify their cohesion. Some limitations on the compatibility between MDFX remain a challenge. The unresolved challenge is how the information contained within MDFX can be organized such that the implications of design decisions are proactively evaluated and implemented. To address this challenge, an efficient decision tool for applying MDFX in the conceptual and detailed machine design development phases is proposed. In this paper, the relative importance of DFXs guidelines and the essence of the interactions that arise between them are also studied. Also, a matrix model with multi-layers to simulate the interactions between MDFX is suggested to resolve the conflict of experts’ opinion and aggregates the decision criteria layers into a single output. The proposed decision tool was applied in a machine design case study and shows its effectiveness in the decision-making process by eliminating MDFX negative interactions and aiding the designer in shaping the optimal machine design with less development cost and time.

Keywords: Multi-Design for X (MDFX); life-cycle cost; conceptual and detailed design stage; conflict resolution; multi-layers