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To improve the detachability performance and remanufacturing capability of existing agricultural micro-tillers, a modular design concept is introduced into the product design and development process, with Axiomatic Design (AD) and the Design Structure Matrix (DSM) serving as the methodological guidance and theoretical framework. In the design process, "Z-mapping" is used to reconstruct the demand/function/structure of the agricultural micro-tiller, decompose the total functions step by step, and establish a design matrix to transform the initial user requirements into specific functional indicators and design parameters. Geometric correlation is used as the design evaluation index to assign values to the matrix to establish a DSM for the correlations between agricultural micro-tiller design parameters. Using system clustering to optimize the distribution of matrix values, a total of five functional modules were identified to achieve a modular design scheme and design a prototype for agricultural micro-tillers. This design solution has significantly better disassembly performance than existing products, effectively enhancing the remanufacturing capability of existing equipment, proving the effectiveness of the Kano-AD-DSM-based design strategy, and providing a new theoretical reference for the innovative design of other small agricultural equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New product development (NPD) is crucial for helping companies to maintain competitive advantages. In this study, a methodological framework is presented combining a novel Kano model and fuzzy axiomatic design (FAD) for improving the product development capability in the whole NPD process. In the Kano model, a novel mixed-class classification method is presented to classify each evaluation indicator agreed on by the majority, and to calculate the affiliation value based on category strength (CS) to display the degree to which the indicator belongs to a certain attribute. A new importance ratio is also proposed to adjust the importance of each indicator attribute. This helps to achieve higher customer satisfaction and improve the attractiveness of the product or service. FAD is then used to measure the gap between customer satisfaction and the company's expected levels of satisfaction in terms of product functions. This enables the company to obtain more comprehensive information for decision-making. A case study is provided to verify the practicability of the proposed method. Sensitivity analysis proves the robustness of the results based on the number of respondents. Finally, comparative analysis with existing approaches demonstrates the strengths of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advantages of new technologies and rising demand from customers, it is necessary to improve the manufacturing process. This necessity was recognized by the industry; therefore, the concept of Industry 4.0 has been implemented in various areas of manufacturing and services. The backbone and main aspect of Industry 4.0 is digitalization and the implementation of technologies into processes. While this concept helps manufacturers with the modernization and optimization of many attributes of the processes, Industry 5.0 takes a step further and brings importance to the human factor of industry practice, together with sustainability and resilience. The concept of Industry 5.0 contributes to the idea of creating a sustainable, prosperous, and human-friendly environment within companies. The main focus of the article is to analyze the existing literature regarding what is missing from the successful implementation of human centricity into industry practice, namely in small and medium-sized factories (SMEs). These findings are then presented in the form of requirements and barriers for the implementation of human centricity into SME factories, which can serve as guidelines for implementing human-centered manufacturing using axiomatic design theory in SMEs, which can serve as a roadmap for practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To scientifically enhance user perception in decision-making for designing interactive spaces in schools for children with intellectual disabilities, we propose an innovative design model that integrates the Kano model, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and Axiomatic Design (AD) theories based on user needs. Initially, multi-method research was used to gather the original user requirements which were then refined through data cleaning to establish the initial user needs. The Kano model was then employed to categorize these initial user needs. AHP was then used to construct a hierarchical analysis model for the interactive spaces in schools for children with intellectual disabilities, creating a judgment matrix to accurately calculate demand weight values at each level. Subsequently, AHP was used to select the most important demand items. The independence axiom of AD theory was used to achieve a "Z"-shaped mapping between the functional requirements (FRs) and design parameters (DPs) for the interactive spaces in schools for children with intellectual disabilities. This mapping was analyzed using a matrix approach to assess the design rationality and optimize solutions, thereby transforming user needs into design parameters. Finally, the design parameters were used to create interactive spaces through computer-aided design, and the resulting design plans were evaluated. Experimental results indicate that this design scheme effectively translates subjective concepts into specific design parameters through a qualitative and quantitative approach. This significantly enhances the user needs of interactive spaces in schools for children with intellectual disabilities and provides a scientific basis for the architectural design of these schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to effectively support decision-makers in evaluating leading e-commerce companies in Vietnam from a sustainability perspective. In addition, this study evaluates and analyzes criteria that affect the performance of e-commerce companies in Vietnam to find the best practices for e-commerce implementation of managers. In this way, companies can save costs and increase marketing and promotion efficiency, helping to reach more customers. In doing so, an integrated framework based on MCDM is proposed for the first time in e-commerce industry assessment. In the first stage, the fuzzy decision making trial and evaluation Laboratory method is applied to determine the weights of 9 criteria based on collected data. This study lists prominent quantitative evaluation criteria, taking into account the sustainability aspect. In the second phase, ranking the top 12 e-commerce companies in Vietnam according to their performance based on these nine criteria was done by applying the neutrosophic fuzzy axiomatic design method. According to an analysis of the data, the external financial assistance coefficient (12.7%) is the most crucial factor determining how competitive international e-commerce businesses are. The results of this study can help underperforming companies make strategic decisions to improve their performance. Integrating these two techniques provides a new method for evaluating global trading companies that have hitherto remained unaddressed in the trading industry and, therefore, leave a gap that needs to be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The product design process, fraught with uncertainties and ambiguities in its requirements and constraints, commonly traverses multiple stages, each emphasizing distinct design aspects. This engenders heterogeneity in decision-making criteria, rendering the effective integration of information from various stages of product design decision-making (PDDM) a pivotal task in identifying the optimal design solution. Surprisingly, limited research has attended to the challenge of consolidating such heterogeneous information across multiple PDDM stages. To bridge this gap, our study employs real numbers, interval numbers, and linguistic terms to capture the heterogeneous judgments of decision-makers. We fuse the Maximization Deviation Method with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for determining indicators' weights, while decision-makers' weights are derived through a dual consideration of uncertainty measure using fuzzy entropy and a distance-minimization model applied to the PDDM matrix for achieving consistency. Leveraging the advantage of axiomatic design, product design alternatives are evaluated based on their PDDM information content of PDDM matrices. Given the multistage nature of product design, stages' weights are computed by assessing the information content and consistency degree of PDDM matrices at each stage. Ultimately, our approach achieves multistage heterogeneous decision-making fusion in product design through information axiom weighting. A case study involving the decision-making process for a specific numerical control machine design illustrates the efficacy of our method in integrating multistage heterogeneous PDDM data, yielding a comprehensive perspective on the viability of product design schemes. Results show that the ranking sequence of the product design schemes solidifies to x3 > x2 > x1 in stages 2 and 3 of PDDM, diverging from the initial order observed in stage 1 (x2 > x3 > x1), while the fused result from the multistage heterogeneous PDDM analysis aligns with the later stages' rankings, indicating the credibility and persuasiveness are fortified. This methodology thus offers a robust framework for synthesizing and navigating the uncertainties and complexities inherent in multistage heterogeneous PDDM contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumer product usability has been addressed using tools that evaluate objects to improve user interaction. However, such diversity in approach makes it challenging to select a method for the type of product being assessed. This article compiles the concepts used since the origin of usability in product design. It groups them by attributes to formulate a usability index proposal. Due to the nature of the data, fuzzy, hierarchical, and axiomatic tools were applied to a trial group of experts and users. Three questionnaires were designed and administered throughout a five-stage process to collect and select attributes, rank them in importance, assign fuzzy values, obtain their numerical representation of use, and assign a qualitative category. By analyzing a case study, this research demonstrates the value of the index by comparing the use of computer mice. Unlike other approaches to evaluating usability, the proposed index incorporates the hierarchical importance of attributes. It allows for participants to express their opinions, transforming subjective responses into linguistic values represented in triangular areas, resulting in a more accurate representation of reality. Additionally, the complexity of the human–object interaction is treated by an information axiom to compute the usability index on a scale from 0 to 1, which reflects the probability of the product meeting the desired usability attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As interest in additive manufacturing (AM) continues to increase, it has become more important to have a robust method to help potential users select the AM process that best suits their technological needs while providing the greatest potential benefits in terms of sustainability and its effect on people. This paper presents the development of a framework for selecting the best AM process for a given application by considering both sustainability and human factors through the combination of axiomatic design and the analytic hierarchy process. Thirty-one participants with varying levels of expertise (novice and advanced users) were involved in the study, considering the frequency of 3D printer usage (novice users: never, rarely; expert users: sometimes, almost always, always) for prototyping parts. They employed fused deposition modeling (FDM) and stereolithography (SLA) (both 3D desktop printers) and collected data on five evaluation criteria. The participation of experts helped establish a novel methodology, with material cost deemed most important (49.8%), followed by cycle time (28%), energy consumption (11.7%), error rate (6.6%), and equipment noise (3.9%). The results showed that FDM was the optimal equipment option for advanced users. By examining the information content of the other options, it was found that FDM demanded less information than SLA, regardless of the user's level of expertise. The proposed method is appropriate to assess the sustainability aspect of FDM and SLA; however, it can be further improved by adding indicators such as environmental impact, recyclability, and ergonomic and occupational health factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic torquer rod, also called a magnetorquer, is the most popular actuator for attitude control of satellites in low Earth orbit. In the case of nano and picosatellites, the available inner space is quite limited, as is the maximum power value. An optimal design solution is highly desirable to produce adequate torque while minimizing energy consumption and mass. Based on the axiomatic design theory, a solution was developed by establishing the requirements – wire diameter, magnetic dipole moment, voltage, and solenoid length – and the physical domain variables – number of turns, current, resistance, and wire length. As a result of the modelling, the design system is decoupled. The choice of core material can also contribute to the actuator’s improvement. Two options are proposed in this work: the FINEMET, a nanocrystal composed of various metals and other elements, and the FeNi50 alloy, for comparative performance. In terms of design parameters, four prototypes were developed to evaluate different wiring configurations and two core materials. The test results of the design options reveal a contrasting performance concerning core material: while the utilization of nanocrystalline material yields superior hysteresis characteristics or linearity behavior, the FeNi50 alloy exhibits enhanced magnetization magnitude.

Pollination is a crucial ecological process with far-reaching impacts on natural and agricultural systems. Approximately 85% of flowering plants depend on animal pollinators for successful reproduction. Over 75% of global food crops rely on pollinators, making them indispensable for sustaining human populations. Wind, water, insects, birds, bats, mammals, amphibians, and mollusks accomplish the pollination process. The design features of flowers and pollinators in angiosperms make the pollination process functionally effective and efficient. In this paper, we analyze the design aspects of the honeybee-enabled flower pollination process using the axiomatic design methodology. We tabulate functional requirements (FRs) of flower and honeybee components and map them onto nature-chosen design parameters (DPs). We apply the "independence axiom" of the axiomatic design methodology to identify couplings and to evaluate if the features of a flower and a honeybee form a good design (i.e., uncoupled design) or an underperforming design (i.e., coupled design). We also apply the axiomatic design methodology's "information axiom" to assess the pollination process's robustness and reliability. Through this exploration, we observed that the pollination process is not only a good design but also a robust design. This approach to assessing whether nature's processes are good or bad designs can be valuable for biomimicry studies. This approach can also inform design considerations for bio-inspired innovations such as microrobots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prospect of solving 'grand challenges' through technological innovation justifies the interest shown in deep-tech start-ups. These companies develop technological solutions, which they then seek to implement on a massive scale during their scale-up phase. They nevertheless encounter difficulties at this stage, which starts with the validation of their business model. This research supplements the results reported in the literature on business models in the scale-up phase, with a design-oriented approach, which is better suited to the case of technology companies. Based on intervention research carried out in an urban agriculture deep-tech start-up, an axiomatic design tool is used to highlight the importance of distinguishing between the validation of elements of the business model and their preservation. This ensures that the deep-tech start-up's subsequent developments are aligned with the goals of resolving major challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building information modeling (BIM) has been attracting increasing attention in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry in recent years. The wide spread of BIM marks the transition from 2D and paper-based archiving to 3D and digital archiving of project information. However, the commonly used centralized managing approaches for BIM data have high risks of data loss and data tampering. With cryptographic algorithms and distributed databases, blockchain has the potential to address the limitations of data loss and trust in conventional BIM management methods. Therefore, this paper proposes a blockchain-based framework for digital archiving of BIM data. In this paper, the axiomatic design approach is utilized to design the archiving framework in order to systematically map the design parameters with the functional requirements and minimize the information contents. The proposed framework contains five modules, including the BIM module, building plan approval (BPA) module, building data simplification (BDS) module, distributed data storage (DDS) module, and digital document verification (DDV) module. Hyperledger Fabric is utilized to develop the blockchain system based on the proposed framework. In the end, a simple BIM model with 240 components and around 11,000 lines of content in the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) file is taken as an illustrative example to validate the proposed blockchain approach. By storing the BIM model on to the developed blockchain, it is found that each transaction of a blockchain can store over 5000 lines of IFC contents with 0.09 s of uploading latency. The results show that the proposed blockchain-based approach can effectively and securely archive BIM data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of rapid product iteration, companies need simple and effective methods to guide the entire process of product innovation design and enhance their product innovation capabilities. Most research focused on improving one or several steps in the product design process. Although some scholars have proposed methods that guided the entire process, they combined more than three different theories, which increased the difficulty of theoretical learning and the complexity of practical implementation. This paper proposed a product innovation design process composed of three theoretical methods: Kano, Axiomatic Design (AD), and Theory of the Solution of Inventive Problems (TRIZ). This new process guided the entire product design process with fewer theoretical methods, reducing the difficulty of learning and implementation. The paper demonstrated the effectiveness of this method through the design practice of a portable two-wheeled self-balancing vehicle. Additionally, the discussion section explored the method's potential from the design management perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powder Bed Fusion Laser Melting (PBF-LM) additive manufacturing technology is expected to have a remarkable impact on the industrial setting, making possible the realization of a metallic component with very complex designs to enhance product performance. However, the industrial use of the PBF-LM system needs a capability monitoring system to ensure product quality. Among the various studies developed, the investigation of methodology for the actual machine capability determination has been faced and still represents an open point. There are multiple authors and institutes proposing different investigation methods, ranging from the realization of samples (ex situ analysis) to installing monitoring devices on the machine (in situ analysis). Compared to other approaches, sample realization allows for assessing how the machine works through specimen analysis, but it is sensitive to the sample design. In this article, we first present an analysis of a well-known test artifact from an Axiomatic Design perspective. Second, based on the customer needs analysis and adjustments with respect to the use of hypothetical additive production lines, a new test artifact with an uncoupled design matrix is introduced. The proposed design has been experimentally tested and characterized using artifact made of Inconel 718 superalloy to evaluate its performance and representativeness in machine capability assessment. The results show an accurate identification of beam offset and scaling factor considering all the building platform positions. In addition, the artifact is characterized by a reduced building time (more than 90% with respect to the reference NIST artifact) and a halved inspection time (from 16 h to 8 h). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Advances in Engineering & Pure Sciences is the property of Marmara University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The product design process, fraught with uncertainties and ambiguities in its requirements and constraints, commonly traverses multiple stages, each emphasizing distinct design aspects. This engenders heterogeneity in decision-making criteria, rendering the effective integration of information from various stages of product design decision-making (PDDM) a pivotal task in identifying the optimal design solution. Surprisingly, limited research has attended to the challenge of consolidating such heterogeneous information across multiple PDDM stages. To bridge this gap, our study employs real numbers, interval numbers, and linguistic terms to capture the heterogeneous judgments of decision-makers. We fuse the Maximization Deviation Method with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for determining indicators’ weights, while decision-makers’ weights are derived through a dual consideration of uncertainty measure using fuzzy entropy and a distance-minimization model applied to the PDDM matrix for achieving consistency. Leveraging the advantage of axiomatic design, product design alternatives are evaluated based on their PDDM information content of PDDM matrices. Given the multistage nature of product design, stages’ weights are computed by assessing the information content and consistency degree of PDDM matrices at each stage. Ultimately, our approach achieves multistage heterogeneous decision-making fusion in product design through information axiom weighting. A case study involving the decision-making process for a specific numerical control machine design illustrates the efficacy of our method in integrating multistage heterogeneous PDDM data, yielding a comprehensive perspective on the viability of product design schemes. Results show that the ranking sequence of the product design schemes solidifies to x3 > x2 > x1 in stages 2 and 3 of PDDM, diverging from the initial order observed in stage 1 (x2 > x3 > x1), while the fused result from the multistage heterogeneous PDDM analysis aligns with the later stages’ rankings, indicating the credibility and persuasiveness are fortified. This methodology thus offers a robust framework for synthesizing and navigating the uncertainties and complexities inherent in multistage heterogeneous PDDM contexts.

In response to the problem of bowl seedling detachment caused by the shaking of the transplanting machine in plant factories, this paper proposes a physical entity monitoring method for the digital twin (DT) plant factory transplanting system. The method is used to analyze the vibration signals of the transplanting machine under different operating conditions and explore the optimal working conditions. Firstly, a demand analysis for the physical entity of the DT plant factory transplanting system is conducted, focusing on practical applications. Then, an optimal deployment plan is designed based on the axiomatic design (AD) theory. Subsequently, a comparative analysis of the operating conditions of the plant factory transplanting equipment is carried out using data-driven approaches. Finally, the optimal working condition parameters are determined by comparing the modal vibration power spectral density of the transplanting equipment under different operating conditions. The results show that the maximum amplitude occurs in the Z-axis, with a magnitude of 2.1 m/s2. By comparing the cloud maps, it is evident that the vibration trends in the Z-axis and X-axis above the transplanting robotic arm are more pronounced compared to the Y-axis. This indicates that under the operating condition of transplanting 3000 plants per hour, a high transplanting efficiency can be maintained, and the vibration signals in the XYZ-axis above the transplanting robotic arm are relatively smooth, making them suitable for transplanting operations. This study combines digital twin technology to analyze the vibration signals of the plant factory transplanting machine under different operating conditions and explore the optimal working conditions. Compared to traditional monitoring platforms, this method facilitates the real-time visualization of different operating conditions of the transplanting machine in a virtual mapping, providing a more intuitive reflection of the equipment operation status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of society, the negative impact of furniture waste on the environment has become increasingly prominent. Therefore, it has become essential to integrate sustainable design principles into furniture manufacturing. This integration can significantly extend the service life of furniture products and reduce the adverse impact on the environment. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to actively conduct market research and an in-depth understanding of users' needs for sustainable furniture design. Among them, applying the AHP-QFD-AD method to develop a comprehensive design evaluation model is a practical way. This model can translate user requirements into explicit functional requirements and further refine them into specific design parameters. Accurately reflecting user needs in product design greatly improves the accuracy of design evaluation, thereby reducing environmental impact throughout the product life cycle. By implementing this integrated model, we can move furniture products in a sustainable direction. In addition, this method can also enhance the connection between the user and the product, extend the service life of the product, and reduce the waste of furniture. Using sustainable shelving development as an example, we validate the proposed method model. This study reduces the harm of discarded furniture to the environment, providing some support for sustainable furniture design practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Food & Machinery is the property of Food & Machinery Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Pollination is a crucial ecological process with far-reaching impacts on natural and agricultural systems. Approximately 85% of flowering plants depend on animal pollinators for successful reproduction. Over 75% of global food crops rely on pollinators, making them indispensable for sustaining human populations. Wind, water, insects, birds, bats, mammals, amphibians, and mollusks accomplish the pollination process. The design features of flowers and pollinators in angiosperms make the pollination process functionally effective and efficient. In this paper, we analyze the design aspects of the honeybee-enabled flower pollination process using the axiomatic design methodology. We tabulate functional requirements (FRs) of flower and honeybee components and map them onto nature-chosen design parameters (DPs). We apply the “independence axiom” of the axiomatic design methodology to identify couplings and to evaluate if the features of a flower and a honeybee form a good design (i.e., uncoupled design) or an underperforming design (i.e., coupled design). We also apply the axiomatic design methodology’s “information axiom” to assess the pollination process’s robustness and reliability. Through this exploration, we observed that the pollination process is not only a good design but also a robust design. This approach to assessing whether nature’s processes are good or bad designs can be valuable for biomimicry studies. This approach can also inform design considerations for bio-inspired innovations such as microrobots.

Building information modeling (BIM) has been attracting increasing attention in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry in recent years. The wide spread of BIM marks the transition from 2D and paper-based archiving to 3D and digital archiving of project information. However, the commonly used centralized managing approaches for BIM data have high risks of data loss and data tampering. With cryptographic algorithms and distributed databases, blockchain has the potential to address the limitations of data loss and trust in conventional BIM management methods. Therefore, this paper proposes a blockchain-based framework for digital archiving of BIM data. In this paper, the axiomatic design approach is utilized to design the archiving framework in order to systematically map the design parameters with the functional requirements and minimize the information contents. The proposed framework contains five modules, including the BIM module, building plan approval (BPA) module, building data simplification (BDS) module, distributed data storage (DDS) module, and digital document verification (DDV) module. Hyperledger Fabric is utilized to develop the blockchain system based on the proposed framework. In the end, a simple BIM model with 240 components and around 11,000 lines of content in the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) file is taken as an illustrative example to validate the proposed blockchain approach. By storing the BIM model on to the developed blockchain, it is found that each transaction of a blockchain can store over 5000 lines of IFC contents with 0.09 s of uploading latency. The results show that the proposed blockchain-based approach can effectively and securely archive BIM data.

Conceptual design has a significant impact on performance of the final product. Existing methods of the concept design such as quality function deployment and axiomatic design cannot decide product structures based on function requirements (FRs) to meet product specifications. An effective method is proposed to decide the product structure based on relations of FRs and physical structures using the WordNet hierarchy and association relation in this paper. Physical attributes (PAs) of FRs are searched based on similarity of FRs and functions of existing product structures. Suitable product structures are decided by comparing PAs of design structures with PAs of FRs. Relations between structures and FRs are defined by the association relation to decide the best product structure from all potential solutions using a pairwise comparison method. The proposed method is verified in a case study of the concept design of upper limb rehabilitation devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Praxis Filosófica is the property of Universidad del Valle and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Indian Railways is India's biggest employer and undeniably influences the country's transportation network, economy, and social and cultural systems. The network is split into zones for operational reasons. It is vital to evaluate these railway networks to identify their strengths and shortcomings and to improve their performance. Past works often use Data Envelopment Analysis to evaluate railway services. Our contribution lies in the inclusion of several aspects not previously considered, such as (i) both tangible and intangible criteria, (ii) the hierarchical nature of the problem, and (iii) additional useful criteria and data to analyze the performance of the zones, including physical assets, operating ratio, accidents, comfort, travel experience, flexibility, transparency, etc. We use the novel Hierarchical Fuzzy Axiomatic Design method to evaluate the performance of sixteen zones in the Indian Railways since it suits our problem well. We find that the Southern Railway zone performs best, while the Northeast Frontier zone is ranked last. We also identify the strengths and weaknesses of all railway zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remanufacturing used products is an important technological approach in sustainable development and circular economy. Meanwhile, redesign is the key component of remanufacturing, as it can innovate the function and structure of used products. However, due to the uncertain quality, variety, and small batches of the returned used products for remanufacturing, it is difficult to generate a sound redesign scheme to satisfy the customer demand quickly and dynamically. In addition, it is unpredictable whether the redesign scheme is suitable for the remanufacturing processes, which may lead to additional remanufacturing costs. In order to improve the efficiency of design and obtain the optimal design scheme, it is necessary to use intelligent technology to quickly generate and optimize the redesign scheme. To address this, an intelligent redesign method for used products based on the digital twin is proposed in this paper. Digital twin (DT) technology can connect the physical world with the virtual world and use the virtual model to simulate the redesign process, which is conducive to the dynamic adjustment and optimization of the redesign scheme. Firstly, the redesign process framework is constructed based on the axiomatic design (AD) method, and the redesign features of the used products are analyzed to determine the redesign problems. Then, based on the connotation of a digital twin, an intelligent redesign framework is constructed, which provides detailed guidance for building the digital-twin-driven redesign system. Henceforth, the application of the redesign process based on a digital twin is discussed, a technical approach of the digital-twin-driven redesign is proposed, and data processing methods, such as data cleaning, data integration, and data analysis, are used to realize the redesign scheme decision. Finally, the feasibility of this method is verified by the redesign of a used clutch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interval games are an extension of cooperative coalitional games, in which players are assumed to face payoff uncertainty. Characteristic functions thus assign a closed interval instead of a real number. This study revisits two interval game versions of Shapley values (i.e., the interval Shapley value and the interval Shapley-like value) and characterizes them using an axiomatic approach. For the interval Shapley value, we show that the existing axiomatization can be generalized to a wider subclass of interval games called size monotonic games. For the interval Shapley-like value, we show that a standard axiomatization using Young's strong monotonicity holds on the whole class of interval games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a combinatorial explosion of alternative variants of an assembly design owing to the design freedom provided by additive manufacturing (AM). In this regard, a novel virtual reality-based decision-support framework is presented herein for extracting the superior assembly design to be fabricated by AM route. It specifically addresses the intersection between human assembly and AM hence combining design for assembly, and design for additive manufacturing using axiomatic design theory. Several virtual reality experiments were carried out to achieve this with human subjects assembling parts. At first, a two-dimensional table is assembled, and the data are used to confirm the independence of non-functional requirements such as assembly time and assembly displacement error according to independence axiom. Then this approach is demonstrated on an industrial lifeboat hook with three assembly design variations. The data from these experiments are utilized to evaluate the possible combinations of the assembly in terms of probability density based on the information axiom. The technique effectively identifies the assembly design most likely to fulfill the non-functional requirements. To the authors' best knowledge, this is the first study that numerically extracts the human aspect of design at an early design stage in the decision process and considers the selection of the superior assembly design in a detailed design stage. Finally, this process is automated using a graphical user interface, which embraces the practicality of the currently integrated framework and enables manufacturers to choose the best assembly design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Axiomatic Design (AD) supports decision-making based on the axioms of independence and information. In the engineering design activity, the designer must make early decisions that impact the success of the project. These decisions are of paramount importance in the design of one-off products. In these products, one must make decisions in the early design phases, with scarce data about the product that will undeniably affect the solution. Applying the information axiom requires data from the alternative solutions under consideration that for one-off products are most often non-existent in the conceptual phase of the design. Additionally, the design process is highly conditioned by existing constraints, which significantly influence the outcome. This work suggests selecting design parameters (DP) for one-off products from different sets of proposals that comply with the independence of functional requirements (FR). AD design follows a hierarchical decomposition process from a conceptual to a detailed design. The proposed method allows selecting the DPs among the set of alternatives by quantifying the degree of conflict each solution presents to the constraints. It shows the first step to define the DPs, at each level of decomposition of the AD process. It is the first step to establish a zig in AD or, otherwise, a way to find a solution in the conceptual phase. It applies to one-off products – any product with one chance to be right. The paper applies this method to the DP selection of a manipulation device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the design process, design changes are unavoidable due to the need to meet customers' requirements and support future change through technology development. Although components are supposed to be renewed within existing designs, these changes can propagate into other parts due to their interfaces. Propagation makes it difficult for a designer to identify these changes. This study aimed to introduce the integration matrix (I-DSM), an approach to the design of mechatronic products that involves determining changes in existing products with an axiomatic design. Reverse zigzagging was used to break down the entire product to its lowest level. A design matrix (DM) was constructed and then transformed into a design structure matrix (DSM). The I-DSM consists of three layers: information technology, electrical technology, and mechanical technology. The breadth-first search (BFS) method was employed to ascertain the change propagation path in order to consider it. After this, the changing workload was analyzed, and the decision-making process was used to determine the best possible option. Finally, an automatic guided vehicle was used in a case study to demonstrate the use of this methodology by showing how changes in a product can affect it and how a designer can prioritize activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intelligent drilling technologies, such as downhole signal and power transmission, can be used to measure key downhole data and obtain thermal insulation cores. This technology is of great significance for the accurate assessment of deep oil and gas resources, the reconstruction of oil and gas resource extraction systems, and the realization of efficient, intelligent and safe resource extraction. In order to meet the needs of underground communication and power supply for active thermal insulation coring, a new type of conductive center pole was innovatively designed. Using the theory of innovation problem solving (TRIZ) and axiomatic design (AD) to analyze the functional requirements of the conductive central pole, establish and solve the original design matrix. Based on the axiomatic design theory, the non-coupling matrix is decoupled by using the TRIZ solving tool, and the key indicators of the design scheme that meet the independent axiom are evaluated. In view of the contradictions and conflicts, the TRIZ solution tool was continually used to solve, optimize and obtain a design scheme with a higher comprehensive evaluation. Thus, the self-adaptive non-winding connection and power conduction of the conductive center pole was realized. Finally, the strength of the newly designed center pole was checked, and a physical prototype was made. Pre-research experiments on its conductivity and electrothermal conversion efficiency were carried out under different simulation environments to verify its conductivity. It provides innovative solutions to related problems in the field of deep insulation coring and intelligent drilling and provides effective technical means for related needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, smart and environmentally friendly products are gaining traction in consumers' purchase intentions. Not only will it reduce the adverse impact on the environment, but it also provides convenience and efficiency due to the improved functionality. On the other hand, companies need to evaluate how to effectively integrate these features into their design process. Therefore, this research aims to provide a systematic design methodology utilizing an axiomatic design approach that will incorporate the exploration of circular design and smart design aspects. To achieve this, a literature review was conducted to identify the specific circular and smart design aspects that will serve as input for the design process. Then, customer preferences on the existing products were collected and mapped into the design aspects. The output of which will be translated into the product's functional requirements, and finally, overall design alternatives. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, a case study for a water dispenser was presented. Results show that developed design was better than the existing models available in the market. With that, the proposed product innovation process can be used in practical application and can be used as a solution to increase customer satisfaction and offer companies a competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shoes designed for the elderly can reduce the risk of injury associated with falling. Pinpointing the specific needs of users and directions for product improvement allows companies to maximize the allocation of limited resources. However, user evaluation of important criteria is often ambiguous and uncertain. This paper contributes to solving this issue through the development of a two-stage user-satisfaction framework with a fuzzy-Six Sigma index and fuzzy axiomatic design (FAD). In the proposed method, we consider sampling uncertainty, analyze the vagueness of natural-language evaluations, and explore the match between company capabilities and user satisfaction. This framework highlights both the advantages and disadvantages of current shoe designs for the elderly, and a case study illustrates the applicability of the framework. Additionally, result comparison and sensitivity analysis are conducted to verify the reliability and effectiveness of the proposed method. Finally, the managerial implications, conclusions and limitations of the study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Mechanical Engineering is the property of Editorial Board of China Mechanical Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this paper, we introduced the integration of well-known TD tools that have been applied in many fields including product development, project management, many engineering disciplines, design of the organization, sustainable development, social issues, environmental issues, and others across many industries including automotive, aerospace, telecom, semiconductor, defense, transportation, energy, healthcare, agriculture, and more. The main objective of this paper is to introduce a new transdisciplinary (TD) engineering-based integrated approach to designing and developing a 3D silicone printing machine (SPM). Factors in designing and developing 3D SPM were simplified by considering the main factors affecting the performance of 3D SPM. Results are discussed and the modular 3D silicone printing machine design was presented. Using the Axiomatic Design (AD) tool, components of each module were identified to satisfy the functional requirements of the 3D SPM. Six TD-integrated tools were used to design the 3D SPM in this research. They are Quality Function Deployment (QFD), House of Quality (HOQ), TRIZ, AD, Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM), and Design Structure Matrix (DSM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topology optimization has been identified as a powerful tool to improve aircraft structures for many years. Yet, innovative layouts have not been successfully implemented in commercial aircraft for several reasons. One reason identified by our research group is the lack of design constraints during topology optimization, such as buckling stability, which yields complex solutions that are not easily manufacturable. Second, the complexity of the resulting layouts makes integration with other systems highly challenging. With respect to these challenges, we propose a new heuristic layout optimization process: complexitydriven layout exploration for aircraft structures (CD-LEAS). The new process addresses the challenges of complexity and nonlinear constraints, such as buckling, in aircraft structure layout optimization. The novelty of CD-LEAS comes from the integration of a relative complexity metric as a driver to navigate the design space efficiently. Two case studies of commonly used stiffened panels are carried out to showcase the performance of the process. The results show that using complexity to navigate an explicit design space allows our process to quickly output a family of simple, light, stiff and buckling-resistant layouts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the ever-stringent regulatory standards and financial pressure imposed by governments worldwide, public universities are striving to produce and deliver high quality knowledge by leveraging various organizational and technological tools. Despite their prominence and proliferation, research information management systems (RIMS) cover only the research management life-cycle of the institution and thereby presume that the scholars are actively engaged in research and are committed to feeding the system with accurate research data, which may not be the case at public universities. In this paper, we propose to leverage Axiomatic Design and Research Information Systems to support the entire research production life-cycle. The architecture of the proposed system is described in terms of a set of software modules, which may be incorporated into an open-source or a commercial Current Research Information System (CRIS). This will extend the CRIS functionality to cover the research production life-cycle in addition to the research management life-cycle making it well suited for developing research capacity at public universities.

Topology optimization has been identified as a powerful tool to improve aircraft structures for many years. Yet, innovative layouts have not been successfully implemented in commercial aircraft for several reasons. One reason identified by our research group is the lack of design constraints during topology optimization, such as buckling stability, which yields complex solutions that are not easily manufacturable. Second, the complexity of the resulting layouts makes integration with other systems highly challenging. With respect to these challenges, we propose a new heuristic layout optimization process: complexity-driven layout exploration for aircraft structures (CD-LEAS). The new process addresses the challenges of complexity and nonlinear constraints, such as buckling, in aircraft structure layout optimization. The novelty of CD-LEAS comes from the integration of a relative complexity metric as a driver to navigate the design space efficiently. Two case studies of commonly used stiffened panels are carried out to showcase the performance of the process. The results show that using complexity to navigate an explicit design space allows our process to quickly output a family of simple, light, stiff and buckling-resistant layouts.

Institution theory represents the fully axiomatic approach to model theory in which all components of logical systems are treated fully abstractly by reliance on category theory. Here, we survey some developments over the last decade or so concerning the institution theoretic approach to non-classical aspects of model theory. Our focus will be on many-valued truth and on models with states, which are addressed by the two extensions of ordinary institution theory known as L -institutions and stratified institutions, respectively. The discussion will include relevant concepts, techniques, and results from these two areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We define a class of subshifts defined by a family of allowed patterns of the same shape where, for any contents of the shape minus a corner, the number of ways to fill in the corner is the same. For such a subshift, a locally legal pattern of convex shape is globally legal, and there is a measure that samples uniformly on convex sets. We show by example that these subshifts need not admit a group structure by shift-commuting continuous operations. Our approach to convexity is axiomatic, and only requires an abstract convex geometry that is "midpointed with respect to the shape". We construct such convex geometries on several groups, in particular strongly polycyclic groups and free groups. We also show some other methods for sampling finite patterns, and show a link to conjectures of Gottshalk and Kaplansky. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hedonic games are coalition formation games in which players have preferences over the coalitions they can join. For a long time, all models of representing hedonic games were based upon selfish players only. Among the known ways of representing hedonic games compactly, we focus on friend-oriented hedonic games and propose a novel model for them that takes into account not only the players' own preferences but also their friends' preferences. Depending on the order in which players look at their own or their friends' preferences, we distinguish three degrees of altruism: selfish-first, equal-treatment, and altruistic-treatment preferences. We study both the axiomatic properties of these games and the computational complexity of problems related to various common stability concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical machining is usually included in the wider group of non-conventional machining methods. This method is based on the material removal from the workpiece as a result of chemical reactions between the electrolyte and the material of the workpiece, under conditions where the tool electrode and the workpiece are immersed in an electrolyte and connected to the poles of a direct current source. Using principles from axiomatic design, specialized equipment was designed. This equipment could be used to experimentally investigate the influence of working gap size on the material removal rate from a test sample made of an electroconductive material. The development of the design matrix led to the observation that, in the proposed version, the condition imposed by the first axiom is not strictly respected. This requires the independence of the functional requirements valid for different components of the equipment, which means that there are possibilities for future improvement of the proposed constructive solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Zhejiang University (Science Edition) is the property of Journal of Zhejiang University (Science Edition) Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Generally, there are different challenges in traditional approaches to aircraft design, resulting in a decrease in the efficiency of the design process. For instance, decisions made at the conceptual design phase are based on limited knowledge about design, while these decisions can significantly decrease the design freedom in further design steps. In addition, the decision in the conceptual design phase constituted as high as 80% of the life-cycle costs. Furthermore, in the conceptual design phase, because of their critical issues in achieving performance requirements, more attention has been given to aerodynamics and propulsion disciplines, while other disciplines are evaluated only later throughout the design process. However, in the last decades, new requirements such as environment-friendliness, considering global warming, reducing energy consumption, reusing, recycling, and remanufacturing have been added to aircraft design criteria. These changes in design requirements have led to the development of different kinds of Functional Requirements (FRs) and disciplines and, consequently, increased coupling and iterative cycles. These issues have increased the complexity of the aircraft conceptual design process compared to the past. Consequently, in the last decades, many researchers and designers have tried to address these challenges. In this regard, various design methodologies such as multidisciplinary design optimization and knowledge-based engineering were developed. These approaches could support the evolutionary improvement of current product designs or the study of the novel complex product or could reduce the coupling between various FRs and Design Parameters (DPs). In this research, designers tried to use the Axiomatic Design (AD) approach to identify and reduce coupling between different FRs, resulting in less repetitive activities and design iteration in the design process. The authors also developed an algorithm based on the AD method to improve the conceptual aircraft design. The results obtained in this study indicate the high efficiency of this method in reducing the coupling between the FRs defined for the aircraft as well as in reducing repetitive activities, thus optimizing the time and the cost of the aircraft design process.

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a systematic approach for evaluating the potential failure modes in a system, and is mainly employed in three distinct tasks labelled: (1) Functional FMEA – evaluating those failures associated with product functional definition, (2) Design FMEA – analysing those failures associated with design definition and (3) Process FMEA – assessing potential failures in manufacturing and assembly processes. The literature review has shown limited works on the field of synchronising these different tasks into a working model. To address this gap, this research developed a framework for integrating these tasks of FMEAs, and then qualitatively validating the proposed framework. This research adopted a semi-structured questionnaire to collect experts’ feedback and validate the proposed framework. The t-test was then employed to evaluate the collected feedback. The findings highlight that the proposed framework is applicable and could facilitate the synchronisation of the different tasks of FMEA. This research presents a methodological approach for executing and synchronising FMEAs. Therefore, the proposed framework is practically relevant as an aid for the practitioners in catching the cascading failures and reducing the relevant impact.

Electrochemical machining is usually included in the wider group of non-conventional machining methods. This method is based on the material removal from the workpiece as a result of chemical reactions between the electrolyte and the material of the workpiece, under conditions where the tool electrode and the workpiece are immersed in an electrolyte and connected to the poles of a direct current source. Using principles from axiomatic design, specialized equipment was designed. This equipment could be used to experimentally investigate the influence of working gap size on the material removal rate from a test sample made of an electroconductive material. The development of the design matrix led to the observation that, in the proposed version, the condition imposed by the first axiom is not strictly respected. This requires the independence of the functional requirements valid for different components of the equipment, which means that there are possibilities for future improvement of the proposed constructive solution.

Social awareness of the environment has promoted the vigorous development of remanufacturing. Traditional product design does not consider the remanufacturability, which leads to improper disposal at the end of the product's life, resulting in environmental pollution and resource waste. In this paper, a method for the generation and optimization of product design schemes was established, in which remanufacturability was included at the early design stage of the product. Firstly, based on axiomatic design, the Z-shaped mapping was upgraded to the tree topology mapping, which was then incorporated into the scheme generation model, and seven remanufacturability design constraint criteria were used as constraints to obtain a product design set of scenarios. Secondly, the entropy weight method and analytic hierarchy process were combined to calculate the weights of the four evaluation indicators: functionality, economy, stability, and environment; and a differential evolution algorithm was used to optimize the scheme. Finally, a lathe was taken as a case to illustrate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed methodology. The results showed that the method could successfully generate product design schemes that improved remanufacturability and met the needs of users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new theoretical approach to the study of robotics manipulators dynamics. It is based on the well-known geometric approach to system dynamics, according to which some axiomatic definitions of geometric structures concerning invariant subspaces are used. In such a framework, certain typical problems in robotics are mathematically formalised and analysed in axiomatic form. The outcomes are sufficiently general that it is possible to discuss the structural properties of robotic manipulation. A generalized theoretical linear model is used, and a thorough analysis is made. The noninteracting nature of this model is also proven through a specific theorem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]