Visual analytics for evaluation of value impact in engineering design

Abstract

Many traditional engineering design processes in industry have evolved, and nowadays they are supported by computational tools and methods. As a consequence, apart from the quantity of information and data, a network of simulation methods produces information at various level of detail and nature. Furthermore, human interactivity is an essential consideration when building and designing such computational systems, simply because there is a requirement to process and understand this information that is produced during an engineering project effectively in real time. We introduce here a Visual Analytics perspective in computational engineering design process, as well as tightening the interactive analysis of engineering data with Parallel Coordinates and Scatter plots. To demonstrate the benefits of the proposed approach we use a case study that describes the design of an aero engine component critically suffering from the operating conditions but at the same time from the change of specifications and customer requirements. Some of the benefits include minimisation of rework through early identification of behaviour in selected Value Dimensions, as well as the ability to trade product performance (e.g. weight, minimum expected life) with internal stakeholder expectations (e.g. higher overall productivity of aircraft, low degree of aircraft modifications, faster design convergence). Furthermore, the proposed method develops the ability to identify architectural options that align with Value Creation Strategies, but also the evaluation of design options in advance of physical trade studies.