KADS: A Knowledge Aided Mechanical Design System

Design is an inherently iterative process. This paper will present a knowledge based system that reduces this iterative process to a near minimum. To achieve this goal, the Knowledge Aided Design System (KADS) for mechanical components, uses the techniques of heuristically representing design intuition to evaluate conceptual ideas. The implementation of this design methodology represents a fundamentally new approach to assisting a designer. The trend within similar research is to develop each design tool to encompass more functionality. The research presented in this paper develops a morphology of incorporating design heuristics and analysis techniques into a unified working environment.