Abstract
Component-Commonality implies products using many common parts, desensitized to the range of product applications (defined as noise in this approach), and meeting the functionality objectives of each product. This paper presents a methodology for developing common components and applies it to a sample problem Basically, the methodology involves nine sequential steps. These steps utilize the major concepts of analytical modeling, economic decision matrices (EDM), quality Loss-functions (QLS) for variates and weighted utilities, stochastic models, finite element (FE) simulations for concurrent engineering, and statistical experiments for considering the uncertainty in either application, statistics or managerial decisions. In this paper, the statistical experiments utilize Taguchi’s orthogonal arrays (TOA). The details of these steps are illustrated by application to a problem involving a slider-link subjected to a wide range of noise (inertia/pressure loadings). Six candidate-designs of steel, aluminum and titanium, are generated using an analytical model and a sensitivity study with sequential TOA. These designs are ranked using cost and weight and factor-of-safety with respect to yielding, A Refining EDM with a three part robustness criteria (RC) selected two candidates (best was steel, followed by aluminum) considering Inner noise in the managerial decisions. Verification of the Refining EDM model via a Detailing EDM with a stochastic model and FE simulations is presented in a companion paper.
