Abstract
Robust Design (RD) in the early design stages has a critical impact on product development costs. However, the application of the early RD methods in the industry is limited, as they cannot be easily integrated into standard development processes. In order to effectively use qualitative early RD methods in the development process of industrial products, a link to the quantitative methods in the development process is needed, which is currently lacking. To address this gap, this paper investigates the application of an early RD method with the Embodiment Function Relation and Tolerance (EFRT) model in an industrial context, focusing on the development of the centrifugal pendulum vibration absorber that is widely used in vehicle drivetrain system. The insights gained from the qualitative modeling are then linked to a quantitative simulation model in the software Matlab/Simulink. The results of the EFRT model and the simulation are compatible and can be effectively linked to improve the robustness evaluation of industrial products. With this link, early RD methods could be better integrated into the development process of industrial products, and therefore provide more benefits to engineering practice.