Engineering change (EC) is a source of uncertainty. While the number of changes to a design can be optimized, their existence cannot be eliminated. Each change is accompanied by intended and unintended impacts both of which might propagate and cause further knock-on changes. Such change propagation causes uncertainty in design time, cost, and quality and thus needs to be predicted and controlled. Current engineering change propagation models map the product connectivity into a single-domain network and model change propagation as spread within this network. Those models miss out most dependencies from other domains and suffer from “hidden dependencies”. This paper proposes the function-behavior-structure (FBS) linkage model, a multidomain model which combines concepts of both the function-behavior-structure model from Gero and colleagues with the change prediction method (CPM) from Clarkson and colleagues. The FBS linkage model is represented in a network and a corresponding multidomain matrix of structural, behavioral, and functional elements and their links. Change propagation is described as spread in that network using principles of graph theory. The model is applied to a diesel engine. The results show that the FBS linkage model is promising and improves current methods in several ways: The model (1) accounts explicitly for all possible dependencies between product elements, (2) allows capturing and modeling of all relevant change requests, (3) improves the understanding of why and how changes propagate, (4) is scalable to different levels of decomposition, and (5) is flexible to present the results on different levels of abstraction. All these features of the FBS linkage model can help control and counteract change propagation and reduce uncertainty and risk in design.
Skip Nav Destination
e-mail: bh351@cam.ac.uk
e-mail: nhmc1@cam.ac.uk
e-mail: pjc10@cam.ac.uk
Article navigation
October 2012
Special Section: Strategies For Design Under Uncertainty
A Multidomain Engineering Change Propagation Model to Support Uncertainty Reduction and Risk Management in Design
Bahram Hamraz,
Bahram Hamraz
Engineering Design Centre, Department of Engineering,
e-mail: bh351@cam.ac.uk
University of Cambridge
, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK
Search for other works by this author on:
Nicholas H. M. Caldwell,
Nicholas H. M. Caldwell
Engineering Design Centre, Department of Engineering,
e-mail: nhmc1@cam.ac.uk
University of Cambridge
, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK
Search for other works by this author on:
P. John Clarkson
P. John Clarkson
Engineering Design Centre, Department of Engineering,
e-mail: pjc10@cam.ac.uk
University of Cambridge
, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK
Search for other works by this author on:
Bahram Hamraz
Engineering Design Centre, Department of Engineering,
University of Cambridge
, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK
e-mail: bh351@cam.ac.uk
Nicholas H. M. Caldwell
Engineering Design Centre, Department of Engineering,
University of Cambridge
, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK
e-mail: nhmc1@cam.ac.uk
P. John Clarkson
Engineering Design Centre, Department of Engineering,
University of Cambridge
, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK
e-mail: pjc10@cam.ac.uk
J. Mech. Des. Oct 2012, 134(10): 100905 (14 pages)
Published Online: September 28, 2012
Article history
Received:
January 30, 2012
Revised:
July 10, 2012
Published:
September 21, 2012
Online:
September 28, 2012
Citation
Hamraz, B., Caldwell, N. H. M., and John Clarkson, P. (September 28, 2012). "A Multidomain Engineering Change Propagation Model to Support Uncertainty Reduction and Risk Management in Design." ASME. J. Mech. Des. October 2012; 134(10): 100905. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4007397
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Related Articles
Time-Dependent Reliability-Based Dimensional Synthesis for Planar Linkages With Unknown but Bounded Joint Clearances
J. Mech. Des (June,2018)
How Uncertain Is Too Uncertain? Validity Tests for Early Resilient and Risk-Based Design Processes
J. Mech. Des (January,2021)
Risk Assessment for Stream Modification Projects in Urban Settings
ASCE-ASME Journal of Risk and Uncertainty in Engineering Systems, Part A: Civil Engineering (June,2015)
Restraint Systems in Tactical Vehicles: Uncertainty Study Involving Airbags, Seatbelts, and Military Gear
ASME J. Risk Uncertainty Part B (March,2019)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
The Effect of Conservatism on Identifying Influential Parameters (PSAM-0381)
Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Probabilistic Safety Assessment & Management (PSAM)
PSA Level 2 — NPP Ringhals 2 (PSAM-0156)
Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Probabilistic Safety Assessment & Management (PSAM)
Developing Human Performance Measures (PSAM-0207)
Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Probabilistic Safety Assessment & Management (PSAM)