Application of Knowledge Engineering Methodologies to Support Engineering Design Application Development in Aerospace

Abstract

To support repetitive or time-consuming steps of engineering design process, Knowledge Engineering (KE) techniques can be applied. In general, knowledge engineering techniques consists of a broad scale of tools and techniques to convert engineering knowledge into a knowledge model. Among these methodologies are MOKA 1 , CommonKADS 2 and the 47-Step Procedure 3. A suitable application to support knowledge engineering is PCPACK 4. A practical application is chosen to demonstrate the use of KE techniques in a real-life situation. The example that is chosen is the design of Fibre Metal Laminate (FML) fuselage skin panels for the Airbus A380 aircraft at Stork Fokker AESP, Papendrecht, The Netherlands. Within the FML engineering process, various opportunities for KBE applications are identified. The most beneficial KBE application is the automation of the subdivision process of the prepreg plies. The subdivision process of the prepreg plies accounts for approximately 20% of the total production preparation time. The produced informal model of the design process is used to produce a KBE application. With respect to the traditional prepreg subdivision process, a lead-time reduction of 75% can be gained using this KBE application. In contrast to the theoretical development time, the development time for the KBE system is equal to approximately six design cycles of the traditional prepreg ply subdivision process. The results of the KBE application in relation to the design made by the design engineer are highly accurate. The prepreg cutting waste can be reduced by 50% for the basic laminate of the panels.

Application of a knowledge based design methodology to support fuselage panel design

“…It is knowledge residing at one's subconscious and often leads to automatic decision making or actions that seem to require no conscious thought. It is also referred to as experiences, art or craft [6].…”

“…In the previous articles of the authors several KE technologies have been discussed to support the development of KBE applications [6]. An example was given of the application of knowledge acquisition methods in combination with a knowledge management tool.…”

Exploration of Knowledge Acquisition Techniques in Tunnel Industry: The Case Study of Iran Tunnel Association

“…The Knowledge Acquisition Matrix provides several tools in order to acquire various types of knowledge. (Emberey et al, 2007) …”

Application of a Knowledge Engineering Process to Support Engineering Design Application Development

“…It often leads to automatic activities that seem to require no conscious thought. It is described in everyday words and phrases such as 'gut feel', 'hunches', 'intuition', 'instinct' and 'inspiration' [7].…”

“…The Knowledge Acquisition Matrix provides several tools in order to acquire the different types of knowledge. [7] Dedicated software tools make the process of acquiring, storing and representing knowledge more efficient and less prone to errors. PCPACK [15] is the comprehensive of such tools.…”