Cranfield Conferences and Symposia
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Browsing Cranfield Conferences and Symposia by Type "Conference paper"
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Item Open Access Achieving Effective Innovation Based On TRIZ Technological Evolution(Cranfield University Press, 2009-03-31) Sun, J. G.; Tan, R. H.; Cao, G. Z.; Rajkumar Roy; Essam ShehabThis paper outlines the conception of effective innovation and discusses the method to achieve it. Effective Innovation is constrained on the path of technological evolution so that the corresponding path must be detected before conceptual design of the product. The process of products technological evolution is a technical developing process that the products approach to Ideal Final Result (IFR). During the process, the sustaining innovation and disruptive innovation carry on alternately. By researching and forecasting potential techniques using TRIZ technological evolution theory, the effective innovation can be achieved finally.Item Open Access Achieving workplace inclusiveness by using ergonomics risk assessment(Cranfield University Press, 2013-09-19) Hussain, Amjad; Case, Keith; Marshall, Russell; Summerskill, SteveTraditional manufacturing work practices do not consider human variability issues during the design process. However, most manual assembly activities demand high levels of repetition and speed without compromising product quality and work productivity. Individual factors including age, gender, skill, experience and anthropometry cause variations in task strategies that lead to variations in individual and organizational work performance. The ergonomics-based risk assessment methods OWAS, REBA and RULA have been used to evaluate risk levels associated with working methods. This paper discusses the need for these methods to understand and highlight the key issues generated by these variations with the objective of minimizing these variations. Methods that can be used to promote working strategies that minimize the level of risk are described. The proposed research method potentially reduces work-related musculoskeletal disorders, injuries, pain, and promotes safe, healthy, productive and more inclusive working strategies suitable for a diverse working population.Item Open Access Advanced automated fibre placement(Cranfield University Press, 2013-09-19) Krombholz, Christian; Delisle, Dominik; Perner, MarcusThe further increase of production rates while maintaining or improving quality and lower costs demand the development of new manufacturing solutions. For this purpose, within the project GroFi® the German Aerospace Center (DLR) develops a new plant, processes and sensor systems that enable a productive, cost-reducing manufacturing with an increase in quality of large-scale composite structures. The plant concept is a novel robot-based multi-head fibre placement facility, that coordinates its up to 8 layup units working on one or more components simultaneously. For the coordination of these layup units a closed CAD-CAM simulation was developed, that generates a time and / or cost-effective manufacturing process. To increase quality and productivity additionally, a comprehensive sensor system has been developed. This development of the DLR in the field of an advanced automated fibre placement technology serves the requirements of the current aviation industry.Item Open Access Advanced periodic maintenance scheduling methods for aircraft lifecycle management(Cranfield University Press, 2013-09-19) Fedotova, Alena; Taratoukhine, Victor; Ovsyannikov, MikhailThis paper reviews existing methods and techniques addressing the problem of maintenance support throughout the life cycle for high value manufacturing products such as aircrafts. As part of this doctorate research the analysis of current methods of maintenance scheduling was conducted. In order to contribute to a more comprehensive solution, an advanced approach (algorithm) of periodic maintenance is presented. The authors believe that this approach will reduce the cost of maintenance of high value manufacturing products. The algorithm based on constraint programming methods is briefly presented and the future research directions are discussed.Item Open Access Aeration optimisation of Biolgical Aerated Filters(of Water Sciences, Cranfield University, 1996-06-12) Pearce, Peter A.Aeration costs account for a large proportion of the total running costs of biological aerated filters (BAFs) which are in themselves an energy intensive form of treatment process. Optimisation of oxygenation efficiency is therefore an obvious goal as small improvements in operating efficiency will yield significant savings in energy consumption. This paper will deal with the oxygen transfer characteristics of a downflow BAF using mineral media. Clean water and operational performance are compared over a range of hydraulic and organic loadings and a range of air flow rates. Alternative aeration devices and aeration procedures were also evaluated but will only be discussed in summary in this paper.Item Open Access An Aerospace Component Cost Modelling Study for Value Driven Design(Cranfield University Press, 2009-04-01) Cheung, J. M. W.; Scanlan, J. P.; Wiseall, S. S.; Rajkumar Roy; Essam ShehabDemand is increasing in aero-engine products for better efficiency and environmental performance whilst keeping the cost low. Unlike performance, the physics behind cost is least understood. This paper presents a proposed unit cost modelling methodology applied to a Rolls-Royce aero-engine fan blade. An objective of the cost model is the allow engineers to understand the breakdown of cost. A value driven design concept is outlined and presents an opportunity to conduct design optimisation.Item Open Access Affordability Assessment of Industrial Product-Service System in the Aerospace Defence Industry(Cranfield University Press, 2009-04-01) Bankole, O. O.; Roy, Rajkumar; Shehab, Essam; Wardle, P.; Rajkumar Roy; Essam ShehabThe Industrial Product-Service System (IPS2) takes a whole life cycle view in order to consider the total cost of the IPS2 offering. This paper focuses on the concept of customer affordability which aims to review current practice in industry and with interaction between customer and solution providers to identify factors affecting affordability. It secures a standard definition and proposes a measurement technique called the Affordability Index (AI) within the aerospace defence industry. A preliminary Affordability Capability Audit Tool is developed to give an indication of the confidence level about the AI. It identifies challenges in industry and outlines opportunities for further research scope.Item Open Access Affordance Feature Reasoning in Some Home Appliances Products(Cranfield University Press, 2009-03-31) Lim, J. S.; Kim, Y. S.; Rajkumar Roy; Essam ShehabInteractions between human and objects are made through specific features of the object, which are adequate to the task context. During interactions, the perceived features vary according to the context. Affordances are the messages that products provide and users perceive in such a way that user actions are naturally induced with the help of such messages. In this research, we define affordance features as structural elements providing affordances. We classify affordance features into functional, ergonomics, and informative aspects. For some home appliances, common affordances and affordance features are identified so that they can be used in designing other products.Item Open Access Analysing discrete event simulation modelling activities applied in manufacturing system design(Cranfield University Press, 2009-03-31) Johansson, J.; Rajkumar Roy; Essam ShehabIn manufacturing industry, Discrete Event Simulation (DES) is applied in just a small fraction of the cases where it could give significant value. The complexity of the DES technology itself is one barrier to achieving its full potential in manufacturing system design. This paper focuses on methodologies which can be used in studying the modelling process, with the specific intent of integrating DES into the engineering design process of manufacturing systems. Ethnographical methodologies are proposed, as they are successfully applied to the analysis of the engineering design process. Observations from industrial practice indicate that visualisation in DES software is essential for the sequential verification of design activities.Item Open Access Analysis of Integrated Product and Service Offerings from Current Perspectives of Providers and Customers(Cranfield University Press, 2009-04-01) Sakao, T.; Sundin, E.; Rajkumar Roy; Essam ShehabThis paper reports the current status of how companies address IPSO (Integrated Product and Service Offerings)-typed business. It will consist of perspectives both from providers and customers mainly from Sweden and Germany. Especially, it selects how providing firms address uncertainty as one focal issue. As a result of interviews, factors from customers are the major source of uncertainty for an experienced company, while services are the major for little experienced companies. In addition, there was found to be a reasonable wish of providers to obtain a formalized way leading to quantitative management of uncertainty. On the other hand, customer incentives are not always clear. While some customers find the IPSO preferable from economic reasons other customers have the opposite recognition.Item Open Access Analysis of the “make or buy” decision process in a research and development sme(Cranfield University Press, 2013-09-19) Sarkandi, Mohammad; Baguley, Paul; Tiwari, AshutoshStart-up SMEs face various challenges and difficulties during their existence and due to their nature they often lack knowledge and resources to fully address these challenges. Unlike large companies which have access to various resources, those resources are a significant gap for SMEs and the business owners have to rely on their own limited knowledge. The “Make or buy” decision is a critical decision in an organisation. This decision can affect current and future costs, capability and competences in the company and by taking best practice approaches and measures towards the decision making, extensive costs can be potentially saved. In this study, literature best practices have been reviewed. In addition a small company has been studied and the current practices of the company have been compared to academic best practices. The result of the study will be used to improve the “Make or buy” decision process in the company.Item Open Access Applications and benefits of digital human models to improve the design of workcells in car’s manufacturing plants according to international standards(Cranfield University Press, 2013-09-19) Spada, Stefania; Germanà, Danila; Ghibaudo, Lidia; Sessa, FabrizioDuring last years, the car’s manufacturing process has deeply changed because of several factors affected the automotive global scenario. As a consequence, design methodologies of the plant’s workcells have changed. In particular, ergonomics for manufacturing system has become a key factor to improve product’s quality, safety and work organization. In this paper, the authors show the approach used in Fiat Group Automobiles (FGA) based on simulation tools to analyse ergonomic aspects of work-cells already in design phase. Simulation tools allow a deep postural analysis that is one of the main criticism in the design phase. The principles of Digital Human Modeling have been used to develop an easy internal virtual manikin, the Human Model. The tool, based on ISO standards and on a worldwide anthropometric database, allows designers to simulate the most probable postures engaged by operator during work tasks as well as to validate improvements and corrective actions.Item Open Access Applying performance measures to support informed decision making at an operational level(Cranfield University Press, 2013-09-19) Moreira, Madalena; Tjahjono, Benny; Julião, JorgePerformance Measurement Systems (PMS) have commonly been applied to evaluate and reward performances at managerial levels, especially in the context of supply chain management. However, evidence suggests that the effective use of PMS can also positively influence the behaviour and improve performance at an operational level. The purpose of the study described in this paper is to develop a conceptual framework that adopts performance measures for ex-ante decision-making at an operational level within the supply chain. A case study at Coca-Cola Enterprises has been carried out and as a result, a conceptual framework of the PMS has been developed.Item Open Access Applying Scenarios in the context of Specific User Design: Surgeon as an Expert User, and Design for Handicapped Children.(Cranfield University Press, 2009-03-31) Thomann, G.; Rasoulifar, R.; Villeneuve, F.; Rajkumar Roy; Essam ShehabIn the context of specific user (surgery or handicap domain), the list of requirements is especially difficult to establish. We propose to reflect on the design methodology and especially on the Scenario & Emulation application. The aim is to make emerge needs in users who have specific relation to the final product. In this paper, we illustrate the research with two projects: the DESTIN Project (know-how and experience of the surgeons) and the AE2M Project (handicapped children). User, usage and products are the parameters we chose to define and to categorize with the objective to optimise the design process.Item Open Access An approach to the Integrated Design and Development of Manufacturing Systems(Cranfield University Press, 2009-03-31) Nylund, H.; Salminen, K.; Andersson, P. H.; Rajkumar Roy; Essam ShehabThis paper describes an approach to integrated manufacturing systems. It aims to integrate design and development activities, as well as the entities existing in a manufacturing system. A model of manufacturing systems is presented, including manufacturing entities with different roles and domains related to them. The characteristics of the manufacturing entities are discussed, including changeability, service orientation, and learning capabilities. One of the main enablers is a digital manufacturing system, which includes tools for modeling, simulation and analysis, as well as digital information and knowledge. This is illustrated by an example process, from product ideas to the efficient production of the products.Item Open Access Artificial Neural Networks to Optimize the Conceptual Design of Adaptable Product Development(Cranfield University Press, 2009-03-31) Feldhusen, J.; Nagarajah, A.; Rajkumar Roy; Essam ShehabThis paper describes an approach to apply Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to support the developer to optimize the conceptual design of Adaptable Product Development. The ANN learn from the previously mapping between the requirements and the product solutions. For a new development Process of an Adaptable Product the ANN analyse existing solution and sort them according to their probability of success. The advantages of this approach is on the one hand that ANN is able to identify the best suitable product solution for a new development order and on other hand the ANN automatically store the knowledge of the developer.Item Open Access Assessing the Complexity of a Recovered Design and its Potential Redesign Alternatives(Cranfield University Press, 2009-03-31) Urbanic, R. J.; ElMaraghy, W. H.; Rajkumar Roy; Essam ShehabReverse engineering techniques are applied to generate a part model where there is no existing documentation or it is no longer up to date. To facilitate the reverse engineering tasks, a modular, multiperspective design recovery framework has been developed. An evaluation of the product and feature complexity characteristics can readily be extracted from the design recovery framework by using a modification of a rapid complexity assessment tool. The results from this tool provide insight with respect to the original design and assists with the evaluation of potential alternatives and risks, as illustrated by the case study.Item Open Access Automated Retrieval of Non-Engineering Domain Solutions to Engineering Problems(Cranfield University Press, 2009-03-31) Stroble, J. K.; Stone, R. B.; McAdams, D. A.; Goeke, M. S.; Watkins, S. E.; Rajkumar Roy; Essam ShehabBiological inspiration for engineering design has occurred through a variety of techniques such as creation and use of databases, keyword searches of biological information in natural-language format, prior knowledge of biology, and chance observations of nature. This research focuses on utilizing the reconciled Functional Basis function and flow terms to identify suitable biological inspiration for function based design. The organized search provides two levels of results: (1) associated with verb function only and (2) narrowed results associated with verb-noun (function-flow). A set of heuristics has been complied to promote efficient searching using this technique. An example for creating smart flooring is also presented and discussed.Item Open Access Automating human skills : preliminary development of a human factors methodology to capture tacit cognitive skills(Cranfield University Press, 2013-09-19) Caird-Daley, Antoinette; Fletcher, Sarah R.; Baker, WilliamDespite technological advances in intelligent automation, it remains difficult for engineers to discern which manual tasks, or task components, would be most suitable for transfer to automated alternatives. This research aimed to develop an accurate methodology for the measurement of both observable and unobservable physical and cognitive activities used in manual tasks for the capture of tacit skill. Experienced operators were observed and interviewed in detail, following which, hierarchical task analysis and task decomposition methods were used to systematically explore and classify the qualitative data. Results showed that a task analysis / decomposition methodology identified different types of skill (e.g. procedural or declarative) and knowledge (explicit or tacit) indicating this methodology could be used for further human skill capture studies. The benefit of this research will be to provide a methodology to capture human skill so that complex manual tasks can be more efficiently transferred into automated processes.Item Open Access Automation from lean perspective-potentials and challenges(Cranfield University Press, 2013-09-19) Zafarzadeh, Masoud; Jackson, MatsThe competitive climate of production and high labour cost, motivate western companies to use technologies like automation as a mean to increase manufacturing competitiveness. On the other hand companies are aware about cost reductive policies like lean production which has shown noticeable achievement, consequently some manufacturers tend to follow such system. In this situation, in order to have lean enterprise, it is vital to find a clear picture of challenges and potentials of implementing automation within a lean environment. So, finding the right level and type of automation becomes vital for companies, and achieving this is not possible without a lean development of automation. The paper presents an overview of automation development from a lean perspective. The focus is on manufacturing and a case study in the automotive industry is presented. Challenges and potentials of automation are pinpointed and some suggestions regarding automation development is given.