Challenges in Conceptual Design of Fencing Systems, Students View
Year: 2010
Editor: Boks W; Ion, W; McMahon, C and Parkinson B
Author: Kovacevic, Ahmed; Halai,Ashwin; Ghazihesami, Rouzbeh; Verdegver ,Javier; Gowree ,Erwin Ricky; Jeshani, Snehal; Valtera, Jan
Section: EXPERIENCES WITH COURSES/EDUCATION
Page(s): 198-203
Abstract
A systematic engineering design process is recommended for use in industry. Still many design teams tend not to follow it and consequently their designs are not adapted to a customer needs. Even when used, such a process needs to be applied properly in order to produce desired results. Following the first training in application of systematic engineering design process, it was clear to the mechanical students at City University how to use it for generating concepts of mechanisms and machines. However, in the project which they performed for an industrial partner they were asked to
conceptualise on a fence which was regarded as a structure. In this case students needed to apply different approach and to introduce more tools in extracting engineering characteristics. The process was performed in two phases. Initially the research phase was carried out to define customer requirements, the objectives tree, engineering characteristics and to generate a QFD.
However, generating a functional model as the basis for the morphological chart was not perceived as a trivial process. Therefore other alternative approaches for identifying functions were evaluated. In the second phase, the concept generation, this approach proved very useful and allowed generation of several novel concepts. This paper written by undergraduate students outlines details of this exercise. Students described their challenges in adapting to new processes and elaborated on suitability of using the proposed approach by the industrial partner.
Keywords: Engineering design process, value analysis, functional model, FMEA