Sudhakar Teegavarapu

Case Study Method for Design Research: A Justification

Case studies are used in design research to analyze a phenomenon, to generate hypotheses, and to validate a method. Though they are used extensively, there appears to be no accepted systematic case study method used by design researchers. Considering its nature and objectives, the case study method could be considered as a suitable method for conducting design research. Many times, design researchers have to confront questions about the validity of using case studies and their results. The objective of this paper is to present a brief overview of case study method, compare it with other qualitative and quantitative research methods, and study the merits and limitations of using the same in design research. Requirements are derived from the general characteristics of design research. Four popular research strategies are evaluated with respect to the requirements. A preliminary benchmark study suggests that case study method is a suitable method for conducting design research.Copyright

A driver for selection of functionally inequivalent concepts at varying levels of abstraction

Concept selection is a critical step in design, as evidenced by the number of concept selection methods that have been developed to choose between design alternatives. Each of these methods has various limitations as identified by different design researchers. However, limitations that have not yet been identified in the literature are those of abstraction and functionality. A fundamental assumption made with these tools is that the solutions being compared are at the same level of abstraction and are developed to satisfy the same functionality. This paper brings out the need for developing a tool for selecting concepts that are at varying levels of abstraction. A preliminary method is proposed and compared with other industrys best practice tools, using an automotive design case study.

Conceptual Development of Automotive Forward Lighting System Using White Light Emitting Diodes

This paper focuses on redesigning the headlamp subsystem functional architecture. The design involves meeting three major functional requirements: 1. Achieving the lumen requirements according to Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) 324 regulations

Augmenting Tools for Reverse Engineering Methods

Reverse engineering has gained importance over the past few years due to an intense competitive market aiding in the survivability of a company. This paper examines the reverse engineering process and what, how, and why it can assist in making a better design. Two well known reverse engineering methodologies are explored, the first by Otto and Wood and the second by Ingle. Each methodology is compared and contrasted according to the protocols and tools used. Among some of the reverse engineering tools detailed and illustrated are: Black box, Fishbone, Function Structure, Bill of Material, Exploded CAD models, Morphological Matrix, Subtract and Operate Procedure (SOP), House of Quality matrix, and FMEA. Even though both methodologies have highly valued tools, some of the areas in reverse engineering need additional robust tooling. This paper presents new and expanded tooling to augment the existing methods in hopes of furthering the understanding of the product, and process. Tools like Reverse Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (RFMEA), Connectivity graphs, and inter-relation matrix increase the design efficiency, quality, and the understanding of the reverse engineering process. These tools have been employed in two industry projects and one demonstrative purpose for a Design for Manufacture Class. In both of these scenarios, industry and academic, the users found that the augmented tools were useful in capturing and revealing information not previously realized.Copyright

Examining Design Tool Use in Engineering Curriculum: A Case Study

This case study observes the effect of design tool use in engineering courses on subsequent uses of design tools. Students gain a familiarity with design tools as they use them in early engineering classes, and will traditionally implement similar methods to seek future design solutions. Problems arise because design tools are often used inappropriately, which may or may not lead to productive outcomes. Understanding how design tools are incorporated into engineering curriculum will reveal how that particular method was selected, the background information given to the student to facilitate tool use, and the benefit gained from using the specific tool in the given case. This information is valuable to the evaluation of the engineering curriculum of which few performance metrics exist. This case study utilizes a design team enrolled in a capstone design course to collect data on the use of design tools throughout their curriculum. Trends are revealed that relate how the tool use is implemented, how the instruction is delivered to the student, and the beneficial application of those to the given design project. These trends directly apply to the intellectual growth of the student as well as the topical coverage and implementation by the engineering department. Using this information, the engineering curriculum can improve its delivery of design instruction. It can be assumed that by improving the curriculum, the quality of the students will follow; yielding engineers who can study better and conduct design projects with intentional precision.© 2008 ASME

Issues of Similarity in Engineering Design

A useful way to generate solutions to engineering design problems is to compare the solutions of design problems similar to the one at hand and validate the solutions to satisfy the new design requirements. This process involves evaluating the similarity between the design problem at hand and the various design problems in the repository. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the meaning and the use of similarity in engineering design. Various similarity theories in literature have been explored. Previous applications of these theories are limited to the retrieval of similar computer-aided design models and process plans. This paper extends the applications of these theories to the various stages of the design process.Copyright