This volume, Mechanical Design: Theory and Methodology, has been put together over the past four years. Most of the work is ongoing as can be ascertained easily from the text. One can argue that this is so for any text or monograph. Any such book is only a snapshot in time, giving information about the state of knowledge of the authors when the book was compiled. The chapters have been updated and are representative of the state of the art in the field of design theory and methodology. It is barely over a decade that design as an area of study was revived, mostly at the behest of industry, government, and academic leaders. Profes sor Nam Suh, then the head of the Engineering Directorate at the National Science Foundation, provided much of the impetus for the needed effort. The results of early work of researchers, many of whom have authored chapters in this book, were fundamental in conceiving the ideas behind Design for X or DFX and concurrent engineering issues. The artificial intelli gence community had a strong influence in developing the required com puter tools mainly because the field had a history of interdisciplinary work. Psychologists, computer scientists, and engineers worked together to under stand what support tools will improve the design process. While this influ ence continues today, there is an increased awareness that a much broader community needs to be involved. Front Matter....Pages i-xii Introduction....Pages 1-4 The Influence of the Designer’s Expertise on the Design Process....Pages 5-20 Methods of Studying Mechanical Design....Pages 21-34 Design Characterizations....Pages 35-51 An Observational Methodology for Studying Group Design Activity....Pages 52-70 Representation of Conceptual Mechanical Design Knowledge....Pages 71-126 Configuring Systems Using Available Assets: A Conceptual, Decision-Based Perspective....Pages 127-160 Group Decision Making in Design....Pages 161-194 Routineness Revisited....Pages 195-208 A Comparative Analysis of Techniques in Engineering Design....Pages 209-236 A Data Representation for Collaborative Mechanical Design....Pages 237-253 Characterizing Human Analogical Reasoning....Pages 254-274 Entropy Measures in Engineering Design....Pages 275-298 Design Education....Pages 299-311 Life-cycle Design....Pages 312-328 Support for Workflow Process Collaboration....Pages 329-364 Improved Total Development Process: Overcoming the Ten Cash Drains....Pages 365-387 This collection of review articles presents an overview of the current state of the art in the field of Mechanical Design and provides the reader with an understanding of both the theory and applications of current work in process and product design. Reflecting the almost revolutionary developments in engineering design over the last decade, the contributions to this volume make use of insights from such fields as artificial intelligence, concurrent design, computer science, and psychology. The contributions span the full range of concern of mechanical design, from theory to applications, from processes and products to information flow, from representation of knowledge domains to general analogic reasoning, from single-concept design to life-cycle design and issues of quality
