Presidential Young Investigator Award: Engineering Design

在工程设计的初步阶段，会产生许多不同的设计概念，设计师必须同时评估这些概念的可行性和相对优点。目前，大多数计算机辅助设计（CAD）系统只有在完成这一初步阶段后才有用，此时设计的大多数方面已经固定和已知。在设计的初始阶段，当做出最关键的决定时，没有工具可以帮助设计师评估概念或在备选方案中进行选择。将开发计算机工具进行初步设计。该研究的方向是创建设计工具，使设计师能够在CAD环境中进行选择。此外，将开发分析工具，以便在适合其当前复杂程度的级别上分析设计。

In the preliminary phase of engineering design, many different design concepts evolve, and the designer must evaluate these concepts simultaneously for feasibility and relative merit. Currently, most computer-aided design (CAD) systems are useful only after the completion of this preliminary stage when most aspects of the design have become fixed and known. In the preliminary stages of design when the most crucial decisions are made, tools are unavailable to aid the designer in evaluating concepts or choosing among alternatives. Computer tools will be developed for preliminary design. The research will be directed toward creating design tools that allow the designer to choose among alternatives within a CAD environment. Further, analytical tools will be developed so that a design can be analyzed at a level appropriate to its current level of sophistication.