LT: Green Modularity: Ecology and Product Retirement

9727247 Gershenson这项研究旨在确定退役模块化并将其纳入机械设计。这项研究使用了模块化的扩展定义，不仅基于拆卸，而且基于分组的退役方法，包含了模块化的潜力。这一定义，加上几个重要的设计工具，将产生一种可实施的设计方法，用于将退役模块纳入产品中。模块化，由于其创建的功能独立性，一直被称为良好设计的目标。业界已努力将产品模块化，以方便地满足终端用户和市场营销的需求。这一努力导致了产品系列的创建。有时，在创建模块时会考虑到产品退役的某些方面。然而，这种模块化是在没有充分了解设计更改的财务影响的情况下完成的。此外，模块化是在没有结构化方法的情况下完成的，这使得该过程如果成功很难重复，如果不成功则很难避免。这项研究将开发一种创建与产品退役相关的模块化产品的方法。这样做将减少环境负荷，降低退役处理成本，并缩短产品开发时间。这项研究将为识别产品报废模块以及将功能和报废模块结合到设计方法和模块化测量中提供一种实用、适用的方法。在产品开发实践中采用模块化产品设计将对产品价值、环境负荷和生命周期成本产生巨大影响。模块化产品将大大减少开发时间，并帮助我们走向全球可持续发展。设计理论研究界将受到一个新方向的影响，该方向旨在更好地将生命周期价值纳入产品设计。这项研究将在实际步骤中取得进展，中间穿插着验证性研究。本提案中的研究结果将是一种经过验证的设计方法和措施。这项工作还将在每个关键时刻以出版物的形式传播，并最终纳入一个计算机工具。这项工作将通过阿拉巴马大学生命周期工程实验室的教职员工和研究生与本科生研究人员和学生的合作来完成。***

9727247 Gershenson This research seeks to identify and incorporate retirement modularization into mechanical design. The research uses an expanded definition of modularity, which incorporates the potential of modularity based not only on disassembly but also on grouped retirement methods. This definition, coupled with several important design tools will lead to an implementable design methodology for incorporating retirement modules into products. Modularization, due to the functional independence it creates, has been called the goal of good design. Industry has made an effort to modularize products to easily meet the needs of end users and marketing. This effort has led to the creation of product families. Occasionally, modules are created with some aspects of product retirement in mind. However, this modularization is done without fully understanding the financial implications of the design changes. In addition, modularization is done without a structured methodology making the process difficult to repeat if it is successful and difficult to avoid if it is unsuccessful. This research will develop a methodology of creating products that are modular with respect to product retirement. Doing so will decrease environmental loads, decrease retirement processing costs, and decrease product development time. This research will yield a practical, applicable methodology for identifying product retirement modules as well as combining functional and retirement modularity into a design methodology and modularity measure. The adoption of modular product design in product development practices will have a tremendous impact on product value, environmental loads, and life-cycle cost. Modular products will greatly reduce development time and help us move towards global sustainability. The design theory research community will be impacted by the introduction of a new direction in the effort to better incorporate life-cycle values into product design. This r esearch will progress in practical steps punctuated by validation studies. The result of the research in this proposal will be a validated design methodology and measure. The work will also be disseminated in publications at each critical juncture and ultimately incorporated in a computer tool. The work will be accomplished through the work of the faculty and graduate students of the University of Alabama Life-cycle Engineering Laboratory with collaboration from undergraduate researchers and students. ***