Integrating Design and Manufacturing Considerations Towards Sustainable Decision Making

该奖项的研究目标是通过开发和验证一种新的方法来解决可持续设计中的挑战，该方法能够将产品功能与生命周期环境影响相关联。新方法使在下游产品生命周期阶段进行的定量环境影响测量能够投射到早期设计阶段。研究任务包括：1）开发一种新的功能-影响和过程/材料影响方法，用于在早期设计阶段将生命周期环境影响分配给产品功能; 2）开发一种概率模型，用于研究功能-影响中的不确定性和主观性，以及与可持续性相关的设计决策的不确定性; 3）通过实际案例研究验证可持续发展和PIM方法，并将其与当前的工业实践相结合。如果成功，这项研究将使产品设计师能够在产品生命周期内考虑环境可持续性方面制定更积极的方法。根据环境影响对整个产品系统进行可能的分类，将使设计师能够重新利用知识开发更环保的产品。向工程专业学生传播可持续设计实践是该项目的主要目标之一。接触到这项研究结果的学生将有能力作为工程师实践最先进的环保设计和制造工具，并在其组织中担任可持续产品开发的支持者。希望从长远来看，所进行的研究、教育和传播工作将极大地促进范式转变，使包括材料和工艺在内的可持续思维成为设计决策过程的自然组成部分。

The research objective of this award is to address challenges within sustainable design by developing and validating a novel methodology that enables correlation of product functions and life cycle environmental impacts. The new method enables quantitative environmental impact measurements taken during downstream product lifecycle stages to be projected onto the early design phase. The research tasks include: 1) developing a new function-impact (FIM) and process/material impact (PIM) method for allocating life cycle environmental impacts to product functions during early design; 2) developing a probabilistic model to study the uncertainties and subjectivity within the FIM in addition to the uncertainties related to design decision making with regards to sustainability; and 3) validating the FIM and PIM methods with real-world case studies and integrate them with current industrial practices.If successful, this research will allow product designers to develop a more proactive approach with regards to considering environmental sustainability within the product life cycle. Possible categorization of entire product systems in terms of environmental impact will allow designers to reuse knowledge for developing greener products. Dissemination of sustainable design practices to engineering students is among the primary goals of this project. Students exposed to results from this research will have the capability to practice state-of-the art environment-friendly design and manufacturing tools as engineers and serve as proponents for sustainable product development in their organizations. It is hoped that over the long term, the research, education, and dissemination efforts conducted will greatly facilitate a paradigm shift where sustainable thinking, including materials and process, will be a natural part of the design decision making process.