Design, modelling, simulation and integration of cyber physical systems: Methods and applications

The main drivers for the development and evolution of Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) are the reduction of development costs and time along with the enhancement of the designed products. The aim of this survey paper is to provide an overview of different types of system and the associated transition process from mechatronics to CPS and cloud-based (IoT) systems. It will further consider the requirement that methodologies for CPS-design should be part of a multi-disciplinary development process within which designers should focus not only on the separate physical and computational components, but also on their integration and interaction. Challenges related to CPS-design are therefore considered in the paper from the perspectives of the physical processes, computation and integration respectively. Illustrative case studies are selected from different system levels starting with the description of the overlaying concept of Cyber Physical Production Systems (CPPSs). The analysis and evaluation of the specific properties of a sub-system using a condition monitoring system, important for the maintenance purposes, is then given for a wind turbine

A strategic planning methodology for aircraft redesign

Due to a progressive market shift to a customer-driven environment, the influence of engineering changes on the product's market success is becoming more prominent. This situation affects many long lead-time product industries including aircraft manufacturing. Derivative development has been the key strategy for many aircraft manufacturers to survive the competitive market and this trend is expected to continue in the future. Within this environment of design adaptation and variation, the main market advantages are often gained by the fastest aircraft manufacturers to develop and produce their range of market offerings without any costly mistakes. This realization creates an emphasis on the efficiency of the redesign process, particularly on the handling of engineering changes. However, most activities involved in the redesign process are supported either inefficiently or not at all by the current design methods and tools, primarily because they have been mostly developed to improve original product development. In view of this, the main goal of this research is to propose an aircraft redesign methodology that will act as a decision-making aid for aircraft designers in the change implementation planning of derivative developments. The proposed method, known as Strategic Planning of Engineering Changes (SPEC), combines the key elements of the product redesign planning and change management processes. Its application is aimed at reducing the redesign risks of derivative aircraft development, improving the detection of possible change effects propagation, increasing the efficiency of the change implementation planning and also reducing the costs and the time delays due to the redesign process. To address these challenges, four research areas have been identified: baseline assessment, change propagation prediction, change impact analysis and change implementation planning. Based on the established requirements for the redesign planning process, several methods and tools that are identified within these research areas have been abstracted and adapted into the proposed SPEC method to meet the research goals. The proposed SPEC method is shown to be promising in improving the overall efficiency of the derivative aircraft planning process through two notional aircraft system redesign case studies that are presented in this study.Ph.D.Committee Chair: Prof. Dimitri Mavris; Committee Member: Dr. Elena Garcia; Committee Member: Dr. Neil Weston; Committee Member: Mathias Emeneth; Committee Member: Prof. Daniel P. Schrag

BIM for infrastructure: An overall review and constructor perspective

The subject of building information modelling (BIM) has become a central topic to the improvement of the AECOO (Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Owner and Operator) industry around the world, to the point where the concept is being expanded into domains it was not originally conceived to address. Transitioning BIMinto the domain of infrastructure projects has provided challenges and emphasized the constructor perspective of BIM. Therefore, this study aims to collect the relevant literature regarding BIM within the Infrastructure domain and its use from the constructor perspective to review and analyse the current industry positioning and research state of the art, with regards to the set criteria. The review highlighted a developing base of BIM for infrastructure. Fromthe analysis, the related research gapswere identified regarding information integration, alignment of BIM processes to constructor business processes & the effective governance and value of information. From this a unique research strategy utilising a framework for information governance coupled with a graph based distributed data environment is outlined to further progress the integration and efficiency of AECOO Infrastructure projects

How beneficial is social media for business process management? A systematic literature review

Even though the implementation of different technological tools is already a trend, there are still aspects that should be refined so that companies' business processes can be improved. This is where social media comes to the foreground. Consequently, the objective of this paper is to study the evolution of research on social media implementation in the field of business process management. A systematic literature review was carried out following a search for and selection of articles that met our objective. To classify the sampled papers, we followed validated frameworks regarding social media management and business process management. Additionally, a detailed look at the sampled case studies was done to highlight companies' experiences in the field. Our final sample comprised 47 papers that simultaneously encompassed social media and business process management. The papers were classified according to their publishing frequency, the article type, both the topics and sectors to which they belonged, their methodological approaches, and the importance for business process management capability areas as well as capability subareas. Finally, word frequency queries were used to better understand diverse social media applications in business processes and to derive practical recommendations. The necessity for a multidisciplinary approach toward business processes was detected; therefore, topics, such as psychology, business economics, or information systems, were included, emphasizing innovation strategies, including gamification, big data, or crowdsourcing. Our most important recommendation concerns the evolution of business process management through different social media tools as a means to achieve a transition toward the recommended omnichannel management approach

Implementing Mechatronics Design Methodology in Mechanical Engineering Technology Senior Design Projects at the Old Dominion University

In recent years, the nature of engineering design has changed due to advances in embedded system design and computer technologies. It is rare to engineer a purely mechanical design that does not incorporate electrical and electronic components. Mechanical engineers and mechanical engineering technologists must possess a multi-disciplinary knowledge with the understanding of both mechanical and electrical systems. For this purpose, undergraduate programs in engineering technology have added mechatronics courses to their curriculum. Mechatronics is a design process that is multi-disciplinary in nature and integrates principles of many engineering disciplines including, but not limited to, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and controls engineering. These courses typically incorporate problem-based learning and project-based pedagogy to effectively build the student’s knowledge and understanding. Old Dominion University’s Mechanical Engineering Technology (ODU MET) program offers undergraduate courses related to Advanced Manufacturing including Robotics; Automation; Lean Manufacturing; Computer Integrated Manufacturing; and Advanced Manufacturing Processes. Recently, two new courses related to mechatronics were added to the same focus area. In addition, ODU MET program has placed an increased emphasis on mechatronics for students’ senior design projects. This paper highlights the benefits of including mechatronics in the ODU MET curriculum and presents several recent senior design projects that showcase how the student has incorporated multi-disciplinary principles into the design and build of a functional mechatronic device. By embedding these experience into their senior design project, students are exposed to other engineering technology areas, learn the terminology of other professions, and feel more confident to join the workforce with the cross-disciplinary skills needed to be successful

DETC2003/CIE-48270 A FRAMEWORK FOR INTERNET BASED PRODUCT INFORMATION SHARING AND VISUALIZATION

ABSTRACT Internet based product information sharing and visualization is the foundation for collaborative product design and manufacturing. This paper presents a Web based framework with a STEP based product data master model and VRML based visualization techniques for visualizing and sharing product information among designers, production engineers and managers, purchasing and marketing staff, suppliers, and customers. A prototype software environment is implemented to validate the proposed framework and related technologies

A Supportive Framework for the Development of a Digital Twin for Wind Turbines Using Open-Source Software Tiril Malmedal Mechanics and Process Technology

The world is facing a global climate crisis. Renewable energy is one of the big solutions, nevertheless, there are technological challenges. Wind power is an important part of the renewable energy system. With the digitalization of industry, smart monitoring and operation is an important step towards efficient use of resources. Thus, Digital Twins (DT) should be applied to enhance power output. Digital Twins for energy systems combine many fields of study, such as smart monitoring, big data technology, and advanced physical modeling. Frameworks for the structure of Digital Twins are many, but there are few standardized methods based on the experience of such developed Digital Twins. An integrative review on the topic of Digital Twins with the goal of creating a conceptual development framework for DTs with open-source software is performed. However, the framework is yet to be tested experimentally but is nevertheless an important contribution toward the understanding of DT technology development. The result of the review is a seven-step framework identifying potential components and methods needed to create a fully developed DT for the aerodynamics of a wind turbine. Suggested steps are Assessment, Create, Communicate, Aggregate, Analyze, Insight, and Act. The goal is that the framework can stimulate more research on digital twins for small-scale wind power. Thus, making small-scale wind power more accessible and affordable