Architectural design principles for extra-terrestrial habitats

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Assessment of airplane design, fabrication, and repair

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2009.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 43).Engineering programs are most often classes dedicated to how to design things, while the topic of reverse engineering or problem solving is rarely discussed. This unequal presentation of two sides of the same discipline limits the student's ability to completely understand the engineering process. This paper discusses all stages of airplane design, fabrication, and repair, and attempts to provide a comprehensive view of the overall procedure instead of just one aspect. In most cases, the Boeing 747 is used as an example, though most commercial aircrafts are built in a similar fashion. Once it has been decided to build a new airplane, the design stage can begin. The progression through conceptual design, preliminary design, and detail design can take anywhere from a few to several years depending on the complexity of the model. The fabrication stage slightly overlaps the detail design phase as coordination between engineering and manufacturing occurs. With one exception on the wing panels, the entire airplane is put together manually. This type of build process naturally leads to mistakes by human error. In order to remedy these problems, engineers inside the factory take responsibility for restoring the airplane to its original designed capacity. In this paper, each stage of airplane development from initial concept to final certification is presented in detail to offer a well-rounded assessment of the airplane construction industry.by Lauren Stolar.M.Eng

How circular is current design practice? Investigating perspectives across industrial design and architecture in the transition towards a circular economy

The transition to a circular economy (CE) produces a range of new challenges for designers and requires specific knowledge, strategies, and methods. To date, most studies regarding design for a CE have been theoretical and conceptual, hence, limited research has been conducted on the practical implications of designing for a CE. Therefore, the aim of this study is to provide a better understanding of how design practitioners interpret and implement the CE concept in practice. To capture the complexity of real-world cases, semi-structured interviews were carried out with design practitioners (N\ua0=\ua012) within the disciplines of architecture and industrial design who have actively worked with circularity in a design agency setting. The results show that the practitioners have diverse perspectives on designing for a CE, relating to (1) the circular design process, (2) the effects of the CE on design agencies, (3) the changing role of the designer, and (4) the external factors affecting circular design in practice. Some differences were identified between the architects and industrial designers, with the industrial designers more strongly focused on circular business models and the architects on the reuse of materials on a building level. In addition, circular strategies and associated (similar) terminologies were understood and applied in fundamentally different ways. As the CE blurs boundaries of scale and disciplines, there is a need for universal design frameworks and language. The CE concept is expanding the scope of the design process and driving the integration of new knowledge fields and skills in the design process. The successful implementation of the CE in practice is based on extensive collaboration with stakeholders and experts throughout all stages of the design process. Design agencies have addressed the CE by establishing dedicated CE research and design teams, facilitating knowledge exchange, developing their own circular strategies and methods, and striving for long-term client relationships that foster the engagement of designers with the lifecycles of designed artefacts rather than perceiving design projects as temporary endeavors. Ultimately, a holistic and integral approach towards design in a CE is needed to ensure that the underlying CE goals of contributing to sustainable development and establishing a systemic shift are ongoingly considered

Evaluation of the applicability of design for six sigma to metal additive manufacturing technology

Design for Six Sigma has been applied in traditional and conventional manufacturing technologies to enhance both products and manufacturing processes. It has yielded great results and proven to be a key driver for quality improvement using Six Sigma strategy. Design for Six Sigma uses an organized methodology for designing new products and processes using statistical tools to minimize defects and process deviations. Modern manufacturing technologies such as Additive Manufacturing are complex and require a lot of consideration in terms of selected process parameters that affect part quality. The quality of the resultant parts in additive manufacturing is influenced and affected by the design of the parts to be fabricated, the build process and the chosen process parameters. Quality deviations in additive manufacturing can be observed within a batch of similar parts and from batch to batch production. Due to the complexity of Additive Manufacturing technology and its application, defect reduction remains a key barrier towards further acceptance in highly regulated industries. This paper aims to evaluate the applicability of design for Six Sigma principle to Additive Manufacturing. It seeks to outline how Design for Six Sigma can be applied to Additive Manufacturing to reduce variability and which tools can be used to enhance the quality of the resultant parts. The study critically reviews best practices for Design for Six Sigma to evaluate its applicability to modern manufacturing

Portland Waterfront Sign: The Little Things You do at Home Can Make a Big Difference Here in the Bay

https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/cbep-graphics-maps-posters/1010/thumbnail.jp

An architecture and methodology for the design and development of Technical Information Systems

In order to meet demands in the context of Technical Information Systems (TIS) pertaining to reliability, extensibility, maintainability, etc., we have developed an architectural framework with accompanying methodological guidelines for designing such systems. With the framework, we aim at complex multiapplication information systems using a repository to share data among applications. The framework proposes to keep a strict separation between Man-Machine-Interface and Model data, and provides design and implementation support to do this effectively.\ud The framework and methodological guidelines have been developed in the context of the ESPRIT project IMPRESS. The project also provided for ldquotesting groundsrdquo in the form of a TIS for the Spanish Electricity company Iberdrola.\ud This work has been conducted within the ESPRIT project IMPRESS (Integrated, Multi-Paradigm, Reliable and Extensible Storage System), ESPRIT No. 635

Small-business wheelchair to empower people with disabilities in Developing countries

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 41).This thesis discusses the design of a small-business wheelchair that empowers disabled people in developing countries to become entrepreneurs. Disabled people in these countries face tremendous discrimination, making it difficult to find employment and further perpetuating the sentiment that they cannot meaningfully contribute to society. This project attempts to change that, providing disabled people with both mobility and a way to generate an income. It was designed in close collaboration with MobilityCare wheelchair workshop in Arusha, Tanzania and tested by five users in a pilot trial that began in July 2008. Each of the participants was given a small-business wheelchair, business training, and seed money to purchase raw materials. In addition, bank accounts were established at a local wheelchair-accessible bank. The success of this trial proved that the small-business wheelchair is a viable way for people with disabilities to generate an income and improve their livelihoods. Several dissemination strategies have been explored so that wheelchair workshops across the developing world can produce this wheelchair. These include the development of a production manual that will be available online as well as at the next Pan African Wheelchair Association meeting, to be held in 2011. In terms of funding, corporate sponsorship has been determined to be an appropriate way to cover the cost of the wheelchair itself. While microfinance is not currently feasible to fund the start-up costs of each business, it is likely to become more appropriate as it grows and expands its services.by Natasha Scolnik.S.B