A Functional Data Model for Assemblies Used to Verify Product Design Specifications

Abstract
During the design of a product periodic reviews must be conducted to verify that the product will meet its specification. However, there are few, if any, computer-based design systems that aid in engineering processes other than those involving low-level geometry. This paper describes two applications that use a functional representation of a product to aid the designer during the redesign process. The applications are aimed at assisting designers in checking that a design meets all the requirements in a product's specification. The form of the data used by the applications is defined by a data model that allows the representation of the function of each feature, component and assembly in the product. This functional data model has the strength that it can represent a product as both a structural and a functional hierarchy. The paper concludes by describing results of experiments using a mechanical engineering product as a case study.

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