Case studies are used in design research to analyze a phenomenon, to generate hypotheses, and to validate a method. Though they are used extensively, there appears to be no accepted systematic case study method used by design researchers. Considering its nature and objectives, the case study method could be considered as a suitable method for conducting design research. Many times, design researchers have to confront questions about the validity of using case studies and their results. The objective of this paper is to present a brief overview of case study method, compare it with other qualitative and quantitative research methods, and study the merits and limitations of using the same in design research. Requirements are derived from the general characteristics of design research. Four popular research strategies are evaluated with respect to the requirements. A preliminary benchmark study suggests that case study method is a suitable method for conducting design research.

The objective of this research is to provide decision support to assembly line planners when they perform assembly time estimations. There is a lack of consistency in the assembly time analysis performed by planners. The decision support system that was developed in this research is based on mapping controlled language assembly work instructions to Methods-Time Measurement (MTM) tables. Automated analysis of historical work instructions and their related time study analysis were performed by employing knowledge discovery and data mining (KDD) algorithms through the Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (WEKA) interface. As a result of this automated analysis, forty-six mapping rules were created that related work instructions to MTM tables and the data backbone for the decision support system that was created. Analyzing large sets of historical data is crucial while creating decision support systems. KDD provides a sustainable method of analyzing big data. Future work of this research includes applying the KDD process to create data backbones for decision support systems to aid in ergonomic evaluations

This paper presents two design experiments to evaluate the impact of the size and shape of a morphological chart used to identify promising concepts within those charts. In each experiment, students designed either a burrito folder or a pet feeder. The first experiment used two rectangular morphological charts; one vertically oriented with more functions and one horizontally oriented with more means. The second experiment used four morphological charts, two charts similar to the first experiment and two nearly square with a similar number of functions and means. Participants from similar populations were enrolled and similar protocols were followed to align the results for comparison. A comparison of the significant aspects of each experiment emphasized the problem, the participants, the morphological charts employed, and the experimental procedures. Furthermore, a critique of the two experiments is provided and joint conclusions are drawn. Experimental results suggest that reducing information in the morphological charts, such as the number of functions, enhances the likelihood for developing higher quality integrated concept solutions. While accurate for most configurations, this benefit is limited in that the largest sized chart failed to show worse results compared with smaller counterparts.

Computer simulations and behavioral modeling are becoming increasingly important in product development processes. Simulations can result in better decisions in less time by providing the designers with greater understanding of the product’s behavior. However, behavior model creators (i.e. analysts) and behavior model users (i.e. designers) often do not have the same level of understanding of the model, thus limiting the reuse of a model. Our goal in this research is to develop a clean interface that reduces the knowledge gap between engineering design and analysis by facilitating reuse of behavioral models. To achieve a higher level of reuse in the product design process, we propose a meta-data representation for formally characterizing behavioral models. The meta-data representation captures the assumptions, limitations, accuracy, and context of engineering behavioral models. Based on this knowledge representation, a proof-of-concept repository is implemented for archiving and exchanging reusable behavioral models. The knowledge representation and implementation is illustrated with a simple cantilever beam example.

Detonation of landmines buried to different depths in water‐saturated sand is analyzed computationally using transient non‐linear dynamics simulations in order to quantify impulse loading. The computational results are compared with the corresponding experimental results obtained using the Vertical Impulse Measurement Fixture (VIMF), a structural mechanical device that enables direct experimental determination of the blast‐loading impulse. The structural‐dynamic/ballistic response of the Rolled Homogenized Armor (RHA) used in the construction of the VIMF witness plate and the remainder of the VIMF and the hydrodynamic response of the TNT high‐energy explosive of a mine and of the air surrounding the VIMF are represented using the standard materials models available in literature. The structural‐dynamic/ballistic response of the sand surrounding the mine, on the other hand, is represented using our recent modified compaction model which incorporates the effects of degree of saturation and the rate of deformation, two important effects which are generally neglected in standard material models for sand. The results obtained indicate that the use of the modified compaction model yields a substantially better agreement with the experimentally‐determined impulse loads over the use the original compaction model. Furthermore, the results suggest that, in the case of fully saturated sand, the blast loading is of a bubble type rather than of a shock type, i.e. the detonation‐induced momentum transfer to the witness plate is accomplished primarily through the interaction of the sand‐over‐burden (propelled by the high‐pressure expanding gaseous detonation by‐products) with the witness plate.