| As design development changes in the new millennium, alternative methodologies will be required to better assist those design processes. A new design tool called AdaptEx is developed in this thesis to assist designers with the development of projects that are adaptable throughout the design and operational life. AdaptEx is an Adaptive Design Extension that incorporates key design information throughout the entire life cycle of the project. This helps ensure that the original function and design specifications are not lost or altered due to the operation, maintenance or upgrades to the system. As we proceed into the new millennium the speed of technological change will be forever increasing. Thus the methodologies we use to design products will have to accommodate for this radical change in technology and be able to implement it into the design.; This was accomplished by developing a new automated modularization and upgrade planning technique. Using the modular decomposition to identify potential upgrades is a new concept in-design engineering.; The development of this methodology has lead to numerous contributions to the field of design. Some of the main contributions include the identification of potential upgrades, management of the design deficiencies, the development of an automated modular grouping algorithm, a mathematical model to enhance relational matrices (Radial Axis Method) and a software program that organizes the entire methodology into a single package.; An innovative component of the new methodology is identifying the initial design shortcomings that exist, and planning to manage them and improve upon them as the project progresses. During the design process design for 'x' is often used to ensure certain criteria are included in the design. However, just as in business where you have to spend revenue and manage expenses, in design it is very important to manage the deficiencies. Understanding the design deficiencies allows for deficiencies of 'y' to be calculated and improved upon in the design and operational phases of the product. This constant design improvement will lead towards complete life cycle design. |
