DREAMS AND IMAGE - A MODEL AND COMPUTER IMPLEMENTATION FOR CONCURRENT, LIFE-CYCLE DESIGN OF COMPLEX-SYSTEMS

Computing architectures are being assembled that extend concurrent eng ineering practices by providing more efficient execution and collabora tion on distributed, heterogeneous computing networks. Built on the su ccesses of initial architectures, requirements for a next-generation d esign computing infrastructure can be developed. These requirements co ncentrate on those needed by a designer in decision making processes f rom product conception to recycling and can be categorized in two area s: design process and design information management. A designer both d esigns and executes design processes throughout design time to achieve better product and process capabilities while expending fewer resourc es, in order to accomplish this, information, or more appropriately de sign knowledge, needs to be adequately managed during product and proc ess decomposition as well as recomposition. A foundation has been laid that captures these requirements in a design architecture called DREA MS (Developing Robust Engineering Analysis Models and Specifications). In addition, a computing infrastructure, called IMAGE (Intelligent Mu ltidisciplinary Aircraft Generation Environment), is being developed t hat satisfies design requirements defined in DREAMS and incorporates e nabling computational technologies.