Information structuring for use and reuse of mechanical analysis models inengineering design

Nowadays, in an industrial context, cost and delay reduction, as well as qu ality improvement are of major interest in engineering design. Therefore, i n order to make a decision as early as possible and according to the produc t specifications, mechanical analysis is used more and more, and earlier an d earlier in the engineering process. Then, a multitude of mechanical model s are elaborated during engineering design, and management difficulties app ear with engineering changes or evolution of specifications. Moreover, when the designer is faced with design or modelling options, previous analysis could answer the choice of options for decision making. Then, the reuse of a previous analysis must be envisaged. The paper presented deals with the a im and the different use of mechanical analysis in embodiment design. After wards, different levels of models handled by the designer during the engine ering process are proposed. A particular type of analysis, namely `instruct ional' is identified in a further step and its interest in a reuse context is emphasized. Finally, information structuring is proposed in order to all ow mechanical analysis reuse during engineering design.