Application of ID3 algorithm in knowledge acquisition for tolerance design

Knowledge-processing technology can be used to aid engineering design. This paper presents the application of an ID3 algorithm in knowledge acquisitio n for the tolerance design of injection-molded parts. The overall structure of a knowledge-based system for tolerance design is briefly illustrated. A fter a classification of factors that influence tolerance has been made, so me key attributes for collecting knowledge cases are studied through fuzzy representation and processing. The detailed procedure of utilizing an ID3 a lgorithm for tolerance-related knowledge acquisition is introduced, includi ng calculating the information gain measure (entropy) and generating the fi nal decision tree. The method can be easily applied to other engineering ar eas and the result has great value in practice. The advantages and disadvan tages of this method are discussed in Section 5. (C) 2001 Published by Else vier Science B.V.