This book brings together some of the most influential pieces of research undertaken around the world in design synthesis. It is the first comprehensive work of this kind and covers all three aspects of research in design synthesis:
- understanding what constitutes and influences synthesis;
- the major approaches to synthesis;
- the diverse range of tools that are created to support this crucial design task.
With its range of tools and methods covered, it is an ideal introduction to design synthesis for those intending to research in this area as well as being a valuable source of ideas for educators and practitioners of engineering design.
1: Understanding.- 1 Defining synthesis: on the senses and the logic of design synthesis.- 2 Insight, design principles and systematic invention.- 3 Synthesis and theory of knowledge: general design theory as a theory of knowledge, and its implication to design.- 4 Theory of technical systems and engineering design synthesis.- 5 A knowledge operation model of synthesis.- 2: Approaches.- 6 Two approaches to synthesis based on the domain theory.- 7 Using the concept of functions to help synthesise solutions.- 8 Design catalogues and their usage.- 9 TRIZ, the Altshullerian approach to solving innovation problems.- 3: Tools.- 10 Synthesis of schematic descriptions in mechanical design.- 11 An approach to compositional synthesis of mechanical design concepts using computers.- 12 Synthesis based on function-means trees: Schemebuilder.- 13 Design processes and context for the support of design synthesis.- 14 Retrieval using configuration spaces.- 15 Creative design by analogy.- 16 Design patterns and creative design.- 17 FAMING: supporting innovative design using adaptation ― a description of the approach, implementation, illustrative example and evaluation.- 18 Transforming behavioural and physical representations of mechanical designs.- 19 Automatic synthesis of both the topology and numerical parameters for complex structures using genetic programming.