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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Human-AI Collaboration Among Engineering and Design Professionals: Three Strategies of Generative AI Use

Designers are increasingly using Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in design processes; however, knowing how designers use GenAI--especially in professional design practice--is under-explored. This paper presents an ethnographic study of a design team at NASA that explores the natural variation of GenAI use across team members during a speculative design workflow. We aimed to uncover when, how, and why GenAI tools were or were not employed using ethnographic observations to map the team's speculative design process and follow-up interviews to provide deeper insights into team members' interactions (or lackthereof) with GenAI. Through inductive qualitative coding, our analysis revealed three strategies of GenAI use observed among professional engineers and designers--intimate co-design with GenAI, selective delegation to GenAI, and minimal use of GenAI--as well as factors that appeared to influence their decisions whether or not to use GenAI. This study proposes new theory in human-AI collaboration that sheds light on the strategies, rationale, and circumstances under which design professionals use GenAI. Future work that builds upon these insights include examining a larger sample size of engineering and design professionals in uncontrolled design process experiences and exploring the impact that design tasks, goals, and constraints have on a participants decision to leverage GenAI tools.

design practice↗
NASA NTRS1984

Optimization in the systems engineering process

The objective is to look at optimization as it applies to the design process at a large aircraft company. The design process at Lockheed-Georgia is described. Some examples of the impact that optimization has had on that process are given, and then some areas that must be considered if optimization is to be successful and supportive in the total design process are indicated. Optimization must continue to be sold and this selling is best done by consistent good performance. For this good performance to occur, the future approaches must be clearly thought out so that the optimization methods solve the problems that actually occur during design. The visibility of the design process must be maintained as further developments are proposed. Careful attention must be given to the management of data in the optimization process, both for technical reasons and for administrative purposes. Finally, to satisfy program needs, provisions must be included to supply data to support program decisions, and to communicate with design processes outside of the optimization process. If designers fail to adequately consider all of these needs, the future acceptance of optimization will be impeded.

Lemmerman, L. A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Space Station Freedom - Design review process

The Space Station Freedom (SSF) design review process is described. The SSF program background is summarized, and the program review management plan and organization are described. The technical approach of the Integrated System Preliminary Design Review (ISPDR) is examined along with the Review Item Discrepancy Tracking System. ISPDR results are summarized and compared with its objectives. Lessons learned for the future support of the management life cycle are addressed.

Koontz, Robert↗
NASA NTRS1990

The aerospace plane design challenge: Credible computational fluid dynamics results

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is necessary in the design processes of all current aerospace plane programs. Single-stage-to-orbit (STTO) aerospace planes with air-breathing supersonic combustion are going to be largely designed by means of CFD. The challenge of the aerospace plane design is to provide credible CFD results to work from, to assess the risk associated with the use of those results, and to certify CFD codes that produce credible results. To establish the credibility of CFD results used in design, the following topics are discussed: CFD validation vis-a-vis measurable fluid dynamics (MFD) validation; responsibility for credibility; credibility requirement; and a guide for establishing credibility. Quantification of CFD uncertainties helps to assess success risk and safety risks, and the development of CFD as a design tool requires code certification. This challenge is managed by designing the designers to use CFD effectively, by ensuring quality control, and by balancing the design process. For designing the designers, the following topics are discussed: how CFD design technology is developed; the reasons Japanese companies, by and large, produce goods of higher quality than the U.S. counterparts; teamwork as a new way of doing business; and how ideas, quality, and teaming can be brought together. Quality control for reducing the loss imparted to the society begins with the quality of the CFD results used in the design process, and balancing the design process means using a judicious balance of CFD and MFD.

Mehta, Unmeel B.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The FEM-2 design method

The FEM-2 parallel computer is designed using methods differing from those ordinarily employed in parallel computer design. The major distinguishing aspects are: (1) a top-down rather than bottom-up design process; (2) the design considers the entire system structure in terms of layers of virtual machines; and (3) each layer of virtual machine is defined formally during the design process. The result is a complete hardware/software system design. The basic design method is discussed and the advantages of the method are considered. A status report on the FEM-2 design is included.

Pratt, T. W.↗
NASA NTRS1980

National meeting to review IPAD status and goals

A joint NASA/industry project called Integrated Programs for Aerospace-vehicle Design (IPAD) is described, which has the goal of raising aerospace-industry productivity through the application of computers to integrate company-wide management of engineering data. Basically a general-purpose interactive computing system developed to support engineering design processes, the IPAD design is composed of three major software components: the executive, data management, and geometry and graphics software. Results of IPAD activities include a comprehensive description of a future representative aerospace vehicle design process and its interface to manufacturing, and requirements and preliminary design of a future IPAD software system to integrate engineering activities of an aerospace company having several products under simultaneous development.

Fulton, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Efficient optimization of integrated aerodynamic-structural design

The introduction of composite materials is having a profound effect on the design process. Because these materials permit the designer to tailor material properties to improve structural, aerodynamic and acoustic performance, they require a more integrated multidisciplinary design process. Because of the complexity of the design process numerical optimization methods are required. The present paper is focused on a major difficulty associated with the multidisciplinary design optimization process - its enormous computational cost. We consider two approaches for reducing this computational burden: (1) development of efficient methods for cross-sensitivity calculation using perturbation methods; and (2) the use of approximate numerical optimization procedures. Our efforts are concentrated upon combined aerodynamic-structural optimization. Results are presented for the integrated design of a sailplane wing. The impact of our computational procedures on the computational costs of integrated costs of integrated designs are discussed.

Haftka, R. T.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

History and Status of the CDISC Aerodynamic Design Method

This paper will review the development and application of the CDISC aerodynamic design method that began in the early 1980s and continues in active use today. The method uses an iterative, knowledge-based approach that has been coupled with numerous flow solvers utilizing a variety of grid types and levels of flow physics. It has been applied to configurations varying in complexity from 2-D airfoils to full 3-D aircraft at flow conditions ranging from low-speed, high-lift to supersonic cruise. The knowledge-based approach provides a very rapid design process, with designs typically completed in approximately 1-2x the time required for an initial converged analysis of the baseline. The evolution of the method as it tracked the expansive growth of grid and flow solver technology, along with some major applications over 5 decades, are given, followed by a description of the philosophy and process used in design. Finally, an example of its use in a preliminary design environment is given.

CDISC↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

History and Status of the CDISC Aerodynamic Design Method

This paper will review the development and application of the CDISC aerodynamic design method that began in the early 1980s and continues in active use today. The method uses an iterative, knowledge-based approach that has been coupled with numerous flow solvers utilizing a variety of grid types and levels of flow physics. It has been applied to configurations varying in complexity from 2-D airfoils to full 3-D aircraft at flow conditions ranging from low-speed, high-lift to supersonic cruise. The knowledge-based approach provides a very rapid design process, with designs typically completed in approximately 1-2x the time required for an initial converged analysis of the baseline. The evolution of the method as it tracked the expansive growth of grid and flow solver technology, along with some major applications over 5 decades, are given, followed by a description of the philosophy and process used in design. Finally, an example of its use in a preliminary design environment is given.

CDISC↗
NASA NTRS2012

Computational Optimization of a Natural Laminar Flow Experimental Wing Glove

Computational optimization of a natural laminar flow experimental wing glove that is mounted on a business jet is presented and discussed. The process of designing a laminar flow wing glove starts with creating a two-dimensional optimized airfoil and then lofting it into a three-dimensional wing glove section. The airfoil design process does not consider the three dimensional flow effects such as cross flow due wing sweep as well as engine and body interference. Therefore, once an initial glove geometry is created from the airfoil, the three dimensional wing glove has to be optimized to ensure that the desired extent of laminar flow is maintained over the entire glove. TRANAIR, a non-linear full potential solver with a coupled boundary layer code was used as the main tool in the design and optimization process of the three-dimensional glove shape. The optimization process uses the Class-Shape-Transformation method to perturb the geometry with geometric constraints that allow for a 2-in clearance from the main wing. The three-dimensional glove shape was optimized with the objective of having a spanwise uniform pressure distribution that matches the optimized two-dimensional pressure distribution as closely as possible. Results show that with the appropriate inputs, the optimizer is able to match the two dimensional pressure distributions practically across the entire span of the wing glove. This allows for the experiment to have a much higher probability of having a large extent of natural laminar flow in flight.

Hartshom, Fletcher↗
NASA NTRS1990

Space station definitions, design, and development. Task 5: Multiple arm telerobot coordination and control: Manipulator design methodology

A proposed methodology applicable to the design of manipulator systems is described. The current design process is especially weak in the preliminary design phase, since there is no accepted measure to be used in trading off different options available for the various subsystems. The design process described uses Cartesian End-Effector Impedance as a measure of performance for the system. Having this measure of performance, it is shown how it may be used to determine the trade-offs necessary to the preliminary design phase. The design process involves three main parts: (1) determination of desired system performance in terms of End-Effector Impedance; (2) trade-off design options to achieve this desired performance; and (3) verification of system performance through laboratory testing. The design process is developed using numerous examples and experiments to demonstrate the feasability of this approach to manipulator design.

Stoughton, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The full-scale process and design changes for elimination of insulation edge separations and voids in tang flap area

Qualification of the full-scale process and design changes for elimination of redesigned solid rocket motor tang nitrile butadiene rubber insulation edge separations and voids was performed from 24 March to 3 December 1990. The objectives of this test were: to qualify design and process changes on flight hardware using a tie ply between the redesigned solid rocket motor steel case and the nitrile butadiene rubber insulation over the tang capture features; to qualify the use of methyl ethyl ketone in the tang flap region to reduce voids; and to determine if holes in the separator film reduce voids in the tang flap region. The tie ply is intended to aid insulation flow during the insulation cure process, and thus reduce or eliminate edge unbonds. Methyl ethyl ketone is intended to reduce voids in the tang flap area by providing better tacking characteristics. The perforated film was intended to provide possible vertical breathe paths to reduce voids in the tang area. Tang tie ply testing consisted of 270 deg of the tang circumference using a new layup method and 90 deg of the tang circumference using the current layup methods. Tie ply process success was defined as a reduction of insulation unbonds. Lack of any insulation edge unbonds on the tang area where the new process was used, and the presence of 17 unbonds with the current process, proves the test to be a success. Successful completion of this test has qualified the new processes.

Danforth, Richard A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Structural Optimization in automotive design

Although mathematical structural optimization has been an active research area for twenty years, there has been relatively little penetration into the design process. Experience indicates that often this is due to the traditional layout-analysis design process. In many cases, optimization efforts have been outgrowths of analysis groups which are themselves appendages to the traditional design process. As a result, optimization is often introduced into the design process too late to have a significant effect because many potential design variables have already been fixed. A series of examples are given to indicate how structural optimization has been effectively integrated into the design process.

Bennett, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Cost model relationships between textile manufacturing processes and design details for transport fuselage elements

Textile manufacturing processes offer potential cost and weight advantages over traditional composite materials and processes for transport fuselage elements. In the current study, design cost modeling relationships between textile processes and element design details were developed. Such relationships are expected to help future aircraft designers to make timely decisions on the effect of design details and overall configurations on textile fabrication costs. The fundamental advantage of a design cost model is to insure that the element design is cost effective for the intended process. Trade studies on the effects of processing parameters also help to optimize the manufacturing steps for a particular structural element. Two methods of analyzing design detail/process cost relationships developed for the design cost model were pursued in the current study. The first makes use of existing databases and alternative cost modeling methods (e.g. detailed estimating). The second compares design cost model predictions with data collected during the fabrication of seven foot circumferential frames for ATCAS crown test panels. The process used in this case involves 2D dry braiding and resin transfer molding of curved 'J' cross section frame members having design details characteristic of the baseline ATCAS crown design.

Metschan, Stephen L.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Aerodynamic Influence Coefficient Computations Using Euler/Navier-Stokes Equations on Parallel Computers

Modem design requirements for an aircraft push current technologies used in the design process to their limit or sometimes require more advanced technologies to meet the requirement. New design requirements always demand to improve the operational performance. Accurate prediction of aerodynamic coefficients is essential to improve the performance. For example, in the design of an advanced subsonic civil transport, since the fluid flow at transonic regime shows strong nonlinearities, high fidelity equations, such as the Euler or Navier-Stokes equations predict flow characteristics more accurately than the linear aerodynamics, which are widely used in the current design process However, high fidelity flow equations are computationally expensive and require an order of magnitude longer time to obtain aerodynamic coefficients required in the design. Parallel computing is one possibility to cut down the computational turn-around time in using high fidelity equations so that high fidelity equations would be incorporated into the design process. By doing so, high fidelity equations would be used in the routine design process. This work will demonstrate the feasibility of using high fidelity flow equations in a design process by computing aerodynamic influence coefficients of a wing-body-empennage configuration on a multiple-instruction, multiple-data parallel computer.

Byun, Chansup↗
NASA NTRS1994

Estimating Delays In ASIC's

Verification is important aspect of process of designing application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Design must not only be functionally accurate, but must also maintain correct timing. IFA, Intelligent Front Annotation program, assists in verifying timing of ASIC early in design process. This program speeds design-and-verification cycle by estimating delays before layouts completed. Written in C language.

Burke, Gary↗