Composites design and manufacturing assistant

The extent of knowledge required to perform the task of recommending composite processes and materials is often beyond the expertise of many novice engineers. A research effort that incorporates integration of a materials and processing knowledge base and a model–based reasoning system to aid an engineer in the selection and critique of composite materials and processes is–known as Composites Design and Manufacturing Assistant (CDMA) and is designed for producibility analysis. The knowledge base is object–oriented in order to encapsulate composite material properties and behaviours thus allowing paradigms which reflect the real–world concepts in a straightforward manner. The model–based reasoning component identifies and verifies compatibility between engineering applications and potential composite materials and processes. A truth maintenance system is used to record information about inferences and dependencies so conclusions may be linked with the reasons behind them. The seamless integration of these systems yields a concurrent engineering system to assist designers in selecting appropriate composite materials and associated manufacturing processes.