The aim of this work of thesis is to develop a conceptual Design for Assembly (CDfA) methodology applicable at complex products in aerospace industries, especially to aircraft or part of them. CDfA method focuses on the conceptual phase of the product design process by working at architectural level to eliminate the need of physical products/prototypes and anticipated the manufacturing and assembly problems early in the design phase. Several benefits can be obtained by the adoption of the CDfA, in particular: (i) optimal product architectures, (ii) simplification of cable/pipes routing, (iii) ergonomics improvements for operators during assembly operations. In addition, CDfA presents innovative aspects compared to the available literature in this sector, such as: (i) product is characterized based on its function and modules resulting from functional derivation, (ii) physical connections between modules are represented by the use of interfaces (flows), and (iii) architectures are assessed by the adoption of Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods. The developed methodology has been tested, in collaboration with AIRBUS Group, on a particular complex case study such as the nosefuselage of the aircraft A320. The current architecture of A320 nose fuselage has been analyzed with the aim to identify critical items in terms of assemblability point of view (e.g. modules and interfaces/connections). A new product architecture has been developed and the same methodology has been applied with the aim of reducing manufacturing/assembly issues and time. The case study shows how the new architecture can reduce assembly issues on specific modules. In particular the “Power Unit” module, here called “Module L”, showed that in the original design it was the most critical module with a score of 0.72 over 1, while, after modifications have been applied, scores of the two modules obtained from it (i.e module L.1 and module L.2) were lower (i.e. 0.43 for module L.1 and 0.66 for module L.2). As general result, the CDfA methodology presents an easy implementation on real design context and it can be implemented with the aim of improving assembly features of complex products. One of the main advantages is the possibility to work at the conceptual level where more degree of freedom are available. In addition, the CDfA methodology is easy to use, it is programmable and scalable. The main drawback of the CDfA methodology is related to the lack of clear guidelines to define and build new product architecture and the way to modify modules’ arrangement with the aim to reduce their assembly time. This aspect needs a further investigation and it can be considered a future development.
In questo lavoro di tesi, lo scopo principale è la creazione di una metodologia di conceptual Design for Assembly (CDfA) applicabile a prodotti complessi in ambito aeronautico, in particolare aerei o parti di essi. Il metodo CDfA si focalizza sulla fase concettuale durante il processo di progettazione di prodotto, lavorando a livello di architettura, eliminando la necessità di avere prototipi o prodotti già costruiti, anticipando tutti i possibili problemi di produzione ed assemblaggio nella fase iniziale di progettazione. Diversi vantaggi possono esser ottenuti dall’utilizzo del metodo CDfA, in particolare: (i) architettura di prodotto ottimali, (ii) semplificazione del cablaggio (routing), (iii) miglioramenti sull’ergonomia del prodotto per agevolare gli operatori durante le operazioni di assemblaggio. In aggiunta a ciò, il metodo CDfA proposto presenta aspetti innovativi rispetto alla letteratura per il settore aeronautico come: (i) caratterizzazione del prodotto sulla base della derivazione funzionale (functional derivation da cui derivano moduli e funzioni, (ii) rappresentazione di connessioni fisiche tramite interfacce (flussi), e (iii) valutazione delle architetture con metodi MCDM. La metodologia sviluppata è stata testata su un caso studio particolarmente complesso, cioè il nose-fuselage dell’aereo A320, grazie ad una collaborazione con AIRBUS Group. L’architettura del nose-fuselage è stata analizzata con l’obbiettivo di identificare componenti critici in termini di assemblaggio (es. moduli e interfacce/connessioni). La metodologia sviluppata è stata applicata con l’obbiettivo di ridurre i problemi legati alla produzione ed all’assemblaggio ed una nuova architettura è stata sviluppata. Il caso studio mostra come la nuova architettura possa ridurre i problemi di assemblaggio su moduli specifici. In particolar il modulo “Unità di Potenza”, chiamato “Modulo L”, ha mostrato un netto miglioramento rispetto l’architettura iniziale: infatti, inizialmente presentava un valore di 0.72 su un massimo di 1, mentre, dopo aver apportato le modifiche suggerite e aver risvolto l’analisi, il valore dei due moduli derivati da esso risulta essere minori, nello specifico il “Modulo L.1” ha ottenuto un valore di 0.43 mentre il “Modulo L.2” un valore di 0.66. In generale, la metodologia CDfA sviluppata risulta essere facilmente utilizzabile in prodotti complessi reali e può essere implementata con l’obbiettivo di migliorare le caratteristiche di assemblaggio di prodotti complessi. Uno dei vantaggi principali è la possibilità di lavorare a livello concettuale dove maggiori gradi di libertà sono disponibili. Inoltre, il metodo CDfA proposto è facile da usare, programmabile in un computer e scalabile. Lo svantaggio principale della metodologia proposta è la mancanza di chiare linee guida su come definire e creare nuove architetture di prodotto e su come modificare la disposizione dei moduli per ridurre il tempo di assemblaggio. Questo aspetto richiede uno studio ulteriore e può essere considerato uno sviluppo futuro.
Conceptual design for assembly method in aerospace : how to conceive optimized product architectures oriented to manufacturing and assembly
FORMENTINI, GIOVANNI
2017/2018
Abstract
The aim of this work of thesis is to develop a conceptual Design for Assembly (CDfA) methodology applicable at complex products in aerospace industries, especially to aircraft or part of them. CDfA method focuses on the conceptual phase of the product design process by working at architectural level to eliminate the need of physical products/prototypes and anticipated the manufacturing and assembly problems early in the design phase. Several benefits can be obtained by the adoption of the CDfA, in particular: (i) optimal product architectures, (ii) simplification of cable/pipes routing, (iii) ergonomics improvements for operators during assembly operations. In addition, CDfA presents innovative aspects compared to the available literature in this sector, such as: (i) product is characterized based on its function and modules resulting from functional derivation, (ii) physical connections between modules are represented by the use of interfaces (flows), and (iii) architectures are assessed by the adoption of Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods. The developed methodology has been tested, in collaboration with AIRBUS Group, on a particular complex case study such as the nosefuselage of the aircraft A320. The current architecture of A320 nose fuselage has been analyzed with the aim to identify critical items in terms of assemblability point of view (e.g. modules and interfaces/connections). A new product architecture has been developed and the same methodology has been applied with the aim of reducing manufacturing/assembly issues and time. The case study shows how the new architecture can reduce assembly issues on specific modules. In particular the “Power Unit” module, here called “Module L”, showed that in the original design it was the most critical module with a score of 0.72 over 1, while, after modifications have been applied, scores of the two modules obtained from it (i.e module L.1 and module L.2) were lower (i.e. 0.43 for module L.1 and 0.66 for module L.2). As general result, the CDfA methodology presents an easy implementation on real design context and it can be implemented with the aim of improving assembly features of complex products. One of the main advantages is the possibility to work at the conceptual level where more degree of freedom are available. In addition, the CDfA methodology is easy to use, it is programmable and scalable. The main drawback of the CDfA methodology is related to the lack of clear guidelines to define and build new product architecture and the way to modify modules’ arrangement with the aim to reduce their assembly time. This aspect needs a further investigation and it can be considered a future development.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/142572