The Liverpool University Knowledge Elicitation (LUKE) system is a software package which provides a methodfor the easy acquisition of expert knowledge for use in expert system shells. LUKE is based on a tree structured inference network showing the correlation of rules and data relevant to the chosen domain. The full LUKE system consists of a CAD package and a user interface package. The CAD package allows the goal, sub-goal, question and priorities for the chosen domain to be displayed. The user interface package is used to input text information and define the derived expressions used in the sub-goals. The knowledge engineer or expert can then review these rules, and update the rule tree if necessary, before adding weighting factors to indicate the relative importance. The full problem domain may be considered as a series of small scale activities, which are investigated separately.
The output file from a cross-compiler of the user interface package is the source file for the expert system shell, which has been chosen for the particular engineering application (eg, Savoir, BHRA). Detailed knowledge of this shell is not necessary. A run-time system provided by the expert system shell gives interim results. Repeated use of LUKE allows the knowledge engineer to adjust the weighting factors until the expected result is obtained. The complete expert system can be built by the knowledge engineer by linking each small scale expert system together to obtain the full solution.
An expert system for the prediction of cracking in a welded joint is given as an application of the LUKE system.
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British Standard 4871. 1982, Approval testing of welders working to approved welding procedures. Part 1: 1982Fusion welding of steel (UK). Part 2: 1982TIG and MIG welding of aluminium and its alloys . British Standards Institute, UK.
