Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

An integrated multidisciplinary approach to aerospace design is presented as a means of improving the present state of the art towards a more effective concurrent methodology empowered by costing tools. Only the most influential drivers are identified and structured into a preliminary costing framework that supports decision making upfront in the design process. The research addressed a range of fundamental aerospace issues in developing key Cost Estimating Relations (CERs), conceming concept design, detailed design, and fitness for purpose. The resulting methodology and costing tools facilitate the sharing and utilization of information in order to best satisfy the ultimate design objective, rather than being limited to only one parameter driving the process at any one or more stages. Relevant data and knowledge were collected from industry, and a commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code was utilized along with a program to predict aircraft Direct Operating Cost (DOC). Notably, it was found that general complexity and both recurring and non-recurring costs were reduced at the conceptual stage; tolerances and design detail were better allocated to reduce non-conformities and recurring costs; and performance requirements were assessed in the light of aircraft DOC in order to improve ultimate competitiveness. However, most significantly, it is shown that a practical concurrent approach can be enabled with supportive costing tools that improve the designers' ability to make more holistic decisions upfront in the design process.

Keywords

cost engineering cost estimating relation integrated design aircraft design for manufacture.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Fan, I.S. (1997). Concurrent engineering in aerospace extended enterprises. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Concurrent Enterprising. Nottingham. 8-10 October, pp. 307-314.

Womack, J. , Jones, D. and Roos, D. (1990). The Machine that Changed the World . MacMillan, ISBN 0 89256 350 8.

Roy, R. , Forsberg, S. , Kelvesjo, S. and Ruch, C. (2001). Quantitative and qualitative cost estimating for engineering design. Journal of Engineering Design , Accepted for publication in: 12(2).

Curran, R. , Kundu, A. , Raghunathan, S. and McFadden, R. (2002). Impact of aerodynamic surface tolerance on aircraft cost driver. Journal of Aerospace Engineering, Proceedings of IMecE, accepted for publication.

Sanchez, M. , Kundu, A. , Hinds, B. and Raghunathan, S. (1998). A methodology for assessing manufacturing cost due to tolerance of aerodynamic surface features on turbo fan nacelles. Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology , pp. 894-900.

Kundu, A. , Morris, W. and Raghunathan, S. (1997). CFD verification of excrescence drag. 35th AIAA Conference, Reno, Paper No: AIAA 97-0354

Roy, R. , Bendall, D. , Taylor, J.P. , Jones, P. , Madariaga, A.P. , Crossland, J. , Hamel, J. and Taylor, I.M. (1999). Development of airframe engineering CER's for aero-structures. In: Proceedings of 2nd World Manufacturing Congress. Durham. pp. 838-844.

Fan, I.S. , Garcia-Fornieles, J.M. et al. (2000). Re-engineering of the bid preparation process in aircraft modification business. In: Proceedings of Advances in Concurrent Engineering - CE2000, ISBN 1-58716-033-1. pp. 12-22.

Ostwald, Phillip F. (1992). Engineering Cost Estimating. Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-276627-2, p. 576.

10.

Arrow, Kenneth Joseph and Arrow, Selma S. (1950). Methodology Problems in Airframe Cost-Performance Studies. Rand Corporation Document No: RM-456-PR, p. 33.

11.

Levenson, G.S. and Barro, Stephen M. (1966). Cost-Estimating Relationships for Aircraft Airframes. Rand Corporation Document No: RM-4845-PR, p. 99.

12.

Newsletter of the International Cost Engineering Council (2001). White Paper: What are Cost Engineering, Quantity Surveying, and Project Management? 14th International Cost Engineering Congress, Guadalajara, Mexico, February 1996, Vol. 16, No. 3 - October 2001.

13.

Stewart, R. , Wyskidsa, R. and Johannes, J. (1995). Cost Estimator's Reference Manual , 2nd Edn. Wiley Interscience.

14.

Hudgins, D.W. and Lavelle, J.P. (1995). Estimating engineering design costs. Engineering Management Journal , 7(3): 17-23.

15.

Busby, J.S. and Barton, S.C. (1996). Predicting the cost of engineering: does intuition help or hinder? Engineering Management Journal, 177-182.

16.

Pugh, P. (1992). Working top-down: cost estimating before development begins. Journal of Aerospace Engineering , Part G, 206 : 143-151.

17.

Roy, R. , Bendall, D. , Taylor, J.P. , Jones, P. , Madariaga, P.A. , Crossland, J. , Hamel, J. and Taylor, M.I. (1999). Identifying and capturing the qualitative cost drivers within a concurrent engineering environment. Advances in Concurrent Engineering Pennsylvania (USA): Technomic Publishing Co. Inc. pp. 39-50.

18.

19.

Westphal, R. and Scholz, D. (1997). A method for predicting direct operating costs during aircraft system design. Cost Engineering, 39(6): 35-39.

20.

Pahl, G. and Beitz, W. (1984). Engineering Design: A Systematic Approach . London: Design Council.

21.

Wierda, Leo S. (1991). Linking design, process planning and cost information by feature based modelling. Journal of Engineering Design, 2(1).

22.

Bashir, H.A. and Thomson, V. (1999). Metrics for design projects: a review. Design Studies , 20(3): 263-277.

23.

Pugh, P. (1992). Working top-down: cost estimating before development begins. Journal of Aerospace Engineering , Part G, 206: 143-151.

24.

Boothroyd, G. , Dewhurst, P. and Knight, W. (1994). Product Design for Manufacture and Assembly. New York: Marcel Dekker Inc.

25.

Eakin, D.J. (1998). Aerospace DFMA. In: Proceedings of the 1998 International Forum on Design for Manufacture and Assembly, Newport, Rhode Island, USA .

26.

Eakin, D.J. (2000). Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) . In: Proceedings of the Time-Compression Technologies 2000 Conference, Cardiff, UK, pp. 105-109.

27.

Curran, R. , Kundu, A.K. , Raghunathan, S. and McFadden, R. (2001). Impact of manufacturing philosophy on aircraft cost driver. In: Proceedings of 2nd Conference on Advanced Engineering Design. Glasgow. ISBN 0-85261-731-3. pp. 57-62.

28.

Curran, R. , Kundu, A.K. , Raghunathan, S. , Eakin, D. and McFadden, R. Impact of manufacturing tolerance on aircraft cost driver. Journal of Materials Processing Technology. ISSN: 0924-0136, accepted for publication.

29.

Ullman, D.G. (1992). The Mechanical Design Process . New York: McGraw-Hill .

30.

Crozier, I.L. and Guenov, M. (1994). Concurrent conceptual design and cost estimating. Transactions of 13th International Cost Engineering Congress, London , pp. 9-12.

31.

Department of Defense (1999 ). Parametric Estimating Handbook. 2nd Edn., DoD.

32.

Pyzdek, T. (2000). The Six Sigma Handbook. McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0071732334, p. 711.

33.

Mileham, A.R. , Currie, G.C. , Miles , A.W. and Bradford, D.T. (1993). A parametric approach to cost estimating at the conceptual stage of design . Journal of Engineering Design, 4(2): 117.

34.

Das, S.K. , Datla, V. and Gam, S. (2000). DFMQ- An approach for improving the quality of assembled products. International Journal of Production Research, 38(2): 457.

35.

Bashir, H.A. and Thomson, V. (1999). Estimating design complexity . Journal of Engineering Design , 10(3): 247-257.

36.

Kundu, A.K. , Raghunathan, S. and Cooper, R.K. (2000). Effect of aircraft surface smoothness requirements on cost. The Aeronautical Journal. Royal Aeronautical Society, pp. 415-420.

37.

Dong, Z. , Hu, W. and Xue, D. (1994). New productioncost-tolerance models for tolerance synthesis. Journal of Engineering for Industry, 116.

Costing Tools for Decision Making within Integrated Aerospace Design

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References