Expert Systems for Engineering Design

Expert Systems for Engineering Design presents the application of expert system methods to a variety of engineering design problems. This book provides the technical details on how the methods are used to solve specific design problems in chemical engineering, civil engineering, and several others. Organized into 12 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the synthesis, the creation, and development of alternative designs. This text then examines the nature of design expertise and the types of computer tools that can enhance the expert's decision-making. Other chapters consider the integration of tools into intelligent, cooperative frameworks. This book discusses as well the use of graphic interfaces with built-in knowledge about the designs being configured. The final chapter deals with the development of software tools for automatic design synthesis and evaluation within the integrated framework of a computer-aided mechanical design system known as CASE, which stands for computer-aided simultaneous engineering. This book is a valuable resource for engineers and architects.