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Assembly synthesis with subassembly partitioning for optimal in-process dimensional adjustability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2007

BYUNGWOO LEE  and
KAZUHIRO SAITOU
BYUNGWOO LEE
Affiliation:
Product Realization Laboratory, GE Global Research, Niskayuna, New York, USA
KAZUHIRO SAITOU
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Abstract

Achieving the dimensional integrity for a complex structural assembly is a demanding task due to the manufacturing variations of parts and the tolerance relationship between them. Although assigning tight tolerances to all parts would solve the problem, an economical solution is taking advantage of small motions that joints allow, such that critical dimensions are adjusted during assembly processes. This paper presents a systematic method that decomposes product geometry at an early stage of design, selects joint types, and generates subassembly partitioning to achieve the adjustment of the critical dimensions during assembly processes. A genetic algorithm generates candidate assemblies based on a joint library specific for an application domain. Each candidate assembly is evaluated by an internal optimization routine that computes the subassembly partitioning for optimal in-process adjustability, by finding a series of minimum cuts on weighted graphs. A case study on a three-dimensional automotive space frame with the accompanying joint library is presented.

Keywords

Assembly SequenceDesign for AssemblyDesign OptimizationDimensional AdjustmentGenetic Algorithm
Type
Research Article
Information
AI EDAM , Volume 21 , Issue 1: 20th Anniversary Issue , January 2007 , pp. 31 - 43
Copyright
© 2007 Cambridge University Press

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