TABLE OF CONTENTS Computer-aided engineering (CAE) and knowledge-based engineering (KBE) are tools that are making a considerable impact on the design, manufacture, and through-life support of composite structures. Improvements in both the integrity of data and the accuracy of analysis have enabled engineering project teams to adopt CAE as a primary tool and reduce reliance on the manufacture of prototypes and experimental testing to prove design concepts. In composites manufacture, the applications of CAE include analysis and design using finite element analysis (FEA), design drafting, virtual prototyping, and the control of manufacturing processes, including control of robots and curing processes. KBE refers to processes that capture the intellectual property and core knowledge of the company. KBE applications include design rules that ensure compliance with best practice and tools to automate repetitive tasks.
In the context of this tex, KBE is an engineering process in which knowledge about the product (e.g., the techniques used to design, analyze, and manufacture a product, and provide through-life support) is stored in the design system. The system captures the intellectual property of the company, including analysis experience, design rules, best practice, and advantages and limitations that define the best process to manufacture different components. It also provides tools to monitor the performance of the product so that operational experience can influence future design. The basis of the knowledge system is a database including a library of features, a list of rules, and checks on which the design can be based. These rules and checks...
