A novice-centered decision-support system for type synthesis of function-generation mechanisms

This paper proposes an automated decision-support system for conceptual design of mechanisms for function-generation design tasks. The developed system involves a library of function shapes and a knowledgebase of mechanism topologies. For each function shape, the topologies are assessed using kinematic and non-kinematic criteria and the assessments are stored in the knowledgebase. The analytic-hierarchy process (AHP) is employed to provide the user with a prioritized list of candidate design solutions. Sensitivity analysis can be performed by the system to test the prioritization for robustness. Feasibility of the system is demonstrated on a selected set of function shapes and mechanism topologies.