Component based design data version management and visualization in IMS-DATE

Complex product development is an interdisciplinary cooperative process with the characteristics of enormous quantity of engineering data, process uncertainty, frequent engineering changes and disturbances. Version management is a key part of engineering data management for conserving the consistency of design data and tracking engineering change orders. Therefore comprehensive mechanism is required to handle large mount of intermediate results in complex product design processes in order to achieve efficient information and knowledge management. A component based version management model across different design projects is designed, which implements efficient design processes and project data management in an integrated management system for aerodynamic design of aero turbine engine (IMS-DATE). Key version control technologies of version merge and visualization are also discussed. The new version model and related version control technologies proposed in this paper can well satisfy the requirements of complex engineering design projects and enhance design efficiency consequently.