Mechanical analysis process modeling based on analysis features

The design process of mechanical products involves recurrent loops between a designer, responsible for the production of artifacts under the constraints of satisfying functional requirements, and a mechanical analysis expert, responsible for either determining the optimal values of the parameters characterizing the artefacts (dimensions) or validating a given proposition. These loops repeatedly appear along the design process, causing a loss of time and effort. Our goal is to increase the ability for the designer to implement analysis loops on his own. With a view to dynamically build bridges between design questions and design solutions thru analysis, we have formalized modular models of analysis processes called "analysis features". This paper firstly discusses the main requirements and approaches in design-analysis processes integration. After positioning our contribution, we describe our research approach. Then, we introduce the concept of analysis feature and present its overall structure. Two analysis features are completely described. Finally, a design example is used to illustrate the benefits of this approach.