2nd-CAD: A tool for conceptual systems design in electromechanical domain

This paper presents a framework and information model for the development of SECOND-CAD (Systems Engineering CONceptual Design-CAD), or 2nd-CAD, a Computer Aided Conceptual Design (CACD) tool for Electromechanical Systems. The conceptual design tasks supported include functional design, behavior modeling, and component selection from standard industrial supply catalogs for mechanical, fluid, and electric engineering domains. 2nd-CAD is composed of three entity catalogs the designer uses to create three interconnected structures for function, behavior, and component. The logical model behind 2nd-CAD is one of the major contributions of this research. It allows the user to define entities based on popular taxonomies; this eases data exchange with other tools. When constructing structures, only technically feasible relationships are permitted and if an element in a structure is modified, the change is propagated throughout the structure. It reuses the entities' information content to create new structures and since the three structures are interconnected, changes can be traced for design validation. 2nd-CAD's functional requirements, logical design, and physical implementation are discussed in this paper.