A computational similarity-assisted multi-domain framework for conceptual engineering design

Doctoral thesis, 2025

In this thesis, a set of methods is proposed for assisting design engineers in exploring trade-offs among performance, manufacturability, and sustainability, during the early design phase. These methods were developed in close collaboration with a Swedish aerospace company to mitigate the risk of costly redesigns later in development. Among the challenges addressed is how to capture and evaluate the necessary information to consider such trade-offs while there is still enough freedom to make changes to the design.

A computational framework is proposed which serves to elicit the necessary foundation for informed decision-making. This framework entails understanding the similarities among new designs and previous design endeavors through the application of similarity metrics. These metrics provide increased trustworthiness in evaluation results, a means for identifying asset reuse potential, and guides designers into staying within the well-understood regions of the design space. Furthermore, the framework highlights the importance of multi-domain trade-offs, and prescribes methods for how to consider system performance, manufacturability, and sustainability, concurrently. This reduces risk by potentially identifying issues early in development. The framework also provides a means for strategically identifying design configurations that are compatible with future technologies through the application of a new flexibility metric, preventing the risk of early system deprecation. Finally, the methods have been implemented as software tools, enabling them to be flexibly adjusted for different needs, and to be utilized by designers, academics, and students.

For the aviation industry, these contributions serve as proposals for how to explore and integrate new design concepts. This has, in recent times, become increasingly important due to the ongoing climate crisis, which necessitates rapid development of more sustainable propulsion alternatives. Consequently, an improved understanding of how to efficiently integrate new technology is paramount.