Knowledge‐Based Standard‐Independent Member Design

Abstract

This paper describes a knowledge‐based model of the structural component design process. The primary knowledge source is a design standard, which is a collection of requirements limiting the behavior of structural components. Several additional knowledge sources are applied to design a structural component: structural and material behavior relationships, optimization methods, and design expertise. Because the model treats the design standard as a separate knowledge source, it can produce structural component designs that conform to any design standard. Standard‐independence provides robustness (i.e., changes in the design standard do not affect the way in which the knowledge is used) and flexibility (i.e., any design standard may be used as a knowledge source).