Title: Research on evolving rule of part relation network of product family

Authors: Fuyun Liu, Sujing Song, Xiaolin Deng

Addresses: School of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin 541004, China. ' School of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin 541004, China. ' School of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin 541004, China

Abstract: By applying complex network theory to part relation of product family, a part relation network of an industrial steam turbine product family is built. The in-degree and out-degree of every node of the network are obtained and the corresponding bi-logarithmic coordinate distribution curves of the network are drawn. The evolving rule of the network is presented and dynamic equations of both in-degree and out-degree are established. Analytical results of the in-degree|s probability density distribution function are derived. Result shows that the in-degree distribution curve follows a power law unlike the out-degree distribution curve which deviates from a power law. Such deviation from a power law is analysed in the paper. The out-degree evolving rule is simulated through numerical method and results are obtained.

Keywords: complex network theory; scale free modelling; evolving rule; part relation networks; product families; numerical simulation; steam turbines; power law.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMSI.2008.019616

International Journal of Materials and Structural Integrity, 2008 Vol.1 No.4, pp.334 - 343

Published online: 17 Jul 2008 *

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