Title: GP-based optimisation of product parameters of design alternatives to support life cycle design

Authors: Suiran Yu

Addresses: School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China

Abstract: This paper proposes a new approach to life cycle design (LCD) that includes Goal Programming (GP)-based optimisation and generation and evaluation of design alternatives. Because different interest groups, including users, manufacturers and governments, have different objectives that are often conflicting and incommensurable, a mathematical programming method called Goal Programming is employed to help designers to solve LCD problems, whose solutions previously have been based on experience. LCD alternatives are generated by the changes of parameters with uncertainties in objective-oriented life cycle models. The generated design alternatives are evaluated properly with the consideration of a wide range of criteria. For criteria that can be mathematically modelled, a simulation method is employed for evaluation; for criteria that cannot be mathematically modelled, Analytical Hierarchy Process method is used for evaluation. A comprehensive evaluation of the design alternatives can be achieved by utilising a method called Multi-Criteria Decision Making. A case study on current refrigerators is used as a demonstration example.

Keywords: design alternatives; lifecycle design; goal programming; AHP; analytical hierarchy process; MCDM; multicriteria decision making; optimisation; uncertainty; objective-oriented modelling; simulation; product design.

DOI: 10.1504/IJETM.2011.043515

International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management, 2011 Vol.14 No.5/6, pp.417 - 434

Received: 29 Oct 2010
Accepted: 16 Aug 2011
Published online: 29 Jan 2015 *

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