Knowledge Reuse in the Design of Steel Connections Using 2d-cad Drawings

Design knowledge reuse is the most common design method in structural engineering and dominates completely in the design of steel connections. This paper describes a case study and a prototype with the objective of gaining knowledge on how to create computer support for knowledge reuse in the design of steel connections. The case study identified the key characteristics of the design knowledge reuse process in the form of subprocesses. It also showed that the most commonly used documents in these processes are drawings and that these contain most of the information needed for reuse. The prototype was implemented using the CaseBased Design approach. Evaluation of this prototype confirmed the findings of the case study and suggested that information about the geometry and topology of the members connected was sufficient for indexing previous steel connections. The prototype significantly facilitated the process of finding the documentation of recalled previous connections and thus most of the information necessary for reuse. A method of capturing the required information automatically during the process of the designer creating the drawings was implemented and evaluated.