CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TRANSACTIONS  
 

VOL. 51, 2016 

A publication of 

 
The Italian Association 

of Chemical Engineering 
Online at www.aidic.it/cet 

Guest Editors: Tichun Wang, Hongyang Zhang, Lei Tian 
Copyright © 2016, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l., 

ISBN 978-88-95608-43-3; ISSN 2283-9216 

Mechanical Product Collaborative Design and Examples 
Expression Based on the Hierarchy Design 

Shuai Tian 
College of mechanical engineering, Beihua University, Jilin, Jilin 132013, China  
sjzpt_wyh@126.com 

Based on the mechanical characteristics of product information from life cycle, we analysis the hierarchy 
structure of the three-dimensional the decomposition product composition information. Information describing 
the object, and then build three-dimensional mechanical product lifecycle unified information model. While the 
full expression of the product life cycle of information, there is no redundancy and cross information while a 
hierarchy of information makes analysis of information more convenient and effective. The establishment of a 
central view of product lifecycle information models body. According to the three dimensions of products were 
selected to describe the typical information object establish the appropriate ontology model. To achieve a 
comprehensive information and mechanical products to describe the relationship, particularly the expression 
of fine granularity mechanical products to the functional surface for subsequent knowledge discovery and 
reuse of the foundation. 

1. Introduction 

Mechanical design is based on the requirements of mechanical operating principle, structure, movement, 
power and energy transmission means (Porter, 2005). Materials and geometry of the various parts, lubrication 
methods was conceived, analyzed and calculated, and translate them into specific description as a basis for 
manufacture of the working process (Komoto, 2012). The goal is defined in a variety of conditions to design 
the best machinery (Chandrasegaran and Gao, 2013). Product design theory and method through research 
and development of a century, it has been developed from experience-based design pattern is based on 
scientific principles and knowledge-based design patterns, and the emergence of the theory and methodology 
of product design has a guiding role (Balog, 2007). 
Currently, about mechanical product design patterns has remained mostly limited sharing of resources, 
designing the physical environment of space limitations (Sun and He, 2013). It can not effectively achieve 
synergies and designers share geographically dispersed design resources between (Szekely, 2014). It is 
based on the information needs of design objects lifecycle by certain information exchange, knowledge 
sharing and collaboration mechanisms with each other to complete the whole process of design goals 
cooperatively (Zhang, 2016). Based on collaborative product design environment, product information sharing 
and exchange, discussion, examination results and modify the design of the design, in order to improve 
design efficiency and shorten the design cycle, and enhance the competitiveness of the target product (Oman 
and Hatcher, 2013). 
With the development of manufacturing and application of information technology, enterprises have 
accumulated a large amount of historical data products. But the applied product data management system 
PDM / PLM, based on the composition of the product structure information for the core of the organization, 
namely products, components, parts organize product information. Thus, breaking the company's existing 
information objects, depth of product information integration, ontology-based knowledge representation, 
establish mechanical product lifecycle unified repository of information, and build mechanical product design 
hierarchy in this case base based on the study of mechanical product design retrieval and modification 
technologies instance, provides mechanical product design process is the most powerful knowledge support, 
machinery manufacturing enterprises to achieve a fast, innovative design, thereby enhancing the core 
competitiveness of enterprises. 

                               
 
 

 

 
   

                                                  
DOI: 10.3303/CET1651221

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Please cite this article as: Tian S., 2016, Mechanical product collaborative design and examples expression based on the hierarchy design, 
Chemical Engineering Transactions, 51, 1321-1326  DOI:10.3303/CET1651221   

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2. The related theory and method 

2.1 Lifecycle information of machinery products 
Content needs analysis phase of product information and analysis techniques are closely related to the 
present stage (Li, 2012). QFD (Quality Function Deployment) and HoQ (House of Quality, quality house in its 
analysis of the advantages of the design to ensure that products meet the design needs, and is widely used in 
the requirements analysis phase. QFD includes three models: the Comprehensive QFD mode, ASI (American 
suppliers Association) mode and the target / product quality characteristics (goal / product Quality 
Characteristic / OAL / QPC) mode. Typical house of quality composition was shown in Figure 1. 
 

PC1 PC1 … PCn

Relationship between customer 

requirements and product 

characteristics

C
u

stom
er com

p
etitive

T
h

e u
ltim

ate 

im
p

ortan
ce of 

cu
stom

er d
em

an
d

Basic importance of product 

characteristics

The competitive nature of the 

product

Final importance of product 

characteristics
Im

p
ortan

ce of 

cu
stom

er n
eed

s

CR1

CR2

CR3

CR4

...

CRn

Relationship 

between product 

characteristics and 

self - correlation
Product 

characteristics PC

Customer 

demand 

CR

 

Figure 1: A typical composition of the house of quality 

2.2 Product collaborative design 

Conceptual model of collaborative design is a collaborative product design process of abstraction and 
generalization (Du, 2014). It describes the dependencies of design objects, design, and design environment of 
collaborative design process (Qingsong, 2012). Constituent elements of collaborative product design concept 
model relates to the organization and management of collaborative design process management capabilities, 
product data management, design activities, management, resource management, and constraint 
management (Raffaeli, 2013). Collaborative Design concept model can be described as follows: 

int
:: ( , , , , )

function organize process resource constra
CSCD CM M M M M M   (1) 

Active space to describe the objective and design activities and the establishment of an abstract reference 
system, a k-dimensional space can be defined as active: 

1 2
( )

k
AS k A A A   

1 2
( )

k
AS k A A A     (2) 

Ai,i ∈[i,k] represents a dimension of active space. Ai constituted by an n-dimensional vector: 

1 2
( , , , )

i m
A S S S  (3) 

Si, i∈[1, m] represents a scale of Ai. Active space Mechanical Product Collaborative Design hierarchical 
model can be described as follows: 

(4) ::
layer objects lifecycel restriction

CSCD AS A A A A      (4) 

A typical product of complex mechanical system design is generally divided into: the implementation of the 
system design, transmission design, power system design, control system design, and auxiliary system design 
five levels. Mechanical Product Collaborative Design hierarchy dimension can be described as: 

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tan
:: ( , , , , )

layer transacted drived powered control assis ted
A L L L L L  (5) 

Collaborative design for complex mechanical products can be described as a four-dimensional state space 
design activities: hierarchy dimension object dimensions, periodic maintenance and dimension constraints. 
Hierarchical model of collaborative design was shown in Figure 2. 

object object object

activity activity activity activity activity

activity

activity

p
ro

d
u
ct

 

d
es

ig
n

C
om

p
on

en
t 

d
es

ig
n

P
ar

t 

d
es

ig
n

F
ea

tu
re

 

d
es

ig
n

G
eo

m
et

ri
c 

d
es

ig
n

D
es

ig
n
 o

f 
th

e 
ac

ti
ve

 o
b
je

ct
 (
A
P
)

Time constraint

Data constraint

Resource constraint

Knowledge constraints

preliminary design conceptual design overall design Structure design Construction design

E
x
e
c
u

tio
n

 

s
y

s
te

m
d

r
iv

e
 

s
y
s
te

m

d
y
n

a
m

ic
 

s
y
s
te

m
C

o
n

tr
o
l 

s
y

s
te

m

A
u

x
ilia

r
y
 

s
y
s
te

m

C
o
ll

a
b

o
r
a
ti

v
e
 d

e
s
ig

n
 a

c
ti

v
it

y
 h

ie
r
a

r
c
h

y
 (

A
L

 d
im

e
n

s
io

n
)

Collaborative design 

activity constraints 

(AR dimension)

activity activity activity activity activity

activity

activity

activity activity activity activity activity

activity

activity

 

Figure 2: Hierarchical model of collaborative design 

2.3 Product structure and hierarchy design 
Product able to finish one or more functional structure called the product design structure. From product 
hierarchy to consider, product design structure may be a product, organization, component, part, structure 
design element. Although not a physical structure functional surface, but also has a certain function, and the 
product is the smallest functional unit, is one of the main product design, it is also referred to as the functional 
surface of the product design structure. Structural design of mechanical products which mainly contains six 
types, there is a hierarchical relationship between different types of design structure, consisting of a plurality of 
functional surface structure design element, a plurality of structural elements designed component parts, 
multiple parts constituting members, generally made up of two bodies composed of two or more members, the 
product constituted by one or more bodies. Its hierarchy was shown in Figure 3. 

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Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part k

frame

product

Product

Mechanism

Component

Component 

2

Component 

3

Componen

t 1

Componen

t m

Mechanis

m n

Mechanis

m 1

Part

Design 

structural 

element

Design 

structural 

element

1

Design 

structural 

element

2

Design 

structural 

element

3

Design 

structural 

element

4

Design 

structural 

element

5

Design 

structural 

element

j

Functional 

surface

Functional 

surface

1

Functional 

surface

2

Functional 

surface

3

Functional 

surface

4

Functional 

surface

5

Functional 

surface

6

Functional 

surface

7

Functional 

surface

I

 

Figure 3: Product design hierarchy 

Process structure are generally due to the need for processing element design element structure or function of 
the surface structure was designed, under normal circumstances, this type of structural elements and other 
parts of the non-contact surface, so the process of structuring element attached to the corresponding element 
in the design of the structure is represented or function surface. 

3. Experiments and results 

3.1 Automatic identification process design structure 
The first line, down design configuration recognition process, the part designed to identify the structure as 
shown in Figure 4. 

prepare

Product assembly 

model

Function face 

recognition

B-Rep model of 

product parts

AAG drawing of 

product parts

Sub graph matching

Design structural 

element parameter 

extraction

Parts design structural element model 

based on the function of the design model 

based on structure element

The end part design 

structure recognition

Model 

reconstruction

Product 

3D 

model 

library

The design of 

knowledge 

base structure

The design 

structure of 

AAG Gallery

 

Figure 4: Part identification process design structure elements 

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From the 3D model we found that the product, product assembly model provides geometry, topology 
information, assembly and assembly relationship between the level of information assembled information, 
three-dimensional model of parts provides the geometric, topological information and information technology 
requirements. Of course, 3D model information for the design of the structure is not complete identification, 
which will lead to the identification information architecture design deficiencies. To solve this problem, 
according to the human mode of thinking, to establish the knowledge base to identify structural design, 
structural design under the guidance of knowledge, according to the characteristics of the 3D model structure, 
the structure design to achieve recognition. 

3.2 The establishment of attribute adjacent graph 
Edge of irregularities is determined on the basis of feature recognition. Only after irregularities edge 
determination in order to characterize the composition of the sub-picture plane extraction and matching. In 
mechanical products, while the main types of linear, elliptic curves, parabolic curves and hyperbolic curve. The 
latter three are collectively referred to as a quadratic curve. Calculate the respective sides of the punch 
according to the algorithm described above and draw its properties coupled was shown in Figure 5. 
 

 

Figure 5: Calculate the respective sides of the punch 

In the three-dimensional motion of a rigid body, if unconstrained, along the three axes of reference of free 
movement and freedom around the three axes of rotation, which has six separate basic movement. Or 
determine a rigid body position requires six independent parameters. When the rigid body motion 
unconstrained, six parameters can be any number, namely the free movement of the rigid member has six 
degrees of freedom. When the movement of two components deputy, mutual restraint only for sport, and the 
relative freedom of movement will be less than the number of f6. Deputy sports but also according to their 
number of degrees of freedom f = 1, ..., 5 and are called class deputy. The relative freedom of movement 
between the members of each pair is composed from 1-5. Deputy low number of degrees of freedom f only 1, 
2, 3, deputy high degree of freedom of 4, 5. Axis and key constraints was shown in Table 1.  

Table 1: Axis and key constraints 

The bottom 
surface 

constraint 

1 side 
constraints 2 side constraints 1 cylinder constraint 

2 cylinder 
constraint 

y negative 
direction 

z positive 
direction 

z negative 
direction x negative direction x positive direction 

Around two x 
axis of rotation 

Around two y 
axis of rotation 

Around two y axis 
of rotation 

Around two z axis of 
rotation 

Around two z axis 
of rotation 

Around two z 
axis of rotation 

Around two x 
axis of rotation 

Around two x axis 
of rotation 

Around two x axis of 
rotation 

Around two x axis 
of rotation 

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4. Conclusions 

The establishment of a central view of product lifecycle information models body. According to the three 
dimensions of products were selected to describe the typical information object establish the appropriate 
ontology model. To achieve a comprehensive information and mechanical products to describe the 
relationship, particularly the expression of fine granularity of mechanical products to the functional surface for 
subsequent knowledge discovery and reuse of the foundation. With the development of manufacturing and 
application of information technology, enterprises have accumulated a large amount of historical data 
products. But the applied product data management system PDM / PLM, based on the composition of the 
product structure information for the core of the organization, namely products, components, parts organize 
product information.  

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