An Architecture for Application of Artificial Intelligence to Design

An architecture for application of artificial intelligence to engineering design is presented and discussed. The architecture places emphasis on evaluation and redesign, thus reflecting the iterative nature of the design process. Six independent knowledge sources are included having the following functions: initial design, evaluation, acceptability decisions, redesign, user-designer input, and flow of control. A "blackboard" is used to store and exchange information among the knowledge sources. The implementation of the architecture is illustrated with two examples from the mechanical design domain: v-belt drives and extruded aluminum shapes.