The application of a knowledge-based engineering approach to the structural design of steel framed office buildings

Computer technology has only had a significant impact in three area of structural design: namely, analysis, detailed design and drafting. These applications are only of real benefit in the latter stages of design when generally the overall form of the structure is well defined. The design quality of a structural system is mostly determined during the conceptual or preliminary design stage since the succeeding design tasks generally aim at satisfying the constraints imposed during this stage. Thus, if design is to be improved considerably, attention needs to be paid to the early stages of the design and improvement made in these stages. This research effort addresses automation of design at the early stages of the structural design process and development of knowledge-based computer tools that assist an engineer in the preliminary phase of structural design. The effort is aimed at using knowledge-based engineering (KBE) approach to develop a knowledge-based structural design application to support early stages of the design process. Issues in the use of KBE for building design system for structural design are discussed and observation based on experience are offered. A prototype KBE design system for steel framed buildings has been developed as part of this investigation. Given the spatial requirements of a building, the prototype design system can generate an overall 3D model that include virtually all elements of the building frame right from the start of the design process. Each element in the 3D model has been designed to satisfy structural constraints. The 3D representation of the design enables an engineer to examine the impact of the design decision on other disciplines and on construction thus giving the engineer the opportunity to improve the design. The system can be link to other structural design packages (such as) structural analysis, detailed design and CAD system) to form an integrated design environment. This approach used during conceptual design will enable the design to be developed to a high level of accuracy before moving on to the later stages of design. It also improved the continuity between conceptual design stage and later design stages. Knowledge and reasoning behind the prototype design system are elucidated in the thesis and implementation details are discussed. Representative examples are used to illustrate the working of the of prototype design system.