A qualitative and heuristic approach to the conceptual design of mechanisms

Automation of the mechanical design process has attracted much attention over the last decade. This paper reports a method of computational synthesis of the conceptual design of mechanisms. The design algorithm employs best;first heuristic searches in a library of mechanical devices, represented and classified qualitatively from various perspectives. A number of design alternatives can be generated from a specification. The suggested design solutions are compact and compatible with general engineering design principles.