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Life-cycle modeling for adaptive and variant design. Part 1: Methodology

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Abstract

Life-cycle modeling for design (LCMD) is a methodology for assessing the life-cycle impacts for a complex product with many individual components starting from initial design phases when few design specifications have been made. The methodology combines life-cycle assessment (LCA) with probabilistic design methods in a way that forecasts attributes of possible final designs yet reduces information needs. Specifically, LCMD is a methodology for generating arrays of design scenarios that communicate the range of designs being considered by a design team, and estimating missing data for those design scenarios. The main contribution to enhancing standard LCA is the incorporation of methods to estimate physical attributes of individual components for various design options and in four analyses for evaluating the arrays of design scenarios. An automotive case study presented in part 2 of this work demonstrates one application of LCMD.

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Notes

  1. Energy content is defined as the amount of energy (MJ) needed to extract and process constituent materials for use in manufacturing as defined by Ashby (2001).

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Acknowledgements

The Ford Motor Company of Dearborn, Michigan provided financial support for this work. Special thanks are due to Drs. John Sullivan and Dennis Schutzle of the Ford Motor Company for their interest and support in shaping this research.

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  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Box 352600, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Peder Fitch & Joyce Smith Cooper

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  1. Peder Fitch
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  2. Joyce Smith Cooper
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Correspondence to Joyce Smith Cooper.

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Fitch, P., Cooper, J.S. Life-cycle modeling for adaptive and variant design. Part 1: Methodology. Res Eng Design 15, 216–228 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00163-004-0055-7

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