Using Artificial Intelligence for Concurrent Design in the Steel Building Industry

The ability to communicate clearly is vital to any quality engineered project. Because of the high degree of interdependency among activities in the concurrent design of complex engineering systems, the ability to coordinate and synchronize communication among design team members is crucial. The computer-based tool, SteelTeam, is under development and integrates knowledge-based expert systems with a computer-aided design and drafting environment to create a system that helps bridge communication gaps in the steel building industry. SteelTeam makes design, fabrication, and construction knowledge available to each of the parties involved in the steel building design. In addition, SteelTeam provides a standard format for the design information that is passed between parties during the design process. The completeness of this information is crucial to the generation of design alternatives, which are necessary to ensure that the optimum product is developed. By looking at the issues involved in concurrent engineering, it is possible to identify areas whose improvement leads to faster product development, lower cost, and improved productivity. These issues are addressed by SteelTeam through improved communication between the parties involved in the design of the steel building.