Description of a turbofan engine product development process

This research explores what requirements are necessary for the development of a turbofan engine and how they evolve through the product development cycle. This work utilizes a parameter-based design structure matrix (DSM) to define the interfaces and interdependencies present in a large commercial aircraft propulsion system. The DSM was developed from the system level to the module level allowing one to examine the assumptions made throughout the entire life cycle of the product. The work utilizes the system-level DSM to show the similarities between the turbofan engine product development process (PDP) and the software spiral product development process. This work examines the parameter-based DSM in each of the design phases and attempts to understand the assumptions made in each phase and how the assumptions change as the product proceeds through the development cycle. By examination of the DSM, it was found that program goals and requirements lead to an initial set of design parameters. These design parameters are then iterated until a satisfactory product defamation is developed. Each stage concludes with the integration and testing of that stages work. In all stages risk management occurs and with the necessary revision of the program plan for subsequent stages (not in the system-level DSM). The work shows that the PDP for a turbofan engine can be viewed as a spiral process. The thesis then suggests that, in general, the current industry practices for the development of complex physical systems have similarity to the spiral framework for development of software.

Department dc:contributor.department

System Design and Management Program.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2001

Author dc:creator

• Hague, Douglas C. (Douglas Charles), 1967-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Steven D. Eppinger.

• System Design and Management Program.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/29164

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/29164