Robust design as a driver of engine cylinder heads evolution : a framework for identifying product improvement paths

Abstract

The fundamental goal of Robust Design is to improve the quality of a product by minimizing the effects of variation. A key contributor to robustness over the long term is R&D. Therefore, a framework is desired to help managers to identify promising improvement paths that a system may undergo, thus helping out in deciding R&D resource allocation. The goal of this thesis is to contribute to a framework for robustness inventions. This contribution is sought by analyzing the evolution in robustness of a single component in a particular engineering system - the engine cylinder head. By analyzing a series of patents related to reliability and robustness of engine cylinder heads, the author identified generalizable inventive strategies for robust design.