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The role of topology in engineering design research

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Abstract

Aspects of the mathematical specialty of topology appear within several seemingly distinct areas of engineering design and engineering design theory. Indeed, the expression “topology of a design” is often used informally. In this article a primary intent is to demonstrate the diversity of applications of topology within engineering design. A complementary goal is to introduce the engineering design community to topology as a rich, formal, well-established mathematical discipline that may be of value for wider study. Upon reviewing some of these topological applications, it appears that topology holds promise as a basis for formalizing engineering design theory. This article considers topology as a basis for unifying design abstractions. The potential benefit may be the realization of commonalities between design aspects previously considered separately, where each now has its own attendant specialized, expensive analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 30332-0405, Atlanta, GA, USA

    D. W. Rosen & T. J. Peters

  2. Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, USA

    D. W. Rosen & T. J. Peters

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  1. D. W. Rosen
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  2. T. J. Peters
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Correspondence to D. W. Rosen.

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Rosen, D.W., Peters, T.J. The role of topology in engineering design research. Research in Engineering Design 8, 81–98 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01607863

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