9501760 Gadh This grant provides funding for a Career award for research in computer aided design. Its goal is to provide a framework for creating shape designs in a virtual environment and analysis of manufacturability and die shape analysis in a virtual prototyping environment. The principal domain to which this approach is applied is near net-shape manufactured parts using processes such as injection molding or die casting. There are three significant components to this research. The first focuses on creation of concept geometric designs in a virtual environment, and the second and third focus on bringing downstream analysis upstream to the virtual design stage. The approach will be to use a set of non-uniform B-splines to represent the surface model of an object, using an energy based approach that utilizes springs connecting the control points of the surface, thus ensuring smooth modification of the surfaces. Feature extraction will be defined in terms of chains of higher level entities called loops. Automated die design will be performed in two steps. In the first step, the orientation of the part with respect to the die-open direction will be determined. In the second step, a parting line is extracted using a variation of the differential depth filter that extracts the silhouette of the part. Virtual design allows concepts that reside in the designer's mind to be input into a computer with natural human gestures. This procedure should speed design time and make the process of design more intuitive.
