Product Modularity For Life Cycle Design Using Group Genetic Algorithm

Product design method has confronted great improvement because of the environment concern and the sustainable development. Traditional product design is causing more and more problems by overlooking the reusing and recycling in the afterlife of industrial products. The way it treats those afterlife products has given great damage not only to the environment, but also the sum of the sources and energies. Nowadays, more and more industrial products are designed and structured under the concept of life cycle design. By considering the environment influence in the whole life cycle of products in design section, life cycle design is trying to build environment-friendly products. This paper is mainly concentrating on how to combine life cycle design to product modularity to help products more friendly to environment. The whole design method has been divided into 2 sections, which are original product information construction and optimum method.1) In the first section, under the direction of life cycle design, we analyse the modular object and divide it into several relevant modular drive forces. Then, relevant information of components in a product has been fully covered. the information has been transferred into grade numbers by using Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP) method. Finally, a whole mathematic matrix which illustrates original component- component relations has been established.2) The optimizing section then uses this matrix as fundament to solve modular division problem by Group Genetic Algorithm (GGA). Firstly, product has been randomly divided into several modulars. Secondly, an illustration function has been set according to the life cycle oriented modular design object. Then, a systematic optimum process has been created. Following this process, we finally get the optimized modular design.This optimizing method is assisted by two real cases, which are refrigerator and room air conditioner. By comparing them after modularization with original products, analysis has been made to demonstrate the validation and efficiency of this method. In the end of this thesis, concepts of how to improve this method have been given by reviewing and concluding advantages and disadvantages.