The design of ships is an inherently complex process. This complexity is significantly increased when the particular ship being designed is a naval surface combatant. The ship design process is traditionally viewed as a highly coupled collection of interrelated physical attributes often determined in an ad hoc fashion. Therefore, lack of understanding and documenting the design progression frequently necessitates modification of a completely developed, functionally acceptable portion of the ship because of its undesirable effect on other functionally unrelated parameters. A methodology based on axiomatic design principles that strives to eliminate the currently accepted iterative nature of concept level ship design is proposed. Specifically, the hierarchical decomposition of a naval surface combatant based on functional requirements mapped into physical design parameters reveals physical couplings. Studying the design at each level of the hierarchy determines the logical order to fulfill each requirement such that these couplings do not adversely impact the design progression. By implementing this methodical approach, the ship design process follows a repeatable structured format in which functional relationships between physical parameters are mapped, documented, and controlled. Since functional design is the key to this methodology, it is extended to assist designers with assigning tasks between shipboard personnel and automated machines. With this proposed approach, functional allocation is not only possible, but also the overall ship effect of each manning and automation decision is readily determined. A case study demonstrating this point is presented.
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