The ‘Design Procedure’ as a Means of Storing Engineering Knowledge
SUMMARY The author observes that, apart from work done in the area of some expert systems, there has been little discussion of the problems of storing the knowledge used by engineering designers. It is often assumed that this comprises only a knowledge of engineering science in conjunction with a certain inner ‘feel’ for materials and system behaviour. The author argues that the knowledge of how to design is different from these and merits a separate identity, with its own epistemology and philosophy. The idea of the ‘design procedure’ is introduced as the means by which certain engineering design knowledge and skill can be stored, communicated, learned, researched, and given its own history independent of engineering science.