Abstract

Structure symmetry is a common phenomenon with a significant effect on mechanical systems. In this article, the technology of knowledge discovery was adopted to mine association rules from the database of mechanical structure symmetry design instances, and design knowledge of structure symmetry was built to guide the application of structure symmetry in mechanical design. The process of the knowledge discovery in design instances mainly includes the following steps. First, more than 1000 design instances were collected. Three standardized systems, including structure symmetry system, design requirement system, and structure design principle system, were built. Then the design instances were analyzed based on the three standardized systems. Second, a physical database was designed, and the information of design instances was stored in the database. Third, the association rules among structure symmetry, design requirement, and structure design principle were mined using association rule mining algorithm. Finally, the design knowledge of structure symmetry in realizing design requirements was proposed by analyzing mining results and relevant instances. The proposed design knowledge can lead to the application of structure symmetry and help to improve the technical, economic, and social performance of the mechanical products.