A METHOD OF QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS DURING CONCEPTUAL DESIGN AS APPLIED TO UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES

A basic method of multiple-criterion decision making as applied during the conceptual design phase is discussed. An example pre-concept selection process for a smart unmanned aerial vehicle is presented using a case study from the Georgia Tech Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory. The method utilizes a mix of both Quality Function Deployment and Multi-Attribute Decision Making and is designed to provide an environment where decisions can be made quickly while in the presence of only qualitative or subjective information. The report highlights the low amount of quantitative data available during the conceptual design phase, and also addresses the effect of comparing data from different fidelity levels. While an overview of the conceptual design process is discussed, this report focuses on the evaluation of alternatives using multi-criterion decision making. A designer may never know everything about each alternative before the project schedule dictates that a decision must be made. This finite amount of time required to make the decision becomes a very important factor in the type and reliability of data that can be obtained about each alternative. Increasing the efficiency with which the designer is able to take available information and use it to make a reliable decision creates more time for valuable information to be obtained.