Semantic Web Rule Language-based approach for implementing Knowledge-Based Engineering systems

The culture of product design is shifting from case-by-case development to the Knowledge-Based Engineering (KBE) paradigm facilitating knowledge sharing and reusing among different stages and groups. The Semantic Web stack including Web Ontology Language (OWL) and Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL) offers promising formats to represent data and rules for engineering knowledge sharing and reuse. However, many KBE applications for product design treat ontology-based knowledge bases as graph databases, often neglecting the reasoning abilities provided by the Semantic Web stack. Consequently, design rules, especially those concerning the (re)construction of geometric models, are frequently encapsulated as black-box processes within KBE systems. This type of reuse tends to result in non-cohesive solutions, where fragments of relevant knowledge, especially about the (re)construction of geometric models, are dispersed across various locations. This article demonstrates an approach to realizing the automated product design facilitated by semantically representing engineering knowledge using OWL and SWRL. This approach enables the construction of a cohesive knowledge base, leveraging the reasoning capabilities provided by the Semantic Web stack. Notably, the (re)construction of geometric models can be achieved using KBE language code snippets and the string processing capabilities of SWRL. To demonstrate this approach, a shaft design case, frequently used in research on product design, serves as a demonstrator to provide conceptual proof. The resulting geometric models are generated in KBE languages compatible with Siemens NX and AVEVA design software and can be visualized through interaction with the Computer-aided Design (CAD) kernel. This showcases the potential for seamless integration and knowledge sharing in the realm of product design through the application of the Semantic Web stack and KBE.