PhD Oral Exam - Andréa Cartile, Mechanical Engineering

When studying for a doctoral degree (PhD), candidates submit a thesis that provides a critical review of the current state of knowledge of the thesis subject as well as the student’s own contributions to the subject. The distinguishing criterion of doctoral graduate research is a significant and original contribution to knowledge.

Once accepted, the candidate presents the thesis orally. This oral exam is open to the public.

Abstract

Aircraft design and development is regulated by law. The imperative to reduce cost and schedule of the certification process has created an interest in modeling for the purpose of digital transformation, which remains an emerging field of study. This research proposes a modeling approach to most effectively represent aircraft regulatory documentation for the purpose of digital transformation.

Modeling requirements are established using a requirements elicitation framework adapted from International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), and results in a list of nine requirements. Selection criteria are then established and used to assess and select the most suitable method for modeling regulatory documentation. Process mapping, Unified Modeling Language (UML), and ontological modeling methods are assessed against four selection criteria. Ontological modeling is found to be the most suitable method and is selected for detailed investigation.

The ontological modeling approach developed in this research includes i) the selection of a regulatory document to be modeled; ii) the analysis of the document using a natural language processing tool; iii) a contextual analysis; iv) the identification of recurring patterns in the natural language; and v) the development and implementation of ontology design patterns. The approach is demonstrated using examples from the ARP4754B: Guidelines for Development of Civil Aircraft and Systems guidance material document; implemented using examples from the AC21.101-1B - Establishing the Certification Basis of Changed Aeronautical Products guidance material document; and validated using examples from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §21.101 Designation of applicable regulations regulatory document. The effectiveness of the resulting models in representing regulatory documentation is verified against the established requirements. The models are found to meet seven of nine requirements and contingently meet the remaining two.

The proposed approach is a novel, systematic, and repeatable method for representing regulatory documentation which contributes to knowledge capture and digital transformation of the aircraft certification process.