Dear Pat, (01)
> > Matthew West wrote:
> >
> >>> This is a slight generalization of Matt's characterization, in
> >>> that it
> >>> recognizes the existence of parts with subfunctions, without
> >>> requiring
> >>> substitutability
> >>
> >> MW: Can you give an example of a system with parts that were not
> >> substitutable?
> >
> > I mentioned in fact that good systems engineering gives rise to
> > subsitutability by encapsulating the mechanisms used by a subsystem
> > and
> > defining only their functions, interfaces, and constraints.
> >
> > There are many examples, particularly in civil engineering, of
> systems
> > with parts that are not substitutable, precisely because the
> > engineered
> > system was conceived as "one-off".
>
> A classical example might be the wooden frames of farm buildings, the
> timbers of which were individually numbered precisely because they
> were not interchangeable. Japanese temple construction followed the
> same practice for centuries. (02)
[MW] You misunderstand, I used the word replaceable, not interchangeable. So
the question would be, could one of the beams be replaced by another beam
of the same form and function? The answer would seem to be yes. I think good
examples of things that did not have replaceable parts would be things where
in their assembly parts were fused, so that they could not be dissembled
without destroying them, e.g. reinforced concrete. (03)
Regards (04)
Matthew West
Information Junction
Tel: +44 560 302 3685
Mobile: +44 750 3385279
matthew.west@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.matthew-west.org.uk/ (05)
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