An Approach for Developing a Decision Support Tool for Emerging Concepts: Designing Blended Wing Body Aircraft for Logistics Missions

Developing decision support tools (DSTs) for novel or poorly defined design challenges presents unique challenges. Emerging concepts often lack established design data and are characterized by high uncertainty and unconventional requirements, requiring a structured approach to tool development. This paper examines insights gained from two sources: (1) the development of a DST for early-stage exploration of blended wing body (BWB) aircraft, and (2) from the application of the Product Architecture Strategies and Effects (PASE) database. By leveraging these complementary sources, we identify nine principles to guide effective DST development in such environments. Our findings address fundamental challenges such as balancing resource efficiency with analytical depth, structuring user interactions to enhance decision-making, and ensuring that DSTs remain adaptable in evolving design environments. Finally, by drawing insights from these tools, we propose a framework for constructing DSTs that support exploratory design under uncertainty, providing actionable guidelines for structuring decision-making in engineering fields where innovation requires navigating ambiguity and incomplete data.

APA

Humphrey, T. M., Wooley, H. C. W., Mattson, C. A., Anderson, M. L., & Carr, R. W. (2025). An Approach for Developing a Decision Support Tool for Emerging Concepts: Designing Blended Wing Body Aircraft for Logistics Missions. Volume 3B: 51st Design Automation Conference (DAC), V03BT03A037. https://doi.org/10.1115/detc2025-169042

MLA

Humphrey, Tyson M., et al. "An Approach for Developing a Decision Support Tool for Emerging Concepts: Designing Blended Wing Body Aircraft for Logistics Missions." Volume 3B: 51st Design Automation Conference (DAC), 2025, p. V03BT03A037, https://doi.org/10.1115/detc2025-169042.

Chicago (Author-Date)

Humphrey, Tyson M., Henry C. W. Wooley, Christopher A. Mattson, Michael L. Anderson, and Ryan W. Carr. 2025. "An Approach for Developing a Decision Support Tool for Emerging Concepts: Designing Blended Wing Body Aircraft for Logistics Missions." Volume 3B: 51st Design Automation Conference (DAC): V03BT03A037. https://doi.org/10.1115/detc2025-169042.

IEEE

T. M. Humphrey, H. C. W. Wooley, C. A. Mattson, M. L. Anderson, and R. W. Carr, "An Approach for Developing a Decision Support Tool for Emerging Concepts: Designing Blended Wing Body Aircraft for Logistics Missions," Volume 3B: 51st Design Automation Conference (DAC), pp. V03BT03A037, Aug. 2025, doi: 10.1115/detc2025-169042.

BibTeX

@article{humphrey2025approach,

author = {Humphrey, Tyson M. and Wooley, Henry C. W. and Mattson, Christopher A. and Anderson, Michael L. and Carr, Ryan W.},

title = {An Approach for Developing a Decision Support Tool for Emerging Concepts: Designing Blended Wing Body Aircraft for Logistics Missions},

journal = {Volume 3B: 51st Design Automation Conference (DAC)},

pages = {V03BT03A037},

year = {2025},

publisher = {American Society of Mechanical Engineers},

doi = {10.1115/detc2025-169042}

}