Design for Disassembly: a methodology for identifying the optimal disassembly sequence

Optimizing the disassembly sequence of mechanical systems is very useful in order to improve maintenance and recycling activities (i.e. to reduce costs, times and number of operations). A new virtual disassembly environment, based on two different algorithms, is presented. The first analyses the physical constraints that oppose the movement of the mechanical element: starting from its three- dimensional computer-aided design representation, it creates the ‘AND/OR’ graph of a mechanical assembly that represents the space of disassembly solutions. The second algorithm, using a represen- tation based upon binary trees, allows the automatic exploration of the set of all possible sequences. Among these, the optimal one can be identified, choosing a specific target function. The developed methodology provides the theoretical basis for the creation of a computer-aided design tool able to evaluate the ability to disassemble a mechanical complex during the early design phase.