Identification of symbolic attributes

Identification of symbolic attributes is probably the most challenging activity within morphological analysis. It requires a rare ability to think in abstract terms of symbolic attributes. Even more rare and difficult is the ability to transform traditional descriptions of engineering systems (words, drawings, dimensions, etc.) into their abstract description using the language of symbolic attributes. Fortunately, these two abilities can be developed as a result of practice. 

The Author s simple procedure should definitely help. It is intended to make it easier for an inventive engineer to transform a traditional description of an engineering system into an equivalent description in the form of a number of symbolic attributes. The Author developed it in the 1970s (Arciszewski 1976, 1977a,b) as a result of his frustration with the intuitive or trial-and-error approaches to building a morphological field. The procedure can be described as a functional analysis as it is presented here. 

When all elementary functions are known, from EFj to EF they should be analyzed separately. For each elementary function, a characteristic, or several characteristics, of our engineering system should be determined, all associated with this elementary function. For example, if an elementary function is transfer axial force from point A to B, associated characteristics 

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As a result of our work on the two previous steps, we have accumulated a large body of information. It is potentially useful, but it needs to be properly formulated to make it suitable for the identification of symbolic attributes and determination of their values. We need to read and analyze all our acquire sources of information and to prepare three parts the inventive challenge, the problem domain, and specific information. 

When these two concepts were examined, the Author realized that several attributes were necessary to discern between these two concepts. The attributes would become later a part of the morphological table and would be used in Step 2.1, Identification of symbolic attributes. The following symbolic attributes and their values were identified ... 

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