An ontology-driven decision support system for high-performance and cost-optimized design of complex railway portal frames

Electrification structures design for railway systems is a crucial and complex process, since it compounds plenty of infrastructure elements, design decisions, and calculation conditions. In this paper, an ontology-driven decision support system for designing complex railway portal frames is presented and developed. A knowledge-rules database has been also developed relying on experts knowledge and complying with railway standards. Our system outperforms the current portal frames design methods by decreasing construction time and costs. As a result, an intelligent computer-aided design tool is provided, thus facilitating the task of seeking for the optimal portal frame, which is geometrically and structurally feasible, and cost-effective. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.