System Architecture: Strategy and Product Development for Complex Systems, First Edition

15.2 Tradespace Basics

In general, a tradespace is a representation of a set of architectures in a space defined by two or more metrics. For example, see Figure 15.1, which illustrates a tradespace for different automotive engines. It shows two axes—performance (in horsepower) and cost (in dollars)—and a cloud of points between them, where each point represents one engine. What can we learn from this representation?

Figure 15.1  Engines tradespace, using performance (hp) and cost as metrics. [1]

(Source: Drawn from http://www.fordracingparts.com/crateengine/Main.asp)

Figure 15.1   Full Alternative Text

First, we can see that there is a range of ...