Date of Award
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Engineering (MSE)
Department
Industrial and Systems Engineering and Engineering Management
Committee Chair
L. Dale Thomas
Committee Member
Hanumanthrao Kannan
Committee Member
Jeffery Williams
Research Advisor
L. Dale Thomas
Subject(s)
Modularity (Engineering), Multivariate analysis, Systems engineering
Abstract
It has been said that if the building blocks of a system were designed and implemented correctly, then their subsequent integration would be straightforward. The complex systems integration analysis approach presented in this thesis provides the mechanisms to construct those blocks. A spectral clustering algorithm is used to cluster elements into modules, and the normalized integrative complexity metric is used to evaluate the portion of structural complexity that can be attributed to integrating a system from its modules. Together, the algorithm and metric identify which aggregates of system elements reduce the complexity of the integration effort. The proposed integration analysis approach yields an integration strategy in which lowerlevel elements are systematically integrated into higher level assemblies to realize an integrated system. The approach was applied to a Nuclear Thermal Propulsion rocket engine as a case study, and different modular architectures were comparatively analyzed to find a streamlined integration path.
Recommended Citation
Neal, Tamia, "A complex systems integration analysis approach" (2026). Theses. 815.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-theses/815