Research tools for design margins

MARVIN

Research tools for analysing design margins in complex engineered systems

Three integrated modules — parametric margin valuation, top-down margin allocation, and probabilistic margin risk — built around the Margin Value Method.

Open tool References
Module 1 · MARVIN

Margin Value Analysis

Worked examples showing how the MVM has been applied to real engineering design problems.

Case studies in preparation The cases below are summarised from the published method paper and from ongoing work. Detailed write-ups, parametric model files, and result figures will be added as they are released.

Featured cases

Mechanical · Original method paper

Belt conveyor drive system

The original case study from Brahma & Wynn (2021). A belt conveyor's drive system is sized through a chain of catalogue selections (motor, pump, hydraulic cylinder), each carrying a margin between its decided value and the requirement passed up from downstream load conditions.

The MVM analysis identifies which of these margins are most worth keeping under foreseeable changes in conveyor mass and lift height, and which add cost without buying meaningful change-absorption.

Domain: Mechanical · hydraulics Decisions: Catalogue selections Source: Brahma & Wynn 2021
In preparation

Additional case studies

Further worked examples from on-going research projects at Chalmers — including margin analyses on additive-manufactured components and on safety-critical aerospace systems — will be published here as they pass review.

Status: in preparation Updated: 2026

Have a case to share?

If you have applied the MVM to a problem in your own work and would like it featured, please get in touch via the contact page.