Before we look at the general problem of representing engineering analyses, let's look at a specific example of an engineering analysis - in this case an analysis of the dynamic and elastic properties of the MADEFAST seeker assembly.
This is a two degree of freedom mechanism with two revolute joints, and motors to apply torque at each joint. The purpose of the mechanism is to remain pointed an an object which is being tracked. It contains two mirrors which are connected with a mechanical structure referred to as the ``spider,'' and is drawn in red on the slide. To guarantee that the light path is correct, (That the mirrors remain parallel) it is important to assure that the spider does not elastically deform beyond a given tolerance.
The goal of this analysis is to determine how much deformation is possible under normal operating conditions.