knowledge-graph

Engineering Knowledge Graph (ForgeRAG)

Search engineering handbooks, standards, and specifications. The knowledge graph contains materials, processes, standards, equipment, formulas, reference tables, and their relationships extracted from ingested PDF documents — with paragraph-level structural chunking, LLM-generated chunk summaries, RRF hybrid retrieval (BGE-M3 dense + BM25 + cross-encoder reranker), fuzzy entity matching, OCR typo tolerance, community weighting, and a circuit breaker for reliability.

When to Use

Tool	Use when…
ask_engineering_question	The user wants a synthesized answer with citations. Uses RRF hybrid + VLM reading of page images. Primary tool.
find_relevant_chunks	You need precise evidence to quote (a specific paragraph, table, or equation). Returns raw chunk text + summary without the VLM synthesis step. Faster than ask_engineering_question.
search_engineering_docs (mode="keyword")	Looking up a specific code, alloy designation, clause number, or standard (C12000, QW-451.1, NFPA 70, SEMI S2). Supports fuzzy: true for OCR typo tolerance.
search_engineering_docs (mode="visual")	Finding pages by visual similarity — charts, tables, diagrams, schematics. Uses Nemotron ColEmbed.
smart_search	General-purpose entry point when unsure which mode is best. Auto-detects: codes/designations -> keyword, questions -> answer, else -> hybrid/RRF.
get_forgerag_status	Check ForgeRAG capabilities, live stats (documents, pages, entities, communities), and service health before searching.
query_knowledge_graph	How entities relate to each other — what standards govern a material, what materials are compatible with a process, which standards cross-reference.
explore_entity	Everything connected to one specific entity (N-hop neighborhood).
list_knowledge_collections	Discovery — what engineering databases are available.

Tool selection patterns

• "What does ASTM A36 require for…" → ask_engineering_question (narrative answer)
• "Quote the exact text of QW-451.1" → find_relevant_chunks (precise quotation)
• "Find the tap drill table" → find_relevant_chunks with chunk_type="table"
• "What formula is used for beam deflection?" → find_relevant_chunks with chunk_type="equation", then ask_engineering_question if more context needed
• "Show me the torque chart" → search_engineering_docs with mode="visual" (page images)
• "Tell me about Alloy 625" → smart_search (auto-routes to the best strategy)
• "Find C1200O in scanned docs" → search_engineering_docs with mode="keyword" and fuzzy: true (OCR typo tolerance)
• "What collections and entities are available?" → get_forgerag_status (live stats and capabilities)

Important

• ask_engineering_question is the primary synthesis tool — RRF hybrid retrieval + VLM reading pages + graph context → answer with [Page N] citations
• find_relevant_chunks returns paragraph/table-precise results with LLM summaries — use it for precise quoting or when you want to inspect the raw evidence before synthesizing
• For specific alloy codes (C12000, A36) or clause IDs (QW-451.1, NFPA 70-15A §7.2.3), keyword search often nails exact matches faster than the hybrid retriever
• The graph stores Materials, Processes, Standards, Equipment, Formulas, and RefTables — use explore_entity to discover cross-references and relationships
• Standards have BOTH a short code (e.g., "SEMI S2") and a title (e.g., "Environmental, Health, and Safety Guideline for Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment") — queries resolve either form
• Collections organize documents by domain (asm_references, mechanical_design, firearms, etc.) — specify a collection to narrow searches
• Page-level topic_tags classify content topically (tap-drill-chart, fastener-torque, conductor-ampacity, etc.) — helpful for filtering
• Answers include page numbers — cite them when reporting findings
• The system reads actual page images via a VLM, so it can interpret tables, charts, and diagrams that text extraction misses