Green, Jeremy James (2001-12)
Thesis (MScEng)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Statistical experimental design techniques are powerful tools that are often approached with suspicion and apprehension by experimenters. The trend is to avoid any statistically structured and designed experimentation program, and to rather use the traditional method of following ones "gut feel". This approach, more often than not, will supply a satisfactory solution, but there is so much more information availablefor the same amount of effort. This thesis strives to outline the method and application of the Taguchi methodology of experimental design. The Taguchi method is a practical, statistical experimental design technique that does not rely on the designer's knowledge of the complex statistics typicallyneeded to design experimental programs, a fact that tends to exclude design of experiments from the averageengineers' toolbox. The essence of the statistical design of experiments is this: The traditional method of varying one variable at a time and investigating its effect on an output is no longer sufficient. Instead all the input variables are varied at the same time in a structured manner. The output trends resulting from each input variable are then statisticallyextracted from the data in the midst of the variation. Taguchi method achieves this by designing experiments where every level of every input variable occurs an equal number of times with every level of every other input variable. The experimental designs are represented in orthogonal arrays that are chosen and populated by the experimenter by following a simple procedure. Four case studies are worked through in this text and, where possible, compared to the "traditional" approach to the same problem. The case studies show the additional information and time savings availablewith the Taguchi method, as well as clearlyindicating the importance of using a stable system on which to do the experiments. The Taguchi method generated more information in fewer experiments than the traditional approaches as well as allowing analysis of problems too complex to analysewithout a statisticaldesign of the experimentation procedure.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Statistiese eksperimentele ontwerptegnieke is besonder kragtige instrumente wat baie keer met agterdog deur ekspermenteerders beheen word. Die neiging is om enige statistiese gestruktureerde and ontwerpte eksperimentele program te vermy, en om liewer die tradisionele metode, wat op 'n mens se intuïsie staatmaak, te gebruik. Hierdie benadering sal baie keer 'n bevredigende oplossing gee, maar daar is veel meer inligting vir dieselfde hoeveelheid inspanning verkrygbaar, wanneer die Taguchimetode gebruik word. Hierdie tesis strewe om die metode en toepassing van die Taguchimetodologie van eksperimentele ontwerp voor te lê. Die Taguchimetode is 'n praktiese statistiese eksperimentele ontwerptegniek .wat nie op die ontwerper se kennis van komplekse statistiek om eksperimentele programme te ontwerp berus nie. Hierdie komplekse statistiek neig ook om eksperimentele ontwerp van die gemiddelde ingenieursvaardigehede uit te sluit. Die kern van statistiese eksperimentele ontwerp is die volgende: Die tradisionele metode van een veranderlike op 'n slag te varieer om die effek op die uitset te ondersoek, is onvoldoende. In plaas daarvan, word al die insetveranderlikes gelyktydig gevarieer in 'n gestruktureered manier. Die neigings van elke veranderlike is dan statisties ontleed van die data ten midde van die variasie van al die ander veranderlikes. Die Taguchimetode bereik die ontwerpte eksperimente deur elke vlak van elke insetveranderlik in 'n gelyke aantal keer met elke vlak van elke ander insetveranderlike te varieer. Hierdie is verteenwoordig deur ortogenale reekse wat gekies en gevul is deur 'n eenvoudige wisselpatroon te volg. Vier gevallestudies is deurgewerk en, waar moontlik, vergelyk met die tradisonele siening van dieselfde probleem. Die gevallestudies wys hoe toereikbaar die additionele inligting in die Taguchimethode toepassings is. Hulle beklemtoon ook die belangrikheid van 'n stabiele sisteem waarop die eksperimente berus. Die Taguchimetode het meer inligting verskaf met minder eksperimente as die tradisionele toenaderings, en ook toegelaat dat die analise van probleme, te kompleks om te analiseer sonder om 'n statistiese ontwerp van eksperimentele prosedure te volg, opgelos kon word.
Please refer to this item in SUNScholar by using the following persistent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/52475
Masters Degrees (Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering)