A comparative study between smaller-the-better and normal-the-best quality characteristics when lapping ceramic blocks

Abstract

In traditional study, minimum surface roughness is an objective function, so the smaller-the-better (STB) quality characteristic is selected. This paper proposes three models of the normal-the-best (NTB) quality characteristic for surface roughness. A comparative study employing three indices for normal-the-best and one index for smaller-the-better for surface roughness is presented when lapping ceramic blocks. The results show that the dominating lapping parameter for surface roughness is the abrasive size, and the smaller-the-better can be replaced by the normal-the-best quality characteristic. Model 3 is better than Models 1 and 2 at the normal-the-best quality characteristics.