Classification performance comprehensive evaluation of an air classifier based on fuzzy analytic hierarchy process

Abstract

AbstractThe classification performance evaluation goal for an air classifier is usually limited to one of the classification performance indices including cut size, classification precision, Newton classification efficiency and degree of dispersion. This method hardly evaluates these performance indices of an air classifier comprehensively and suitably. In order to evaluate the classification performance truly and synthetically, Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process is used to calculate the weights of the classification performance indices after determining the hierarchical model in the present paper. The dimensionless transformation eliminates the effect of the different dimensions. Then, the comprehensive evaluation value of the classification performance for each experiment is obtained using the linear weighted method. The maximum value corresponds to the best classification performance among these evaluation values. In the present study, a turbo air classifier is used as the classification system and talc powders are used as materials. The best classification performance indices are a cut size of 16.5 μm, a classification precision of 0.59, a Newton classification efficiency of 57%, and a degree of dispersion of 2.13. The corresponding optimal operational parameter combinations are: the feeding speed is 40 kg·h–1, the air inlet velocity is 5 m·s–1 and the rotor cage's rotary speed is 1200·min–1. This assessment method avoids the limitation of evaluating a single classification performance index and the incomplete information derived from single factor experiments. Furthermore, the method also provides quantitative evaluation criteria for the classification performance of an air classifier. In the proposed method, the classification performance indices can be selected and the precedence relation matrix of Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process can be set flexibly according to production requirements.