L9 Taguchi Design Research Articles

Solvent‐free enzymatic esterification of free fatty acids with glycerol for biodiesel application: Optimized using the Taguchi experimental method

AbstractPresence of free fatty acids along with glycerides poses a technical difficulty for biodiesel production. This work used a Taguchi L9 design to optimize the solvent‐free enzymatic process to result in the esterification of oleic acid with glycerol. Under optimal conditions the esterification reaction temperature of 60°C, enzyme dose of 5 wt%, glycerol: oleic acid molar ratio of 5:1, and reaction time of 3 h, a 75.235 ± 2.19% conversion of oleic acid to esters was achieved. With the addition of molecular sieves, the conversion increased to 86.73% ± 1.09%. However, using the parameters predicted by Taguchi design (60°C, 5 wt%, 5:1, and 4.5 h), 88.5% ± 1.11% of oleic acid could be converted to esters derivative. Diglycerides were the major product, and the reaction equilibrium was attained after 4 h. The immobilized enzyme could be used up to seven times with only a 10% reduction in the conversion. Thus, the process can efficiently reduce the free fatty acid content of oil to make it suitable for biodiesel production.

Effect of Mechanical Properties on Fibre Addition of Flax and Graphene-Based Bionanocomposites

Natural fibre-based polymer nanocomposites have played an essential role in many industry domains for four to five years because of their strong mechanical and physical qualities. The primary goal of this research is to establish the mechanical and morphological properties of nanocomposite materials in natural environments. Flax fibre was employed as a reinforcement, nanographene powder was used as a filler, and epoxy resin was used as a matrix material to achieve the goals above, keeping the following restrictions in mind: (i) fibre length (15, 30 and 45 mm), (ii) fibre content (10, 15 and 20 mm), and (iii) wt.% of nanofiller (2.5, 5 and 7.5 wt.%). The composite materials were laminated using the compression moulding process per the Taguchi L9 design. The mechanical characteristics of the material, such as flexural, tensile, and impact properties, were examined according to ASTM standards. The mechanical characteristics of combinations A2, B2, and C2 are the best when compared to other combinations. The graphene-based nanocomposites revealed that 2.5 wt.% graphene contributes 33.08% of mechanical properties, the 5 wt.% graphene contributes 36.4%, and the 7.5 wt.% graphene contributes 30.53%. Including 5 wt.% graphene content provides the highest mean values of mechanical strength like 36.59 MPa tensile, 40.25 MPa flexural, and 31.68 kg/m2 of impact. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the cracked specimens were used better to understand the failure process of composites during mechanical testing.

Akurasi dimensi produk filamen 3d printing berbahan polipropilen menggunakan mesin ekstrusi

Additive manufacturing (AM) has been trending topic in industrial revolution 4.0. One technique and the most widely used AM is fused deposition modeling (FDM), which uses a melted filament and deposited it layer by layer. The common filaments used are made of PLA, PP, and ABS, which are available at the online market with variety of prices depend on the quality. It is an advantage if we can make these filaments. In filament manufacturing, the dimensional accuracy is one of the most important factors to comply with the existing 3D printers. The aim of this research is to fabricate a filament made of PP, then assessed the quality based on the accuaray of the targeted diameter of 1.75 mm. The manufacturing process used a self-made plastic extrusion machine. Variations were made on three variables with three levels each. There are (i) heater band temperature with a minimum and maximum range (150/170 oC, 155/175 oC and 160/180 oC), (ii) winding speed (13 mm/s, 16 mm/,s and 19 mm/s), and (iii) roll distance to the nozzle set point (200 mm, 500 mm and 700 mm). Taguchi L9 design was used to design the experiments and analysis.Minitab 19 was employed to find the S/N ratio and analysis the variance (ANOVA). The results of the analysis state that two parameters have a significant effect on the dimensions of the filament, i.e. temperature and roll distance to the nozzle, while, the winding speed has no dominat effect. The best accuracy of filaments diameter was achieved when applying a combination of temperature (160/180 ⁰C), the distance between the nozzle to the roll of 700 mm, and winding speed of 13 mm/s.

High Speed Machining for Enhancing the AZ91 Magnesium Alloy Surface Characteristics Influence and Optimisation of Machining Parameters

In this study, optimum machining parameters are evaluated for enhancing the surface roughness and hardness of AZ91 alloy using Taguchi design of experiments with Grey Relational Analysis. Dry face milling is performed using cutting conditions determined using Taguchi L9 design and Grey Relational Analysis has been used for the optimization of multiple objectives. Taguchi’s signal-to-noise ratio analysis is also performed individually for both characteristics and grey relational grade to identify the most influential machining parameter affecting them. Further, Analysis of Variance is carried to see the contribution of factors on both surface roughness and hardness. Finally, the predicted trends obtained from the signal-to-noise ratio are validated using confirmation experiments. The study showed the effectiveness of Taguchi design combined with Grey Relational Analysis for the multi-objective problems such as surface characteristics studies.

Optimization of dry sliding wear parameters of Al 7075 MMC’s using Taguchi method

Composite materials have established a great deal of awareness from researchers and manufacturers owing to their development in mechanical and tribological properties for a very long time. The enormous part of composites and MMCs research has been translated into realistic engineering materials.In the current study, fly ash and silicon carbide (SiC) particulates reinforced AA7075 matrix composites was evaluated experimentally. This study targets towards optimize dry sliding wear parameters during wear studies Al 7075 MMC using the Taguchi method of experimental design. The Taguchi L9 design is elected for the experiment design. The input variables such as applied load (AL), sliding distance, (SD) and sliding speed (SS) are selected and to verify the effect on response of wear rate (WR) and coefficient of friction (COF). Wear rate, according to Taguchi's analysis, is more sensitive to load, whereas COF is heavily influenced by sliding velocity.

Multi Response Optimization of Process Parameters using Taguchi based Grey Relational Method in FSW of AZ91B Magnesium Alloy

In this paper, the Taguchi method and grey relational analysis have been used to evaluate the weldability of AZ91B Magnesium alloy by friction stir welding process. Experiments were conducted using the L9 Taguchi design considering an orthogonal array consist of 3 factors and 3 levels. The rotational speed, transverse speed and angle of tilt of the tool are selected as welding parameters. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to analyze the influence of the welding parameters on the responses namely, ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and hardness. The analysis results revealed that the transverse speed is the predominant parameter affecting tensile strength, hardness and quality of the weld. Confirmation test results showed that the Taguchi method coupled with grey relational analysis is very successful in the optimization of welding parameters for maximum strength and hardness in the FSW of AZ91B Magnesium alloy.

Polyethylene FSSW/Adhesive hybrid single strap joints: Parametric optimization and FE simulation

In this paper, the mechanical behavior of single strap joints was investigated under tensile loading. Four sets of specimens were fabricated e.g., adhesively bonded, friction stir spot welded (FSSW), adhesively bonded-FSSW (AB-FSSW), and hybrid joints. The failure load of specimens subjected to lap shear tests was employed to compare the load carrying capacity of the samples. L9 Taguchi design of experiment was used and the effects of FSSW parameters e.g. tool rotational speed (RS), plunge rate (PR), and dwell time (DT) on the failure load of the specimens were investigated. It was found that the welding parameters of RS = 1600 rpm, PR = 8 mm/min, and DT = 30 s leads to the highest failure load (FL) of FSSW joints, and applying the adhesive increased the joints failure load capacity up to 80%. By comparing the Scanning Electron Micrographs (SEM) images of the FSSW joints, it was revealed that a specimen with the maximum failure load has a homogeneous microstructure. The finite element method was developed to estimate the failure load of different joint types. It was observed that the numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental data with errors of less than 6%.

Effects of nano-Al2O3 and PTFE fillers on tribological property of basalt fabric-reinforced epoxy composites

ABSTRACT Effects of nano-Al2O3 and PTFE fillers on tribological behaviour of basalt fabric reinforced epoxy composite (BFRC) produced with a combination of molding and mixing method were studied by Taguchi L9 design. Microstructures and worn surfaces of composites were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Regression equations were also developed for predicting wear and coefficient of friction. The results indicated that specific wear rate increased with increasing load and decreasing speed, but friction coefficient decreased with increasing speed, PTFE addition and medium load. In addition, wear rate of nano-PTFE was lower than that of nano-Al2O3 because of its microstructure. PTFE decreased the friction about 17%. Load was effective on the wear rate while speed was dominant on the friction. Moreover, multiple fiber fractures and large numbers of debris were dominated for BFRC while fiber debondings, fiber removals and debris agglomerations were effective for Al2O3, but fiber fractures and flake types of debris were responsible for PTFE.

Multi-objective optimization of 3D Printing process using genetic algorithm for fabrication of copper reinforced ABS parts

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is now used in various industriesto create functional parts using polymers and metal reinforced polymer composites to attain desired properties. This study has been performed to acquire best FDM process parameters for maximization of tensile strength, compressive strength, and flexural strength. Copper particle reinforced ABS filament is used for fabrication of test samples to highlight the applications of 3d printing in composites. Multi-objective optimization has been performed using genetic algorithm to optimize three input parameters of FDM i.e. printing temperature, infill pattern, and layer height. The mechanical properties were calculated through Taguchi L9 design of experiments approach. It has been noticed that there was conflicting effect of each FDM parameter on strength. By using a genetic algorithm, the parameters are optimized and hence single combination was achieved i.e. 244.90 °C printing temperature, 0.20 mm layer height, and zig-zag pattern. The study would be helpful to fabricate copper reinforced ABS components for electronics, automobile and aerospace industry.

Tool Flank Wear Analysis for MQL Assisted Milling of Strenx 1100 Structural Steel

Strenx 1100 structural steel has unique material properties enables to utilize in important engineering applications such as marine and heavy vehicles. Due to the surface integrity of the parts produced by this material is of paramount importance, tool wear condition needs to be considered as well. As being applicable and easy to measure, tool flank wear (VB) is widely preferred in the field and reflects the remaining tool life. Minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) has been preferred most recently in machining operations especially for the hard-to-cut materials to improve the machinability characteristics. This paper contains experiments and further analysis of tool flank wear during MQL assisted milling of the Strenx 1100 steel. Cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut were included in the experimental plan and Taguchi L9 design was adopted. Measured wear results were evaluated with 3d surface plots, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and optimization of parameters were carried out depend on signal to noise (S/N) ratio. Accordingly, cutting speed is the first parameter affecting tool flank wear about 53.2% and followed by feed rate about 35.77%. Parametric optimization depend on S/N ratio shows that first order of theall cutting parameters need to be selected for minimum tool flank wear which is observed on 3d graphs that the increase in the amount of wear with higher parameter levels. This comprehensive analysis is a guide for the practical applications in the industry as providing the limitations during applying a wide range of cutting parameters.

Simultaneous degradation of pharmaceuticals in fixed and fluidized bed reactors using iron-modified diatomite as heterogeneous Fenton catalyst

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of pelletized iron-modified diatomite as heterogeneous Fenton catalyst for the removal of carbamazepine, clindamycin, gemfibrozil, ketoprofen, florfenicol, and sulfamethazine, and to compare its performance in fixed and fluidized bed reactor configurations. The prepared catalyst pellets were characterized by XRD, SEM, ED-XRF, BET, and compression strength analysis. Applying a Taguchi L9 design of experiments, the oxidation of a mixture of six common pharmaceuticals was studied under different operating conditions (initial pH, particle size, space time, and H2O2 initial concentration) for both reactor configurations. Under the best operating conditions, overall pharmaceutical degradations by the Fenton reaction were 32.6 % and 31.8 % in the fluidized and fixed bed reactors, respectively. Among the analyzed pharmaceuticals, clindamycin was the one presenting the highest removal (88.8 % fixed, 89.7 % fluidized), followed by gemfibrozil (70.4 % fixed, 100 % fluidized), ketoprofen (36.2 % fixed, 35.1 % fluidized), carbamazepine (19.0 % fixed, 21.1 % fluidized), sulfamethazine (18.1 % fixed, 21.1 % fluidized), and florfenicol (4.6 % fixed, 7.0 % fluidized). The initial pH was the most sensitive variable, presenting the best performance at pH 3. After 10 h of operation, the catalyst suffered a 27.9 % decrease in its activity when operated in the fixed bed reactor, whereas in the fluidized bed reactor its deactivation was 52.1 %. The catalyst was also evaluated in a real wastewater matrix, showing basically the same activity as in synthetic wastewater; TOC overall removal was 31 % for the fixed bed and 36 % for the fluidized bed reactor. Finally, the electrical energy per order (EEO) consumed in both reactors was calculated to compare their energy efficiency; the fixed bed configuration presented the lowest value (1.01 Wh/m3/order), suggesting that this is a more energy-efficient configuration for commercial wastewater treatment applications.

Optimal Tensile Properties of Biocomposites Made of Treated Amazonian Curauá Fibres Using Taguchi Method

Abstract Natural fibres have many advantages over synthetic ones, making them attractive for reinforcing polymer materials. This work evaluates the use of an Amazonian plant, namely Curaua (Ananas erectifolius), as a reinforcement phase of biocomposites fabricated by cold pressing. Curaua fibres have been shown to be a promising fibre for composite materials, especially due to their higher elastic modulus than other plant species. An L9 Taguchi design is used to investigate the effect of fibre fraction, NaOH concentration and immersion time on the tensile properties of biocomposites. Statistical models are able of predicting and revealing the optimal composition of the biocomposites. The tensile strength of Curaua biocomposites is significantly affected by the fibre fraction, followed by the factors of immersion time and NaOH concentration. High tensile strength is obtained by adding 25 wt.% of Curaua fibres treated under different conditions. There is an interaction between NaOH concentration and the immersion time; a higher concentration requires less time or vice versa to achieve ideal roughness, promoting strong fibre/matrix adhesion.

Optimization of electro discharge critical process parameters in tungsten carbide drilling using L9 Taguchi approach

Industries are further demanding improved and automated unconventional technologies for metal removal in difficult -to-machine materials. Furthermore, super finishing, dimensional accuracy, low wastage, and quick machining action play an important role as far as customer demand is concern. The electro discharge drilling (EDD) process combines conventional drilling and thermos physical spark machining, which is also called hybrid machining. Tungsten carbide (WC) is selected as a work material for drilling through hybrid machining in the present investigation. The WC is an extremely hard and difficult to machine material composite. Industries are using such type of hexagonal structural materials for specific purposes, industrial components, abrasives and cutting tools, etc. In the present investigation, the L9 Taguchi design of experiments has been adapted for hybrid drilling on tungsten carbide (WC) with the influence of spark erosion oil (SEO-25). Discharge current, pulse-on time, pulse-off time, and copper tool rotational speed were selected as critical influencing parameters to investigate material removal rate (MRR), tool wear rate (TWR), and surface roughness (Ra).

Performance characteristics of GMAW process parameters of multi-bead overlap weld claddings

The effect of Gas Metal Arc Welding process parameters on the bead geometry of stainless steel (SS) claddings can be studied using statistical Taguchi L9 design of experimental model. In this study deposits were made with continuously varying weld bead overlaps of 0 – 100%. Cladding is proposed to impart corrosion inhibition properties to the low carbon structural steel plate. Selection of welding process parameters affects the arc stability, heat input deposition rate and quality of the surfaced layer represented by the percentage dilution. Minimization of heat input leads the reduced deposition rate and increased occurrences of weld bead defects like porosity, lack of fusion and cracking. In this context, it is important to identify the extent of influence exerted by the controlled welding parameters on the bead geometry. The reinforcement dimensions play an important role in the cladding process. Stainless steel claddings are deposited by automated Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) process by using Taguchi L9 design of experiment. The selected input variables are Welding voltage (WV), Wire feed rate (WFR), Welding speed (WS) and NTPD. The responses identified governing the bead geometry like bead width (w) and height of the reinforcement (h) in different bead overlaps like 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 100%. The paper also explores the variation in the bead geometry at different levels of overlap percentages including hardness evaluation.

Parametric optimization in die-sinking EDM of Nimonic 90 alloy using Taguchi-based GRA approach

PurposeIn the current exploration, the machining of a Nimonic 90 superalloy material was carried out in a die-sinking electric discharge machine. Experimentation was performed to investigate the impact of three input machining factors – current (I), pulse on time (Ton) and pulse off time (Toff) – on various response characteristics such as material removal rate (MRR), surface roughness (Ra) and electrode wear rate (EWR).Design/methodology/approachA Taguchi L9 design and ANOVA were used to assess machine response characteristics. The study also involved a grey relational analysis (GRA) multi-objective technique of optimization.FindingsFor single-objective performance, the most appropriate machining factors for achieving the best performance were attained as: MRR (I = 20 A, Ton = 200 µs and Toff = 45 µs), Ra (I = 14 A, Ton = 100 µs and Toff = 25 µs) and EWR (I = 17 A, Ton = 150 µs and Toff = 45 µs). The proposed grey relational approach provided the optimal settings (i.e. 14 A I, 100 µs Ton and 25 µs Toff) for the variables used to calculate the predicted and experimental results. Also, a confirmation test indicated that the final experimental grey relational grade value was enhanced when the experimentation was performed at optimal setting.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present work is the first to examine the proposed machining variables (i.e. current, pulse on time and pulse off time) in relation to the optimization technique of GRA for a Nimonic 90 alloy using a die-sinking electric discharge machining method.

Development of Taguchi based Grey Relational Analysis Optimization for FSW of AZ31B Magnesium Alloy

In this paper, grey relational analysis combined with Taguchi method has been used to evaluate the weld ability of AZ31B magnesium alloy by FSW process. The L9 Taguchi design considering an orthogonal array consists of 3 factors and 3 levels was used for experimentation. The rotational speed of tool, transverse speed and angle of tilt of the tool are selected as welding parameters. The welding parameters influence on responses namely Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) and hardness has been analyzed using ANOVA. The analysis results showed transverse speed as the predominant welding parameter affecting tensile strength, hardness, and weld quality. Confirmation test results showed that grey relational analysis along with Taguchi method yielded better results in the optimization of welding parameters in FSW of AZ31B magnesium alloy.

Smart Instrumentation Based Electromechanical Influences on Material Properties for Ultrasonically Joined Conductive Wires—A Study

This paper presents the investigations to analyze the microstructural behavior, mechanical properties of ultrasonically welded dissimilar Al–Cu wires deployed for electrical appliances and automobile parts. The study emphasizes on the metallurgical characterization to access the uniformity during the material diffusion and the corresponding changes in their mechanical properties during the high vibrational heat. The experimental trials to join the wire materials are performed based on L9 Taguchi Design of Experiments. The Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm based Artificial Neural Network Optimization is implemented to predict and validate the strength and joint resistance of the welded wires to obtain optimal parametric window. Experimental validations are carried out by performing destructive testing. Subsequently, the welded samples are also examined through microscopic studies to investigate the surface morphologies. It is observed that there is a good agreement between the predicted and experimental results yielding an optimal parametric window. The results also indicate that Ultrasonic welding of dissimilar Al–Cu joints is more feasible for their application in electrical and automobile applications.

Injection-moulding of nitrogen-foamed bio-based microcellular poly(butylene succinate): Processing conditions/foam structure/flexural properties relationship

This paper aims to identify the main processing parameters that optimize as well the microcellular structure (cell size, cell density) of nitrogen (N2) foamed injection-moulded poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) as the resultant flexural properties of the part. The part beam geometry was designed so as to reproduce some geometrical shapes (e.g. thickness change, ribs, bosses or holes) occurring on most of industrial parts. A Taguchi L9 design of experiments (DOE) has been first used to quantify the effects of processing conditions on microcellular structure and mechanical performances. Among the processing parameters, the melt temperature, gas content, injection volumetric flow rate and back pressure were chosen for the DOE due to their level of influence on gas dissolution and nucleation phases. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the microcellular structure depended mainly on nitrogen content and, to a lesser extent, on back pressure representation of gas pressure saturation in the PBS/N2 system during the feeding stage. The resultant specific flexural properties were controlled by the skin/core ratio as well as the finesse of foam structure (cell sizes, cell density) but a 15% loss in specific performances was noted compared with the unfoamed part. The microcellular structure/mechanical performances could be thus established from the microstructure analysis. In a second step, the foamed microcellular structure has been improved by introduction of micro-talc in the PBS acting as cell nucleating agent (heterogeneous nucleation). A significant increase in cell density and cell reduction (40%) were observed.

Optimization of process parameters in CO2 laser welding of Hastelloy C-276

Abstract The aim of this work is to perform bead on plate welding on Hastelloy C-276 plates of thickness 1.6 mm using CO2 laser welding process and spot the optimized parameter combination that would result in the high quality welds. Welding was done based on Taguchi L9 design considering laser power, welding speed and flow rate of shielding gas as input parameters. Performance attributes such as bead width, depth of penetration and microhardness were measured to determine the quality of the weld. To figure out the optimized parameters combination Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) technique was used. ANOVA has been employed to identify the most significant parameters on the overall Multiobjective function. From the experiments, it was concluded that, the experimental run with laser power of 1600 W, welding speed 2000 mm/minute and shielding gas flow rate of 10 litre/min gave the best results. From ANOVA, it was noticed that laser power was found to have the greatest influence on the quality of the weldments

Experimental evaluation and modelling of wire-EDM process parameter for stainless steel AISI 630

Wire Electric Discharge Machining (WEDM) is an advanced form of electric discharge machining, and is one of the advanced machining processes. Taguchi L9 design has been used for conducting experiments on stainless steel material (AISI 630) workpiece using WEDM. Results obtained from experiment for response parameters material removal rate, surface roughness and Tool wear rate. Analysis of variance used to check percentage contribution of input parameters on response parameters has been done by MINITAB software. A Fuzzy model has been developed in MATLAB to predict fuzzy response parameters. Experimental result compared with the fuzzy predicted result and gives a conclusion that system gives an overall 90% accuracy from the fuzzy model.