Search results

Suggests that, in order to detect and correct software defects as early as possible, identifying and generating more defect‐sensitive test cases for software unit and subsystem testing is one solution. Proposes an orthogonal software testing approach based on the quality optimization techniques, Taguchi methods. This orthogonal approach treats the input parameters of a software unit or subsystem as design factors in an orthogonal arrays, and stratifies input parameter domains into equivalent classes to form levels of factors. Describes how test cases are generated statistically for each trial of factorial orthogonal experiments. The adequacy of the generated test cases can be validated by examining testing coverage metrics. The results of test case executions can be analysed in order to find the sensibility of test cases for detecting defects, to generate more effective test cases in further testing, and to help locate and correct defects in the early stage of testing.

There is growing evidence of a knowledge gap in the association of maintenance with production activities in bottling plants. Indeed, insights into how to jointly optimise these activities are not clear. In this paper, two optimisation models, Taguchi schemes and response surface methodology are proposed.

Borrowing from the “hard” total quality management elements in optimisation and prioritisation literature, two new models were developed based on factor, level and orthogonal array selection, signal-to-noise ratio, analysis of variance and optimal parametric settings as Taguchi–ABC and Taguchi–Pareto. An additional model of response surface methodology was created with analysis on regression, main effects, residual plots and surface plots.

The Taguchi S/N ratio table ranked planned maintenance as the highest. The Taguchi–Pareto shows the optimal parametric setting as A4B4C1 (28 h of production, 30.56 shifts and 37 h of planned maintenance). Taguchi ABC reveals that the planned maintenance and number of shifts will influence the outcome of production greatly. The surface regression table reveals that the production hours worked decrease at a value of planned maintenance with a decrease in the number of shifts.

This is the first time that joint optimisation for bottling plant will be approached using Taguchi–ABC and Taguchi–Pareto. It is also the first time that response surface will be applied to optimise a unique platform of the bottling process plant.

In the Taguchi’s experimentations, orthogonal arrays, interaction tables, and linear graphs are provided for planning experiments, but they become quite unwieldy when the number of runs is large. The purpose of this article is to propose a quick and easy method for obtaining two‐factor interaction columns in two‐level orthogonal arrays. Geometrical designs proposed by Plackett and Burman are two‐level orthogonal arrays and can be obtained very easily by a successive doubling method. Based on the property of doubling, a NR method using a number representation system whose base is a power of 2 is derived in this article for obtaining two‐factor interaction columns in geometrical designs. Furthermore, since Taguchi’s two‐level orthogonal arrays are obtainable by successive doubling with some column permutations, it is shown that their two‐factor interaction columns can be obtained directly by using the NR method without looking up tables.

Scatter in the outcome of repeated experiments is unavoidable due to measurement errors in addition to the non-linear nature of the output responses with unknown influential input parameters. It is a standard practice to select an orthogonal array in the Taguchi approach for tracing optimum input parameters by conducting a few number of experiments and confirm them through additional experimentation (if necessary). The purpose of this paper is to present a simple methodology and its validation with existing test results in finding the expected range of the output response by suggesting modifications in the Taguchi method.

The modified Taguchi approach is proposed to find the optimum process parameters and the expected range of the output response.

This paper presents a simple methodology and its validation with existing test results in finding the expected range of the output response by suggesting modifications in the Taguchi method.

Adequacy of this methodology should be examined by considering the test data on different materials and structures.

The introduction of Chauvenet’s criterion and opposing the signal-to-noise ratio transformation on repeated experiments of each test run will provide fruitful results and less computation burden.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) of maintenance systems serve as benchmarks to workers and organizations to compare their goals for decision-making purposes. Unfortunately, the effects of one KPI on the other are least known, restraining decisions on prioritization of KPIs. This article examines and prioritizes the KPIs of the maintenance system in a food processing industry using the novel Taguchi (T) scheme-decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method, Taguchi–Pareto (TP) scheme–DEMATEL method and the DEMATEL method.

The causal association of maintenance process parameters (frequency of failure, downtime, MTTR, MTBF, availability and MTTF) was studied. Besides, the optimized maintenance parameters were infused into the DEMATEL method that translates the optimized values into cause and effect responses and keeping in view the result of analysis. Data collection was done from a food processing plant in Nigeria.

The results indicated that downtime and availability have the most causal effects on other criteria when DEMATEL and T-DEMATEL methods were respectively applied to the problem. Furthermore, the frequency of failure is mostly affected by other criteria in the key performance indication selection using the two methods. The combined Taguchi scheme and DEMATEL method is appropriate to optimize and establish the causal relationships of factors.

Hardly any studies have reported the joint optimization and causal relationship of maintenance system parameters. However, the current study achieves this goal using the T-DEMATEL, TP-DEMATEL and DEMATEL methods for the first time. The applied methods effectively ease decisions on prioritization of KPIs for enhancement.

In milling process the surface roughness and delamination are the most important performance characteristics, which are influenced by many factors like fibre orientation angle, helix angle, feed rate and spindle speed. The selection of these parameters at optimum level plays a vital role in getting minimum surface roughness and delamination factor. The purpose of this paper is to present multi-objective optimisation of Computer Numerical Control milling parameters using Grey-Taguchi method to get minimum surface roughness and delamination factor in machining of glass fibre reinforced plastics (GFRP) composites used in automotive, aircraft and manufacture of space ships.

The experiments are designed and conducted based on Taguchi's L₂₇ orthogonal array by taking fibre orientation angle, helix angle, feed rate and spindle speed at three levels and responses are surface roughness and delamination factor. Taguchi's signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio are determined based on their performance characteristics. A Grey relation grade is obtained by using S/N ratio. Based on Grey relational grade value, optimum levels of parameters have been identified by using response table and response graph.

Optimum levels of parameters for GFRP composites have been identified by using response table and response graph and the significant contributions of controlling parameters are estimated using analysis of variance.

The combined effect of fibre orientation angle and helix angle during milling of GFRP composites using Grey relational analysis has not been previously attempted for analysis.

Develops a robust maintenance float policy, that considers system design parameter settings that not only satisfy the system performance criteria but are also insensitive to various noise conditions. The experimental design strategy employed in the study involves the use of discrete event simulation. In the study, the strategy proposed involves solving a maintenance float policy using both the inner and outer arrays as advocated by Genichi Taguchi. Initial system variables and their parameter settings were chosen based on a prior study. These system variables were then classified into design factors and noise factors. An experimental design was developed using Taguchi’s orthogonal array, after which a simulation experiment was performed and additional data collected. Based on the results, regression was performed with the significant factors and interactions. From the regression analysis, a robust metamodel was developed. A cost model was also proposed.

Reflow soldering is one of the most significant factors in determining solder joint defect rate. This study aims to introduce an innovative approach for optimizing the multiple performances of the reflow soldering process.

This study aims to minimize the solder joint defect rate of a ball grid array (BGA) package by using the grey‐based Taguchi method. The entropy measurement method was employed together with the grey‐based Taguchi method to compute for the weights of each quality characteristic. The Taguchi L18 orthogonal array was performed, and the optimal parameter settings were determined. Various factors, such as slope, temperature, and reflow profile time, as well as two extreme noise factors, were considered. The thermal stress, peak temperature, reflow time, board‐ and package‐level temperature uniformity were selected as the quality characteristics. These quality characteristics were determined using the numerical method. The numerical method comprises the internal computational flow that models the reflow oven coupled with the structural heating and cooling models of the BGA assembly. The Multi‐physics Code Coupling Interface was used as the coupling software.

The analysis of variance results reveals that the cooling slope was the most influential factor among the multiple quality characteristics, followed by the soaking temperature and the peak temperature. Experimental confirmation test results show that the performance characteristics improved significantly during the reflow soldering process.

The proposed approach greatly reduces solder joint defects and enhances solutions to lead‐free reliability issues in the electronics manufacturing industry.

The findings provide new guidelines to the optimization method which are very useful for the accurate control of the solder joint defect rate within components and printed circuit board (PCB) which is one of the major requirements to achieve high reliability of electronic assemblies.

The advancement in modern manufacturing technology generated the need to develop new materials for better wear resistance. The purpose of this paper is to use the Taguchi optimization approach to examine which wear parameter significantly affects weight loss and coefficient of friction for RZ5-TiC composite. It is a simple and efficient method to find performance of wear parameter using minimum experimental runs.

RZ5-TiC composites were prepared using RZ5 as matrix, reinforced with TiC through self-propagating high-temperature synthesis technique. In the present work, an attempt has been made to study the influence of wear parameters like applied load (AL), sliding distance (SD) and Wt.% of TiC (WTC) on responses like weight loss and coefficient of friction of RZ5/TiCp composites. The pin-on-disc apparatus used to conduct abrasive wear test. The wear process parameters are optimized for minimum wear based on L27 Taguchi orthogonal design. The Taguchi technique using design of experiments (DOE) is used to obtain the data. The ANOVA and an orthogonal array are used to examine the influence of wear parameters on responses. The purpose is to examine parametric significances which affect responses.

It observed that wear parameters have the significant influence on responses of RZ5/TiCp composites. The interaction of sliding distance/Wt.% of TiC is observed and found significant influence on both responses. The optimum level of the significant wear parameters is achieved based on the maximum S/N ratio for RZ5/TiCp composites. The optimal interaction for weight loss and coefficient of friction is AL1-SD1-WTC3 and AL3-SD1-WTC3, respectively. Finally, the confirmation test is conducted and the results are obtained within the confidence interval.

The current manuscript provides an optimization of wear parameters using Taguchi approach. The extensive experimental data are used for this purpose and effects of wear parameters on responses are analyzed from the presented results. The results obtained are useful in improving the wear resistance of the RZ5-TiC composite.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate application of the Taguchi method to determine the optimum level of three important parameters (factors) related to the use of a mobile phone for the text message entering task, namely illumination level, noise level and mobile angle that maximizes the performance of mobile phone users.

Three levels of each parameter as available in the literature, except for the mobile angle, were considered. The design of the experiment, as proposed by Genichi Taguchi, was used to conduct nine experiments. A total of 30 male subjects participated in the experimental study. The text message entry task, in the form of Arabic text, was presented to the participating subjects and their performance, measured in terms of mean number of characters entered per minute, was recorded. The signal‐to‐noise (S/N) ratio and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed to investigate the users' performance. Finally, a confirmation test was conducted to verify the validity of the results.

Results showed that, at the illumination level of 475 lux, noise level of 45 dB(A), and mobile angle of 70 degrees, the subjects were quite comfortable, efficient and entered the maximum number of characters in the mobile phone per minute. The noise was found to be the dominant parameter with a contribution of 95.53 percent towards the laid down objective followed by mobile angle, 3.25 percent and illumination level, 0.66 percent.

To the best of the authors' knowledge no study has been conducted in the past to investigate the effect of these parameters on the performance of the mobile phone users. In addition, no attempt has yet been made to find the optimal level of these parameters from a text‐entering viewpoint. The paper represents original research and in the authors' opinion carries significantly important values as it provides new information for those involved in the design of the mobile phone environment.