The Taguchi Method

Methodology

The goal of experimental work is to investigate the effect of grinding parameters with the process parameters of cutting speed, feed rate and Depth of cut influencing the metal removal rate of AISI 317L Austenite stainless steel.

Taguchi Method

The Taguchi method involves reducing the variation in a process through robust design of experiments. The objective of the method is to produce high quality product at low cost to the manufacturer. The Taguchi method was developed by Dr. Genichi Taguchi of Japan who maintained that variation. Taguchi developed a method for designing experiments to find how different parameters affect the mean and variance of a process performance characteristic that defines how the process is functioning.

One of the most important robust optimization techniques is Taguchi method .Taguchi method is a technique for designing and performing experiments to investigate processes in which the output depends on many factors (variables, inputs) without having tediously and uneconomically run of the process using all the possible combinations of values. Thanks to systematically chosen certain combinations of factors it is possible to separate their individual effects. The Taguchi approach enables a comprehensive understanding of the combined and individual process parameters from a minimum number of simulation trials. The quality engineering method proposed by Taguchi gives a new experimental strategy in which a modified and standardized form of design of experiment is used. In other words, the Taguchi approach is a form of DOE with special application principles. The Taguchi technique helps to study effect of many factors (variables) on the desired quality characteristic most economically. By studying the effect of individual factors on the results on grinding parameters, the best factor combination can be determined. Taguchi designs experiments using specially constructed tables known as “orthogonal array” (OA). OA is the matrix of numbers arranged in columns and rows. The use of these tables makes the design of

ROTATIONAL SPEED- e.g. A, B, C 2. FEED- e.g. P, Q, R 3. DEPTH OF CUT- e.g. L, M, N

Here there are total three levels for each parameter.

Material general properties

Alloy 317L is a molybdenum containing, low carbon ASS with increased additions of chromium, nickel, and molybdenum for better corrosion resistance and increased resistance to chemical attack for sulfurous, acetic, formic, citric, and tartaric acids. Due to low carbon content, 317L also provides resistance to sensitization when welded and higher creep, tensile strength and stress to rupture at elevated temperatures. It is non-magnetic in the annealed condition but may become magnetic after welding.

Applications

Alloy 317L is commonly used to handle sulfur, pulp liquor, acid dyestuffs, nitrating mixtures and acetylating bleaching solutions, severe coal and oil, and many chemical compounds. Some other applications that use alloy 317L include:

• Paper and pulp handling equipment

• Chemical and petrochemical processing equipment

• Condensers in fossil and nuclear fueled power generation stations

• Food processing equipment

• Textile