Integrating product capability statistics with process models

A methodology based on models that describe the sensitivity of properties to process variables is used to estimate product performance. Example cases demonstrate the effects of quench rate and solution heat treatment time and temperature on the strength of 7075-T6 plate and 2024-T4 sheet, respectively. For solutionizing time (t) and temperature (T), S=a+b ln t+cT, and for quench rate (Q), S∝exp(AQn), where a, b, n, etc. are constants. These models, when combined with production test data (mean, standard deviation), predict how changes in the process will influence product performance relative to property specifications.