A TAGUCHI APPROACH FOR OPTIMIZATION OF PROCESS PARAMETERS IN WATERJET CLEANING PROCESS

This paper addresses a Taguchi based method for optimization of process parameters in waterjet cleaning (WJCl). The experimental data was collected based on Taguchi L18 orthogonal array. The tests were conducted under varying waterjet pressure (P), nozzle traverse rate (V) and stand–off–distance (D). The effects of these input parameters are investigated on cleaning width (W), one of the most important characteristics in waterjet technique. In this regard, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and F–test have been used to evaluate the relative significance of process variables affecting cleaning width. Furthermore, using signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio, the optimal set of process parameters has been identified to maximize cleaning width. The optimization result is then verified against experimental data to evaluate the performance of Taguchi technique in determining the optimum levels of process parameters. This comparison clearly indicates that the Taguchi technique is quite effective in determining the best set of process parameters in waterjet cleaning.