5.3. Usage examples

After you complete this chapter, you will be able to answer questions such as those presented in these scenarios:

  • Colleague: We have this list of eight plausible factors that affect the polymer melt index (the outcome). How do we narrow down the list to a more manageable size and rank their effect on melt index?

  • You: Our initial screening experiments reduced the list down to three factors of interest. Now, how do we perform the rest of the experiments?

  • Manager: Two years ago someone collected these experimental data for the effectiveness of a new chemical to treat water. What interesting results do you see in this data, and where should we operate the system to achieve water quality that meets the required standards?

  • Colleague: The current production settings for our food product gives us good shelf life, but the energy used is high. How can we determine other settings (factors) that give long shelf life but reduce the energy consumed?

  • Colleague: We would like to run experiments by varying temperature and pressure, but operating at both high temperature and pressure is unsafe. How do we plan such an experiment?

Here’s a visual representation of the topics we will cover in this chapter.

../_images/DOE-section-mapping.png

5.4. References and readings