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.