An Integrative Loss Function Approach to Multi‐Response Optimization

Loss function approach is effective for multi‐response optimization. However, previous loss function approaches ignore the dispersion performance of squared error loss and model uncertainty. In this paper, a weighted loss function is proposed to simultaneously consider the location and dispersion performances of squared error loss to optimize correlated multiple responses with model uncertainty. We propose an approach to minimize the weighted loss function under the constraint that the confidence intervals of future predictions for the multiple responses should be contained in specification limits of the responses. An example is illustrated to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method can achieve reliable optimal operating condition under model uncertainty. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using Fuzzy Cost‐Based FMEA,GRA and Profitability Theory for Minimizing Failures at a Healthcare Diagnosis Service

This paper proposes an integrated approach to identify, evaluate and improve the potential failures in a service setting. This integrated approach combines Fuzzy cost‐based service‐specific FMEA (FCS‐FMEA), Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) and profitability theory for better prioritization of the service failures by considering cost as an important issue and using the profitability theory in a way that the corrective actions costs are taken into account. Considering profitability with FCS‐FMEA and GRA reduces the losses caused by failure occurrence. Besides, a maximization linear mathematical problem is used to select the best mix of failures to be repaired. We apply our approach to an academic example concerning the potential failures diagnosis of the Internal Medicine service of a hospital located in Seoul, Korea. We applied our approach and solved the associated maximization problem by a commercial solver, producing an optimal solution which indicates the most convenient mix of failures to be repaired by considering available budget. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Visualization Approaches for Evaluating Ridge Regression Estimators in Mixture and Mixture‐Process Experiments

When the component proportions in mixture experiments are restricted by lower and upper bounds, the input space of a designed experiment space can become an irregular region that can induce multicollinearity problems when estimating the component proportion parameters. Thus, ridge regression provides a beneficial means of stabilizing the coefficient estimates in the fitted model. Previous research has focused on using prediction variance as a metric for determining an appropriate value of the ridge constant, k. We use visualization techniques to illustrate and evaluate ridge regression estimators and the robustness of estimation with respect to the variance and the bias. The addition of bias allows better balancing between the stability of the estimators and minimally changing the estimates. We illustrate the graphical methods with mixture and mixture‐process examples from the literature. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diamantartige Kohlenstoffschichten steigern die Effizienz

Diamond‐like carbon thin films enhance efficiency — laser arc deposition of ta‐C Rising prices for fossil fuels as well as the increasing effects of the climate change due to the emission of greenhouse gases reveal the necessity of saving energy. Low friction coatings have an enormous potential in saving energy. Carbon based coatings — named as DLC coatings — are especially well suited for low friction coatings. In particular hydrogen‐free tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta‐C) coatings are of great interest due to their extraordinary low wear properties. In addition they show excellent low friction properties and especially in combination with specific lubricants the so‐called super low friction effect. For the deposition of ta‐C coatings PVD methods have to be applied instead of CVD methods as it is the case for conventional DLC coatings. We have developed a deposition method which is based on a pulsed arc steered by a laser (Laser‐Arc). This allows us to use large cathodes resulting in a high long‐term stability. Furthermore, the carbon plasma source can be combined with a filtering unit removing almost all droplets and particles, which usually are characteristic for an arc process. The resulting Laser‐Arc source allows for the deposition of smooth and virtually defect‐free ta‐C coatings with a competitive deposition rate.     

Quasi‐Static Single‐Component Hybrid Simulation of a Composite Structure with Multi‐Axis Control

This paper presents a quasi‐static hybrid simulation performed on a single component structure. Hybrid simulation is a substructural technique, where a structure is divided into two sections: a numerical section of the main structure and a physical experiment of the remainder. In previous cases, hybrid simulation has typically been applied to structures with a simple connection between the numerical model and physical test, e.g. civil engineering structures. In this paper, the method is applied to a composite structure, where the boundary is more complex i.e. 3 degrees of freedom. In order to evaluate the validity of the method, the results are compared to a test of the emulated structure – referred to here as the reference test. It was found that the error introduced by compliance in the load train was significant. Digital image correlation was for this reason implemented in the hybrid simulation communication loop to compensate for this source of error. Furthermore, the accuracy of the hybrid simulation was improved by compensating for communication delay. The test showed high correspondence between the hybrid simulation and the reference test in terms of overall deflection as well as displacements and rotation in the shared boundary.     

A Point‐wise Approach to the Analysis of Complex Composite Structures Using Digital Image Correlation and Thermoelastic Stress Analysis

Thermoelastic stress analysis (TSA) and digital image correlation (DIC) are used to examine the stress and strain distributions around the geometric discontinuity in a composite double butt strap joint. A well‐known major limitation in conducting analysis using TSA is that it provides a metric that is only related to the sum of the principal stresses and cannot provide the component stresses/strains. The stress metric is related to the thermoelastic response by a combination of material properties known as the thermoelastic constant (coefficient of thermal expansion divided by density and specific heat). The thermoelastic constant is usually obtained by a calibration process. For calibration purposes when using orthotropic materials, it is necessary to obtain the thermoelastic constant in the principal material directions, as the principal stress directions for a general structure are unknown. Often, it is assumed that the principal stress directions are coincident with the principal material directions. Clearly, this assumption is not valid in complex stress systems, and therefore, a means of obtaining the thermoelastic constants in the principal stress directions is required. Such a region is that in the neighbourhood of the discontinuities in a bonded lap joint. A methodology is presented that employs a point‐wise manipulation of the thermoelastic constants from the material directions to the principal stress directions using full‐field DIC strain data obtained from the neighbourhood of the discontinuity. A comparison of stress metrics generated from the TSA and DIC data is conducted to provide an independent experimental validation of the two‐dimensional DIC analysis. The accuracy of a two‐dimensional plane strain finite element model representing the joint is assessed against the two experimental data sets. Excellent agreement is found between the experimental and numerical results in the adhesive layer; the adhesive is the only component of the joint where the material properties were not obtained experimentally. The reason for the discrepancy is discussed in the paper.     

A new hybrid boundary node method based on Taylor expansion and the Shepard interpolation method

A novel meshless method based on the Shepard and Taylor interpolation method (STIM) and the hybrid boundary node method (HBNM) is proposed. Based on the Shepard interpolation method and Taylor expansion, the STIM is developed to construct the shape function of the HBNM. In the STIM, the Shepard shape function is used as the basic function, which is the zero‐level shape function, and the high‐power basic functions are constructed through Taylor expansion. Four advantages of the STIM are the interpolation property, the arbitrarily high‐order consistency, the absence of inversion for the whole process of shape function construction, and the low computational expense. These properties are desirable in the implementation of meshless methods. By combining the STIM and the HBNM, a much more effective meshless method is proposed to solve the elasticity problems. Compared with the traditional HBNM, the STIM can improve accuracy because of the use of high‐power basic functions and can also improve the computational efficiency because there is no inversion for the shape function construction process. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.