APPLICATION OF RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY FOR THE MAXIMIZATION OF CONCORA CRUSH RESISTANCE OF PAPERBOARD

Response surface methodology is often used by researchers in different fields to determine the optimum values for controlled variables to maximize or minimize the response variables. Either maximization or minimization might be necessary depending on the response property. For example, if the response variable represents the yield of a process, maximization could be necessary; on the other hand, if the response variable is the biological oxygen demand (BOD) of an effluent the aim would definitely be minimization

Response surface methodology can be used two ways. It can be applied to the full-scale production or it can be scaled to a laboratory or the pilot plant. When applied to the full-scale production, the method is known as evolutionary operation (EVOP). EVOP is the continuous optimization of a process. The optimum conditions in a production plant can change depending on many factors such as raw material, ambient temperature, and equipment wear. Therefore, controlled variables should be optimized continuously to keep the response variable as close as possible to the maximum or minimum value. Hence, controlled variables are systematically changed around a center point to depict any shift of the response variable from the extreme. A thorough discussion of EVOP is given by Box, Evolutionary Operation: A Method for Increasing Industrial Productivity, Appl. Statist., 6, 81-101 (1957).