CPU heat sinks with high efficiency of heat transfer are greatly demanded for a personal computer with high-speed computational ability. In recent years, the manufacturing technology of CPU heat sinks has got much attention and becomes indispensable for developing the high-performance CPUs.In this study, some different design criteria for the flow guide and die are proposed during an extrusion process with complex cross-sectional shapes, such as CPU heat sinks. The plastic flow pattern of the billet inside the die cavity is analyzed by using a commercial finite element package ¡§DEFORM 3D¡¨.The extrusion load, the stress and strain distribution of die, and the curvature of the product are investigated. Taguchi method is used to find the optimum extrusion condition of the die parameters. In addition, the experiments of extrusion using Al 6061 were carried out. The plastic flow pattern of the billet within the die and the dead metal zones were observed. The experimental data were compared with the analytical values to verify the validity of the proposed analytical models.

<p>The demands the automotive gear designer has to considerduring the gear design process have changed. To design a gearthat will not fail is still a challenging task, but now lownoise is also a main objective. Both customers and legalregulations demand noise reduction of gears. Moreover, thequality of the product is more in focus than ever before. Inaddition, the gear design process itself must be inexpensiveand quick. One can say that the gear designer faces a newdesign environment. The objective of this thesis is tocontribute to the answer to some of the questions raised inthis new design environment.</p><p>In order to respond to the new design situation, the geardesigner must consider new phenomena of gears that werepreviously not a matter of concern. One such phenomenon is anew gear failure type, Tooth Interior Fatigue Fracture (TIFF).As the gear teeth are made more slender in an attempt to reducethe stiffness variation during the mesh cycle, therebypotentially reducing the noise, the risk of TIFF is increased.The phenomenon of TIFF is explored in detail (paper III-VI)through fractographic analysis, numerical crack initiationanalysis using FEM, determination of residual stress by meansof neutron diffraction measurements, testing for determiningmaterial fatigue properties, fracture mechanical FE-analysis,sensitivity analysis and the development of an engineeringdesign method. The main findings of the analysis of TIFF arethat TIFF cracks initiate in the tooth interior, TIFF occursmainly in case hardened idlers, the fracture surface has acharacteristic plateau at approximately the mid-height of thetooth and the risk of TIFF is more pronounced in slender gearteeth.</p><p>Along with the more optimised gear design, there is atendency for the gear to be less robust. Low robustness, i.e.,great variation in performance of the product, implies a highincidence of rejects, malfunction and/or bad-will, all of whichmay have a negative effect on company earnings. As the use ofoptimisation decreases the safety margins, greater attentionhas to be paid to guaranteeing the products' robustness.Moreover, in order to be cost-effective, the qualities of thegear must be verified early in the design process, implying anextended use of simulations. In this thesis, two robustnessanalyses are presented in which the analysing tool issimulation. The first one considers robust tooth root bendingfatigue strength as the gear is exposed to mounting errors, thesecond one considers robust noise characteristics of a gearexposed to manufacturing errors, varying torque and wear. Bothof these case studies address the problem of robustness ofgears and demonstrate how it can be estimated by use ofsimulations. The main result from the former robustnessanalysis is that wide gears are more sensitive to mountingerrors, while the latter analysis showed that to achieve robustnoise characteristics of a gear it should have large helixangles, and some profile- and lead crowning should beintroduced. The transverse contact ratio is a trade-off factorin the sense that both low average noise levels and low scatterin noise due to perturbations cannot be achieved.</p><p><b>Keywords</b>: robust design, Taguchi method, gear, idler,simulations, Finite Element Method, Tooth Interior FatigueFracture, TIFF</p>

Design of experiment (DOE) is a statistical method for testing effects of input factors into a process based on its responses or outputs. Since the influence of these factors and their interactions are studied from the process outputs, then quality of these outputs or the measurements play a significant role in a correct statistical conclusion about the significance of factors and their interactions. Linear regression is a method, which can be applied for the DOE purpose, the parameters of such a regression model are estimated by the ordinary least-squares (OLS) method. This method is sensitive to the presence of any blunder in measurements, meaning that blunders significantly affect the result of a regression using OLS method. This research aims to perform a robustness analysis for some full factorial DOEs by different robust estimators as well as the Taguchi methodology. A full factorial DOE with three factors at three levels, two replicants, and three replicants are performed is studied. Taguchi's approach is conducted by computing the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) from three replicants, where the lower noise factor means the stronger signal. Robust estimators of Andrews, Cauchy, Fair, Huber, Logistic, Talwar, and Welsch are applied to the DOE in different setups and adding different types and percentages of blunders or gross errors to the data to assess the success rate of each. Number and size of the blunders in the measurements are two important factors influencing the success rate of a robust estimator. For evaluation, our measurements are infected by blunders up to different percentages of data. Our study showed the Talwar robust estimator is the best amongst the rest of estimators and resists well against up to 80% of presence of blunders. Consequently, the use of this estimator instated of the OLS is recommended for DOE purposes. The comparison between Taguchi’s method and robust estimators showed that blunders affect the signal-to-noise ratio as the signal is significantly changed by them, whilst robust estimators suppress the blunders well and the same conclusion as that with the OLS with no blunder can be drawn from them.

Thermoset resin based fibre reinforced polymer-matrix composite materials (PMCs) have provided excellent solutions to many industries based on their great specific strength, high design freedom and other characteristics such as water resistance, corrosion resistance, tailorable electrical conductivity, tailorable thermal performance and many others. But, despite of all their benefits, the materials are also limited by uneconomical recycling and management post service life, demanding raw materials storage conditions, less than ideal environmental impact during manufacturing, and relatively low productivity. The purpose of the present work was to investigate economically feasible production of a continuous fibre reinforced thermoplastic composite (CFRTP) alternative solution, for an existing company, that could overcome weak points and limitations of thermosets under increasing environmental needs and pursuit of higher efficiency. Work aimed at fulfilling the following objectives: 1) document existing thermoplastic composite materials and understand selected manufacturing methods, raw materials, mechanical behaviour and operational feasibility; 2) select, design, and build a fully functional CFRTP manufacturing line; 3) design and run Taguchi methods to analyze the product using multifactorial ANOVA to gently introduce rigorous quality control; and 4) identify the input parameters that most affect output product quality, that could be used to optimize the process, as well as input parameters that have no statistically significant effects on the output and therefore do not warrant investment in funds and time in order to control them. Throughout the work, it was showed that CFRTP could been produced efficiently with consistent quality. Unidirectional prepreg can be used directly or further processed for usage in many industries such as pipelines, light construction and automotive components. The design of the CFRTP solution fulfilled necessary conditions and successfully produced CFRTP unidirectional prepreg product. Prepreg produced under 16 different sets of conditions was tested and data was collected. Using Taguchi methods, this study found that the fibre volume fraction, condition of impregnation mould, condition of cooling rollers and extruding temperature all have statistically significant effects on product quality. But limited by restriction from time and cost by production based environments, it is imperative to conduct this work perfectly, in later research a more focused study can be done based on the results of this study. Still, thesis demonstrates a CFRTP mass production solution, verifies CFRTP impregnation and offers a significant route for upgrading environmental protection and production efficiency. The work also identifies key parameters that affect unidirectional prepregs properties.

Lean Six Sigma is a method used to improve the quality and efficiency of processes by reducing variation and eliminating wastes (non-value added activities) in an organisation. The concept of combining the principles and tools of Lean Enterprise and Six Sigma has been discussed in the literature. The majority of Lean Six Sigma applications in private industry have focused primarily on manufacturing applications. The literature has not provided a framework for implementing Lean Six Sigma programmes in non-manufacturing or transactional processes like those in the Entertainment Media industry. The Saudi Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), like many other industries in Saudi Arabia, has high occupational safety risks, such as electric, fire and fall hazards which often occur in the media workplace. These risks are considered very costly and affect productivity and employee morale in general. The main objective of this research is to provide a synergistic approach to integrating occupational health and safety programmes and Lean Six Sigma tools using the DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control) problem-solving method to strengthen and assure the success of safety programmes in the Saudi Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). This research identifies the roadmap (i.e. activities, principles, tools, and important component factors) for applying Lean Six Sigma tools in the media industry. A case study addressing the safety issues that affect employees’ performance within the Saudi Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) TV studio is used to validate work outlined in this research. Furthermore, the Bayesian Belief Networks (BBN) method is used to understand the probability occurrence of safety hazards. The application of the Taguchi Experimental Design method and other Lean Six Sigma tools, such as Cause and Effect diagrams, Pareto principles, 5S, Value Stream map, and Poka-Yoke have been incorporated in to this research. The application of Lean Six Sigma DMAIC problem-solving tools resulted in significant improvement in safety within SBC. The average electrical hazard incident decreased from 2.08 to 0.33, the average fire hazard incident decreased from 1.25 to 0.08, and the average fall hazard incident decreased from 3.42 to 0.17. The research has important implications for the company and its employees, with positive outcomes and feedback reported by top management, the senior technicians, and experts. The research improved the safety by reducing electrical, fire and fall risks. The Safety training sessions are one of the most significant factors that improve their safety awareness. It is observed that Lean Six Sigma problem-solving tools and methods are effective in the Saudi Broadcasting Corporation (SBC).

Since the micro-electro mechanical system microphone, MEMS microphone, has the advantages of superior sound quality, low power consumption, higher temperature resistance and anti-noise ability in used. The researchers therefore have studied the functions of MEMS microphone since 1980s. The MEMS microphones is applied as the part of 3G mobile phone in the market. Though the functions of microphone are improved by manufacturing process technique and new material designed, this study tends to provide a new, low-cost and rapid design idea to gain the performance in chamber of microphone. Taguchi method and BEASY software, which is boundary element method, are combined to evaluate the results of the design in sound field. Taguchi method is a famous method in industrial design to find out relations between system parameters and chamber size. BEASY is a tool for sound field analysis in the research. The result from Taguchi method appears the sound pressure level gain about 2.2 dB to 2.4 dB due to the change of microphone chamber size only. It is also interested in studying the optimization design for position of microphone. It is displayed that the location of port is closer to the boundary of chip will also increase about 0.3 dB to 0.6dB sound pressure level in sound field. The higher frequency of sound source will also create larger sound pressure level at two corners on the port.

The objective of this research was to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of employing an electric field to enhance the dewatering performance of two types of biological sludge by a pilot-scale plate and frame filter press. In this work a biological industrial sludge and biological municipal sludge were collected and tested, respectively. Through the jar testing, it was found that a low molecular weight cationic polymer or medium molecular weight cationic polymer with a dose of 0.008 wt% would yield a satisfactory flocculation for the biological industrial sludge, whereas an iron-based coagulant with a dose of 0.08 wt% would meet the conditioning need of the biological municipal sludge. To find out the optimal dewatering conditions for the concerned sludges, experimental designs based on the Taguchi method were adopted. More specifically, L8(27) and L18(21¡Ñ37) orthogonal arrays were selected for the biological industrial sludge and biological municipal sludge, respectively. Among others, applied mechanical pressure and time, electrode array, and electrodewatering time were operating parameters of concern. Test results showed that a 10-15% increase of dewatering efficiency for both sludges was obtained for the parallel circuit and parallel series circuit. However, the filtrate quality deteriorated, particularly in pH, turbidity, and chemical oxygen demand. In addition, due to ohmic heating the temperature of filtrate might raise to 80 ¢Jor even higher depending on the operating conditions employed. Thus, the filtrate should be recirculated back to the wastewater treatment system for proper treatment. To find out the significant controlling factors and optimal operating conditions for electrodewatering in a more scientific manner, the final sludge cake moisture and energy consumption for each test was subjected to formal analysis and analysis of variance. For biological industrial sludge, the flocculant type and applied filtration pressure were found to be the most significant controlling factors for the final sludge cake moisture, whereas the applied electric field strength for the power consumption. In the case of biological municipal sludge, however, the electrode array was the most significant controlling factor for both final sludge cake moisture and power consumption. At last, the optimal operating conditions theoretically obtained for electrodewatering were subjected to the respective verification tests for both biological industrial sludge and biological municipal sludge. Test results showed that a final sludge cake moisture of 67.1¡Ó3.9% and energy consumption of 72.6 kWh/ton dry solids were obtained for the former sludge, whereas 68.1¡Ó3.4% and 18.6 kWh/ton dry solids for the latter sludge. These results validated the predictions made by the Taguchi method. Therefore, it may conclude that electrodewatering is technically and economically feasible for treating both biological industrial sludge and biological municipal through the electrokinetics-assisted filter press system employed in this work.

Currently the trend of electronic product development is to ward ¡§light and thin, multi-functional, high density and durability¡¨. When the microelectronic chips tend to be high power, high density and high speed, the rapid increase of heat in a reduced unit area of package size, will lead to failure of electronic products. The contents of thesis is to find out the dominant factors in heat transfer by changing the geometries and material properties of QFN and BGA packages. It also aims to achieve the beat the thermal performance by reducing the probability of failure. In industries it needs a lot of cost and time in experiment work due to the changes of size and materials. Herein, the softwares of ANSYS and ICEPAK are adopted to model the QFN and BGA packages with the statistical experimental design of Taguchi method L18 (21¡Ñ37) orthogonal array setting parameters and obtain the degree of effect for each factor. Eventually, we use the analysis of variance ANOVA to obtain the contribution of each factor and to identify the significant degree for various parameters by variance error integration. From the results the die attach thermal conductivity affects the contribution of thermal performance up to 81.46% for QFN package in comparison with other controlling factors of high significance and high impact effects. Die attach thermal conductivity between 0.5 W/m•k and 1.5 W/m•k the Tj declines much larger than that between 1.5 W/m•k and 8 W/m•k. Die /PKG area ratio affects the contribution of the thermal performance to 64.24% and increasing Die /PKG area ratio can reduce the Tj for BGA package. The significant effect is also higher than other factors. However, the contribution of substrate layers is 18.83% at 99% confidence level.

Laser based underwater triangulation ranging is sensitive to the environmental conditions and laser beam profile. Also, its ranging quality is greatly affected by the algorithm choices for peak detection and for image processing. By utilizing the merging least-squares approximation for laser image processing, it indeed succeeds in increasing quality of triangulation ranging in water; however, this result was obtained on the use of a laser beam with nearly circular cross-section. Therefore, by using an ellipse-like laser beam cross-section for range finding, we are really interested in understanding the quality of range finding with different peak detection algorithms. Besides, the ellipse orientation of the laser spot projected on the image plane would be various. We are also interested in learning about the relationship between the ellipse orientation and the quality of range finding. In this study, peak detection algorithms are investigated by considering four different laser beam cross-sections which are ircle, horizontal ellipse, oblique ellipse, and vertical ellipse. First, we employ polynomial regression for processing laser image to study the effect of polynomial degree on quality of triangulation ranging. It was found that the linear regression achieves the best ranging quality than others. Then, according to this result, the ranging quality associated with peak detection is evaluated by employing three different algorithms which are the illumination center, twice illumination center and the illumination center with principal component analysis. We found that the ranging quality by using the illumination center with principal component analysis is the best, next is twice illumination center, and last the illumination center. This result indicates that the orientation of elliptical laser beam has an influential effect on the quality of range finding. In addition, the ranging quality difference among peak detection algorithms is significantly reduced by implementing the merging least-squares approximation rlaser image processing. This result illustrates that the merging least-squares approximation does reduce the effect of peak detection algorithm on the quality of range finding.

The objective of thermal unit commitment is to schedule the on or off status and the real power outputs of units and minimize the system production cost during the period while simultaneously satisfying operational constraints. In this thesis, the Real Genetic Algorithms (RGA) and the Hybrid Taguchi-Genetic Algorithm (HTGA) approaches are presented to solve the thermal unit commitment problem, and comparison with the results obtained using GA. Then this thesis applied the systematic reasoning ability of the Taguchi method operated after mutation can promote the RGA efficiency. The objective of Taguchi method is to improve the quality of offsprings by optimizing themselves to generate a better result, because the offsprings produced randomly by crossover and mutation process is not necessary better than the parents. This method can not only enhance the neighborhood search, but can also search the optimum solution quickly to advance convergence. Finally, it will be shown that the HTGA outperforms RGA by comparing simulation results of unit commitment.