Optimisation of Cordierite Processing through Taguchi Method

When applied to product engineering, the Taguchi method allows the identification of the conditions that lead to the development of similar products with a small variation around a particular target value. In the present work, the Taguchi method was used to evaluate the effect of four processing parameters on the mechanical properties of a commercial dense cordierite in order to maximize the flexural strength of the resulting bodies. Using a L9 orthogonal array, four control factors (named A, B, C and D) at three levels, namely type (AS1, AS2 and AS3) and content (18, 20 and 22 wt%) of alumina added, cooling rate (1, 3 and 5 ºC⋅min-1) and average particle size of each batch (5, 6 and 7 μm) were set. Hence, with a reduced number of experiments, it was possible to identify the factors and their levels, which have most contributed to an increase in flexural strength of the resulting cordierite bodies. The optimum conditions to obtain bodies having a flexural strength higher than 100 MPa were the addition of 22 wt% of AS2 alumina, an average mixture particle size of 5 μm and a cooling rate of 1 ºC⋅min-1. The type of alumina had a negligible effect on flexural strength whereas the other factors affect considerably the strength.