Title: Optimum formulation of cathode mix for a multi-response set-up using design optimality criteria

Authors: Prasun Das; Subrata Mondal

Addresses: Indian Statistical Institute, SQC & OR Unit, ANK Bhavan, 6th Floor 203, B.T. Road, Kolkata 700 108, West Bengal, India ' Tata Motors, Pune, India

Abstract: Optimal formulation of cathode mix for zinc-carbon dry cell is a challenging task to the battery manufacturers, the performance of which is characterised by a set of seven performance characteristics (responses). Standard experimental designs like Box-Behnken design, central composite designs are unable to conclude the optimal experimental setting due to the problem of infeasibility or non-orthogonality. This paper makes an attempt to determine the feasible and optimum factor setting of cathode mix formulation while optimising the multiple performance characteristics of zinc-carbon battery. First, a technically feasible and nearly orthogonal design is achieved within the design space using design optimality criteria. Then, five different multi-response optimisation techniques are applied to select the factor setting combination that simultaneously optimises all the responses. All the five methods suggest a particular combination of factors as the optimal formulation of cathode mix.

Keywords: zinc-carbon dry cells; design of experiments; DoE; mixture design; design optimality criteria; multiresponse optimisation; cathode mix formulation; battery manufacturing; zinc-carbon batteries; orthogonal design.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEDPO.2014.066466

International Journal of Experimental Design and Process Optimisation, 2014 Vol.4 No.2, pp.143 - 165

Received: 04 Apr 2014
Accepted: 24 Aug 2014
Published online: 14 Jan 2015 *

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