CAREER: Design and Analysis of Experiments for Developing Robust Products and Processes

该学院早期职业发展(Career)计划项目的研究目标是开发一种有效的实验方法，以节省进行实验的时间和金钱。试验设计是一种工程统计工具，用于以最小的成本提高产品质量。研究计划由物理实验、计算机实验和计算机辅助物理实验三部分组成。物理实验是通常的硬件实验，而计算机实验是指在计算机中使用工程模型和有限元分析进行的实验。目前用于这两类实验的方法有很大的不同。为了纠正这种情况，将使用统一的方法，这反过来应该导致在每种类型的实验方法中有新的发现。特别是，将使用一种新的贝叶斯方法来设计和分析实验。该项目还引入了一种新的实验策略，称为计算机辅助物理实验。进行物理实验既昂贵又耗时，而计算机实验成本更低、速度更快，但其有效性取决于模型假设。这一新策略结合了两类实验的优点，因此将对工业实验产生重大影响。该教育计划的目的是在行业中推广和普及新方法，以确保其长期成功。新方法将帮助汽车公司、半导体、纳米材料等高科技产品行业缩短产品开发周期，提高质量，对美国经济产生立竿见影的影响。虽然这项研究的主要重点是工业应用，但方法论是一般性的，将有助于加速许多使用实验研究的科学学科的发现。教育计划将有助于培养一支新的劳动力队伍，这将有助于提高产品质量、降低制造成本和减少浪费，从而使整个社会长期受益。

The research objective of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program project aims at developing an efficient method for experimentation that will save time and money for conducting experiments. Design of experiments is an engineering-statistical tool for improving the quality of products with minimal cost. The research plan consists of three parts: physical experiments, computer experiments, and computer-aided physical experiments. Physical experiments are the usual hardware experiments, whereas computer experiments refer to those experiments that are performed in computers using engineering models and finite element analysis. The methods currently employed for these two types of experimentation differ widely. To remedy this situation a unified approach will be used, which in turn should lead to new discoveries in each type of experimentation methods. In particular, a new Bayesian methodology will be used for the design and analysis of experiments. This project also introduces a novel experimentation strategy known as computer-aided physical experiments. Physical experiments are expensive and time-consuming to conduct whereas computer experiments are cheaper and faster, but their validity depends on model assumptions. The new strategy combines the advantages of the two types of experiments and therefore will have a significant impact on industrial experimentation. The education plan is aimed at disseminating and popularizing the new methods in industries to ensure its long-term success.The new methodology will make an immediate impact in US economy by helping automotive companies; semi-conductor, nano materials, and other hi-tech product industries to cut down their product development cycle and to improve quality. Although the main focus of this research is on industrial applications, the methodology is general and will help in accelerating discoveries in many scientific disciplines that use experimental investigation. The education plan will help develop a new workforce that will be instrumental in improving product quality, lowering manufacturing costs, and reducing wastes, thereby benefiting the society as a whole in the long-term.