An application of Taguchi's method to robust design of aircraft structures

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to demonstrate the application of a robust design procedure to the design of aircraft structures. Taguchi's method of robust design has been applied to obtain the most appropriate values of a set of control factors considering several noise factors. The goal is to maximize the robustness of the design and decrease the loss of quality. A description of the methodology is provided and an application example is solved, using a selected set of noise and control factors, to describe the suitability of this technique for structural design in problems where inaccuracies are present. The results show an improvement in the response of the components, maintaining a low dependence on input value variations and producing designs that increase the quality level and enhance the robustness. Other different sets can be defined, as the method is completely general. © 2012 WIT Press.