Taguchi Design and Response Surface Methodology for Polymer–Metal Joining

This chapter presents the basics of the Taguchi design of experiments (DoE) and response surface methodology (RSM), with focus on their application for a profound understanding and optimization of metal-polymer joining technologies. It also presents case studies for Taguchi design and Response Surface Method that are examples from research works within the Advanced Polymer-Metal Hybrid Structures Group at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Germany, and its international cooperation projects. The most common RSM DoEs are the three-level full factorial, the Box-Behnken, and the Central Composite. The selection of the Taguchi DoE in substitution to a full-factorial DoE has shown to be an interesting tool to an initial understanding of microstructure and mechanical performance of friction spot double-lap joints. The DoE approach designed by Taguchi is a powerful statistical method that enables optimizing the performance of a product, process, design, and system with a significant reduction in experiments, time, and costs.