5. Process Improvement
5.6. Case Studies
5.6.2. Sonoluminescent Light Intensity Case Study

5.6.2.10.

Summary of Conclusions

Most Important Factors

The primary goal of this experiment was to identify the most important factors in maximizing the sonoluminescent light intensity.

Based on the preceding graphical analysis, we make the following conclusions.

• Four factors and three groups of 2-factor interactions are important. A rank-order listing of factors is:

  ---

  1. X2: Solute (effect = -78.6)

     ---

  2. X7: Clamping (effect = -78.1)

     ---

  3. X1*X3 (Molarity*pH) or
     X2*X7 (Solute*Clamping)
     (effect = 70.0)

     ---

  4. X1: Molarity (effect = 66.2)

     ---

  5. X3: pH (effect = 63.5)

     ---

  6. X2*X3 (Solute*pH) or
     X4*X5 (Gas*Water Depth)
     X1*X7 (Molarity*Clamping)
     (effect = -63.5)

     ---

  7. X1*X2 (Molarity*Solute) or
     X3*X7 (Ph*Clamping)
     (effect = -59.6)

     ---

• Thus, of the seven factors and 21 2-factor interactions, it was found that four factors and at most seven 2-factor interactions seem important, with the remaining three factors and 14 interactions apparently being unimportant.

Best Settings

The best settings to maximize sonoluminescent light intensity are

• X1 (Molarity) + (0.33 mol)
• X2 (Solute) - (sugar)
• X3 (pH) + (11)
• X4 (Gas) . (either)
• X5 (Water Depth) + (full)
• X6 (Horn Depth) - (5 mm)
• X7 (Clamping) - (unclamped)

with the X1, X2, X3, and X7 settings especially important.