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Methodology for Optimization of

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Chapter · March 2012

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 3

Methodology for Optimization

of Polymer Blends Composition
Alessandra Martins Coelho1, Vania Vieira Estrela2,
Joaquim Teixeira de Assis3 and Gil de Carvalho3
1Instituto
Federal de Educacao, Ciencia e Tecnologia do Sudeste de Minas Gerais
(IF SUDESTE MG), Rio Pomba, MG,
2Departamento de Telecomunicacoes, Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Niterói, RJ,
3Instituto Politécnico (IPRJ), Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ),

Nova Friburgo, RJ,

Brazil

1. Introduction
The research of polymer blends, or alloys, has experienced enormous growth in size and
sophistication in terms of its scientific base, technology and commercial development (Paul
& Bucknall, 2000). As a consequence two very important issues arise: the increased
availability of new materials and the need for materials with better performance.
Polymer blends are polymer systems originated from the physical mixture of two or more
polymers and/or copolymers, without a high degree of chemical reactions between them.
To be considered a blend, the compounds should have a concentration above 2% in mass of
the second component (Hage & Pessan, 2001; Ihm & White, 1996). However, the commercial
viability of new polymers has begun to become increasingly difficult, due to several factors.
The advantages of polymer blends lie in the ability to combine existing polymers into new
compositions obtaining in this way, materials with specific properties. This strategy allows
for savings in research and development of new materials with equivalent properties, as
well as versatility, simplicity, relatively low cost (Koning et al., 1998) and faster
development time of new materials (Silva, 2011).
Rossini (2005) mentions that economically and environmentally, a very viable alternative is
to replace the recycling of pure polymers by mixtures of discarded materials. Mechanical
recycling causes the breakdown of polymer chains, which impairs the properties of
polymers. This degradation is directly proportional to the number of cycles of recycling.
Therefore, the blend of two or more discarded polymers can be a realistic alternative, since it
can result in materials with very interesting properties, at a low cost. Besides its
inexpensiveness, this choice is also a smart solution to the reutilization of garbage. Post-
consumption package disposal always occurs in a disorderly manner and without regard for
the environment. The recycling process becomes increasingly more important and necessary
to remediate environmental impact.

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42 Principal Component Analysis – Engineering Applications

According Pang et al. (2000) apud Marconcini & Ruvolo Filho (2006) polyolefins such as
high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE) and polypropylene
(PP) and polyesters such as poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) are classes of thermoplastics
that have been widely used in packaging and constitute a large part of post-consumer
waste. The recycling of these materials and their mechanical characterization anticipating
the possibility of a new cycle of life in the form of new products is challenging, although
technologically and environmentally correct (Marconcini & Ruvolo Filho, 2006).
The polymer blends can be obtained basically in two ways (Rossini, 2005):
 By dissolving the polymers in a good solvent, common to them, and subsequently


letting the solvent evaporate; and
In a mixer where the working temperature is high enough to melt or mollify the
polymeric components, without causing degradation of the same.
According to Wessler (2007), the polymer blends may be miscible or immiscible. The
miscibility is the most important property to be analyzed in a blend, given that all other
system properties depend on the number of phases, their morphology and adhesion
between them. The miscibility term is directly related to the solubility, i.e., a blend is
miscible when the polymers dissolve in each other mutually (Silva, 2011). The immiscible
between the various engineering polymers is a limiting factor for its production. Thus, it is
necessary to use compatibilization agents for their production.
Computational modeling has become increasingly popular. The main objective of models is
to assist process optimization with minimal investment of time and resources for
experimental work. Most techniques are classified into two main groups: physical models
and statistical models as shown by Malinov & Sha (2003).
Statistical methods are chosen according to research objectives. There are several
multivariate analysis methods for purposes quite different from each other. The desired
value and quality of one or more product characteristics can be obtained via experiment
analysis and DOE. These methods help determining optimal settings and controllable
factors of a process such as: temperature, pressure, amount of reagents, operating time, etc..
When compared to the method of trial and error, DOE also allows a reduction of the
number of required tests, and savings in time, labor and money.
An important application of DOE is the optimization of experimental formulations as, for
example, the composition of mixtures. The formulation development is a fundamental part
of the food industry, chemicals, plastics, rubber, paints, medicines, and the like.
In materials science, it is important to understand the correlation between material
processing, microstructure and properties that enable the optimization of process
parameters and compositions of materials to achieve the desired combination of properties,
according Malinov & Sha (2003).
The problem presented here is to determine the fraction of each polymer blend component,
and to determine the agent or, in some cases, an agents system, when it is necessary to use
more than one compatibilizing agent. Thus, this text studies the effect of factors, for
example, amount of polypropylene, additive type, and amount of additive in the
composition of polymer blends, i.e., the optimal polymer blends formulation using
factorial design.

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Methodology for Optimization of Polymer Blends Composition 43

Pawlak et al. (2002) pointed out that the elongation at break and impact strength of recycled
HDPE/PET blends has increased with the addition of EGMA or maleic anhydride grafted
styrene-ethylene butylene-styrene (SEBS-g-MA). The best results were obtained for
PET/HDPE/EGMA at 75%/25%/4 pph and PET/HDPE/SEBS-g-MA at 75%/25%/10 pph.
The mechanical properties of the blends were related to the phase dispersion. The increase
in the viscosities of the compatibilized blends was observed due to the reaction during
blending. Carvalho et al. (2003) considered blend composition complexity as a function of
the ideal percentage of each one of their components in their computer study for
optimization of polymeric blends. With the objective of analyzing the mechanical behavior
of the blend in relation to PET and to PP, the same speed test was adopted for the three
tested materials. The results are presented in Table 1.

Tensile
Modulus of
Strength at Elongation at
Elasticity
Break Rupture [%]
[MPa]
[MPa]

PET 2230 50.2 3.2

PET/PP 75/25 1740 31.3 17

PP 1130 26.9 615

Table 1. Results of the traction for PET, PP and the blend PET/PP.

2. Design of Experiments (DOE)

2.1 Introduction to design of experiments
One of the most common and challenging problems in experiments concerns the
determination of the influence that one or more variables has on the variable of interest.
Designed experiments address these problems and also have extensive application in the
development of new processes and design of new products. Some of its applications are
 Characterization of a process (experiment screening): It aims to determine which


factors affect the response;
Optimization of an experiment: It aims to determine the important factors in the region


leading to an optimal response; and
Product planning: It tries to determine the factors that influence the most the
verification effort.
A DOE is the pre-requisite for a successful experimental study (Tang et al., 2010). Assuming
that the goal of experimentation is to find a function, or at least a satisfactory approximation
of it, which acts on k factors producing observed responses (as outlined in Figure 1), the
system acts like an initially unknown transfer (or modifying) function, which operates on
the factors, producing as output, the observed responses. Thus, a better understanding of
the nature of the reaction under study in order to choose the best system operating
conditions (Silva, 2011).

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44 Principal Component Analysis – Engineering Applications

Factor 1 Response 1

Factor 2 Response 2
. .
. System .
. .
Factor k Response y

Fig. 1. System Representation

2.2 Factorials design

In a designed experiment, the data-producing process is actively manipulated to improve
the data quality and to eliminate redundancy. A common goal of all experimental designs is
to collect data as parsimoniously as possible while providing sufficient information to
accurately estimate model parameters. By factorial experiment we mean that in each
replication of the experiment, all possible combinations of levels are investigated.
Multilevel designs is used to systematically vary experimental factors and then assign each
factor a discrete set of levels. Full factorial designs (FD) measure response variables using
every treatment (combination of the factor levels).
Plackett-Burman designs are used when only main effects are considered significant. They
require a number of experimental runs that are a multiple of 4 rather than a power of 2.
Binary factor levels are indicated by ±1. The design is for eight runs manipulating seven
two-level factors. The number of runs is a fraction 8/27 = 0.0625 of the runs required by a
full factorial design. Economy is achieved at the expense of confounding main effects with
any two-way interactions.

2.2.1 Two-level designs

Two-Level designs are often used in experiments involving several factors, in which is
necessary to study the combined effect of factors on a response. However, several special
cases of general factorial design are important because they are widely used in research and
form the basis for other designs of considerable practical value. The most important of these
special cases is of k factors, where each one has only two levels.
When planning an experiment, one should first determine the factors and the answers
adequate to the system under study. The factors, that is, the variables controlled by the
experimenter, can be both quantitative (such as values of temperature, pressure or time) and
qualitative (such as two machines, two operators, levels "up" and "down" of a factor, or
perhaps the presence or absence of a factor). Depending on the problem, there may be more
than a response of interest and, eventually, these responses can also be qualitative.
After determination of the factors to be observed, it is necessary to implement the factorial
design, i.e., the values of the factors that will be used in the experiment. All possible
combinations of factors are investigated. Among the many advantages of factorial design,
the following (Button, 2005) can be named:

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Methodology for Optimization of Polymer Blends Composition 45

a. The number of trials can be reduced without jeopardizing the quality of information;
b. It permits simultaneous study of several variables while separating its effects;
c. It assesses the reliability of results;
d. It allows stepwise research realization which in general adds new tests an iterative; and
e. It selects the variables that influence a process with a minimum number of tests;
In factorial design, the factors and levels are pre-determined by setting and they correspond
to a fixed effects model. This type of planning is normally used in the early stages of
research. Since there are only two levels for each factor analysis, its assumed that the
response variable presents a linear behavior between these levels (Button, 2005). Effects are
defined as "the change in response down level (-) for the up level (+)" and they can be
classified in two categories: main effect (effect on the level change of a single factor) and
interaction effect (effect on the change in level between two or more factors at the same
time).

2.2.2 22 factorial design

Geometrically, the design 22 can be represented by a square where each vertex corresponds
to an experiment.
Figure 2 shows, geometrically, the 22 factorial design and its planning matrix. The letters A
and B represent the factors. The levels are represented by - and +, which correspond to low
and high levels of factors. The combination of experiments, with both factors at low level is
represented by the number 1. The effects of interest in the 22 factorial design are the main
effects A (represented by number 2) and B (represented by number 3). The interaction factor
AB, also called contrast (represented by the number 4) is generated from the product of the
signs of the columns of the main effects A and B.

Level
2 4
(+) ab
b

B Treatment Effects Responses

Combinatio A B
(1) n
a
Level (1) - - y1
1 3
(-) 2 + - y2
Level Level 3 - + y3
A
(-) (+) 4 + + y4

Fig. 2. Geometrical Notation and Planning Matrix for 22 Factorial Design.

The main effect of A is by definition the average of the effects of A in two levels of B. The
same happens with the main effect B, as seen in (1) and (2).

y2  y 4 y  y3
A  y  y  ( )( 1 ) (1)
2 2

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46 Principal Component Analysis – Engineering Applications

y4  y3 y  y1
B  y  y  ( )( 2 ) (2)
2 2

The interaction effect AB is given by:

y1  y 4 y  y3
AB  ( )( 2 ) (3)
2 2

2.2.3 23 factorial design

23 factorial designs have three factors at two different levels, which request the performance
of eight experimental trials (each of these experiments in which the system is subjected to a
defined set of levels). Based on factors that you want to study and their levels, it is possible
to build a planning matrix as shown in Table 1. The first column of the effects (A factor) is
filled alternating one by one the levels of factors (- + - + ...), column 2 (B factor) is filled
alternating two by two the levels of factors (- - + + ...) and, finally, the third column (C
factor) the first four experiments are filled with the lowest level and last four with the higher
level (- - - - + + + +). The combination of experiments with both factors at low level (-) is also
represented by the number 1.
Based on the planning matrix (Table 2) it is possible to generate the table of contrast
coefficients. This matrix is composed of three main effects (A, B and C) and four
interaction effects (AB, AC, BC and ABC). Table 3 shows the signs of effects for the 23
factorial design.

Treatment Effects
Combination A B C
(1) - - -
2 + - -
3 - + -
4 + + -
5 - - +
6 + - +
7 - + +
8 + + +
Table 2. Planning Matrix 23 Factorial Design

In conformity to Neto et al. (2003), the effects on the 23 factorial design can also be
interpreted as contrasts geometric, whose representation is a cube, in which the eight trials
of the planning matrix corresponding to its vertices. The main effects and interactions of two
factors are contrasts between two planes, which can be identified by examining the
coefficients of contrast. In general, one main effect on the planning 23 is a contrast between
the opposite sides and perpendicular to the axis of the corresponding variable. The
interactions between two factors, in turn, are contrasts between two diagonal planes. These
planes are perpendicular to a third plane, defined by the axes of the two variables involved
in the interaction.

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Methodology for Optimization of Polymer Blends Composition 47

Treatment Effects
Combination I A B C AB AC BC ABC
(1) + - - - + + + -
2 + + - - - - + +
3 + - + - - + - +
4 + + + - + - - -
5 + - - + + - - +
6 + + - + - + - -
7 + - + + - - + -
8 + + + + + + + +
Table 3. Signs of Effects for the 23 Factorial Design.

If K is the number factors, then a general form for the effects can be given by:

ef 
1
2 k 1
X T y , and (4)

M ef 
1 T
X y. (5)
2k

2.2.4 Fractional designs

For experiments with many factors, two-level full FD can lead to large amounts of data. For
example, a two-level full factorial design with 11 factors requires 211 = 2048 runs. Often,
however, individual factors or their interactions have no distinguishable effects on a
response. This is especially true of higher order interactions. As a result, a well-designed
experiment can use fewer runs for estimating model parameters.
Fractional FD use a fraction of the runs required by full FD. A subset of experimental
treatments is selected based on an evaluation (or assumption) of which factors and
interactions have the most significant effects. Once this selection is made, the experimental
design must separate these effects. In particular, significant effects should not be
confounded, that is, the measurement of one should not depend on the measurement of
another. The challenge is to choose basic factors and generators so that the design achieves a
specified resolution in a specified number of runs. The confounding pattern shows that
main effects are effectively separated by the design, but two-way interactions are
confounded with various other two-way interactions.

2.3 Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

RSM is defined how a collection of mathematical and statistical techniques useful for the
modeling and analysis of problems in which a response of interest is influenced by several
process variables (termed factors) whose objective is to optimize this response
(Montgomery, 2005; Box & Draper 1987; Myers & Montgomery, 1995 apud Tang et al., 2010).

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48 Principal Component Analysis – Engineering Applications

Box & Draper (1987) define RSM how a collection of statistical techniques useful in
researches, with the purpose to determine the best conditions and give greater insight into
the nature of certain phenomena. It comprises the following three main components (Tang
et al., 2010):
a. Experimental design to determine the process factors values based on which the
experiments are conducted and data are collected;
b. Empirical modeling to approximate the relationship (i.e. the response surface) between
responses and factors; and
c. Optimization to find the best response value based on the empirical model.
It can be assumed that the system under study is governed by a function which is
described by the experimental variables. Normally this function can be approximated by a
polynomial, which provides a good description of the factors and response. The order of
the polynomial is limited by the type of planning used. Two-level FD, fractional or
complete, can only estimate main effects and interactions. Factorial design with three
levels (central point) can estimate, moreover, degree of curvature in the response. In
general, the relationship is:

y  f(x 1 , x 2 , , xk )   , (6)

where the true response f is unknown and sometimes very complicated; ε represents
disturbances in f, such as, measurement error on the response, background noise, the effect
of other variables, and so on. In any planned experiment, there is a strong relationship
between the analysis of a designed experiment and a regression analysis that can be used for
predictions of an experiment 2k.
Because f is unknown, we must approximate it. In fact, successful use of RSM is critically
dependent upon the experimenter’s ability to develop a suitable approximation for f.
Usually, a low-order polynomial is sought after.
The first-order model is likely to be appropriate when the experimenter is interested in
approximating the true response surface over a relatively small region of the independent
variable space in a location where there is little curvature in f.
To describe these models in a screening study, are used simple polynomials, i.e., those
containing only linear terms. A simple model of a response y in an experiment with two
controlled factors x1 and x2, two polynomials is:

y   0   1 x1   2 x 2   (7)

y   0   1x1   2 x2   12 x1x2   , (8)

where x1 and x2 are main effects; x1x2 is a two-way interaction effect; β0 is the average value
of all responses; ε includes both experimental error and the effects of any uncontrolled
factors in the experiment; and β1, β2 and β2, are, respectively, the coefficients related to the
main variables x1 and x2, and the coefficient for the interaction between x1 and x2. So, x1 and
x2 should be manipulated while measuring y, with the objective of accurately estimating β0,
β1 and β2. Equations (7) and (8) can be combined and the resulting model is given by:

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Methodology for Optimization of Polymer Blends Composition 49

y  X ,
^
(9)

^
where y is the vector of responses estimated by model; X is the coefficient contrast matrix;
and β is the coefficient of the model or regression vector. In RSM design, there should be at
least three levels for each factor. In this way, the factor values that are not actually tested
using fewer experimental combinations and the combinations themselves can be estimated
(Neseli et al., 2011). The effect of a factor is defined as the variation in the response produced
by the change in the factor level.

3. Development and discussion

Factorial DOE has been used to measure the influence of the following input variables:
amount of polypropylene, additive type and amount of additive on the values of response
variables. Relevant mechanical properties for polymeric blends PET/PP are ME, elongation
at rupture and TS at rupture. The following experiments were accomplished by a 23 factorial
design. Their specifications are presented in the Table 4.

PET PP
Manufacturing Fairway Polibrasil
Type 201050 NT TM 6100
Apparent density [g/m3] ASTM-D 1505 0.88 0.5
Index of fluidity [g/10 min] ASTM-D 1238 (*) 16
Intrinsic viscosity [dl/g] 0.82 (*)
Melting [oC] ASTM-D 3418 > 240 160 - 175
(*) = not available
Table 4. Specification supplied by the manufacturers of PET and PP (Carvalho et al., 2003).

The factors will be analyzed on two levels (top and bottom) according to data presented in
Table 5.

Main Effects Factors Level (-) Level (+)

A Amount of polypropylene 5% 25%
B Additive type C2 (acrylic acid) C1 (maleic anhydride)
C Amount of additive 1% 5%
Table 5. Planning Matrix

The preparation of test specimens and tests were performed according to the Standard Test
Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics - ASTM D-638 (2010). The mechanical properties of
ME, elongation at rupture and TS were evaluated in ten executions for each test.
Tables of contrast coefficients for ME (Table 6), contrast coefficients for study of Strain at
Break (Table 7) and contrast coefficients for TS (Table 8) were obtained from the Table 3 and
Table 4. All tables were composed by three main effects: A (amount of polypropylene), B
(additive type), C (amount of additive), and the four interaction effects AB, AC, BC and
ABC. The last column of each table contains the values of Yn (n = 1, 2 and 3, respectively,

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50 Principal Component Analysis – Engineering Applications

ME, elongation at rupture and TS at rupture), corresponds to the average of the

experimental results found for each test, in 10 executions.

Treatment Effects Y1
Combination I A B C AB AC BC ABC (MPa)
(1) + - - - + + + - 1605
2 + + - - - - + + 1448
3 + - + - - + - + 1445
4 + + + - + - - - 1371
5 + - - + + - - + 1562
6 + + - + - + - - 1355
7 + - + + - - + - 1550
8 + + + + + + + + 1232
Table 6. Contrast Coefficients and average values by modulus of elasticity.

Treatment Effects Y2
Combination I A B C AB AC BC ABC (%)
(1) + - - - + + + - 4.36
2 + + - - - - + + 3.80
3 + - + - - + - + 4.01
4 + + + - + - - - 3.60
5 + - - + + - - + 4.22
6 + + - + - + - - 4.55
7 + - + + - - + - 4.50
8 + + + + + + + + 4.24
Table 7. Contrast Coefficients and average values by elongation at rupture

Treatment Effects Y3
Combination (MPa)
I A B C AB AC BC ABC
1 + - - - + + + - 50
2 + + - - - - + + 41
3 + - + - - + - + 43
4 + + + - + - - - 37
5 + - - + + - - + 46
6 + + - + - + - - 40
7 + - + + - - + - 48
8 + + + + + + + + 37
Table 8. Contrast Coefficients and average values by tensile strength at rupture

4. Calculation of effects and results interpretation

The 8 x 8 matrix factorial design is

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Methodology for Optimization of Polymer Blends Composition 51

 1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1
 1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1 

 1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1
 
1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1
X  
1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1
(10)
 
 1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1
 1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1 

 1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1

Tables 6, 7 and 8 include all necessary values for calculating the effects on Modulus of
Elasticity (ME), Strain at Break and TS. The column vectors Y1, Y2 and Y3, with respective
average values are shown in (11) and the product of XT (1) by the respective vectors (11)
appears in (12).

1605   4.36   50 
1448   3.80   41 
     
1445   4.01   43 
     
Y1  
1371   3.60  ; Y   37 

1562   4.22   46 
; Y (11)
     
2 3

1355   4.55   40 
1550   4.50   48 
     
1232   4.24   37 

Returning to Tables 5, 6 and 7 can be seen that in all columns except the first, have four
positive and four negative signs. To find the global average to fairly apportion the first
element of each of the vectors XT.Y1, XT.Y2 e XT.Y3 by 8. The other elements of the vectors
correspond to the effects and will be divided by 4, result in (13).

11568   33.28   342 

 756   0.9   32 
     
 372   0.58   12 
     
 170   1.74   0
X Y1   ; X Y2   ; X Y3  
28  0.44  2 
T T T
(12)
     
 294   1.04   2 
 102   0.52   10 
     
 194   0.74   8 

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52 Principal Component Analysis – Engineering Applications

 Y1   1446   Y2   4.16   Y3   42.75 

           
A   189  A   0.225  A   8 
B   93  B   0.145  B   3 
           
C   42.5  C   0.435  C   0

AB   7  ; 
AB   0.110  ; 
AB   0.5 
(13)
           
AC   73.5  AC   0.260  AC   0.5 
           
BC   25.5  BC   0.130  BC   2.5 
     
ABC   48.5  ABC   0.185  ABC   2 
The Gauss method, which is a direct method for solving linear systems, can be used to solve
the system found. In this case, the elements of columns of matrix X (10), that the
corresponding effects were divided by 2, as shown in (14). The vectors y1, y2 and y3 are the
terms independent of the linear system. The results are the same as described in (13).

 1 
 2 
-1 -1 -1 1 1 1 -1
 1 -1 
2 2 2 2 2 2

 2 
1 -1 -1 -1 -1 1
 1 1 
2 2 2 2 2 2

 2 
-1 1 -1 -1 1 -1
 1 -1 
2 2 2 2 2 2
 2 
X
1 1 -1 1 -1 -1
1 
2 2 2 2 2 2
 1
(14)
2 
-1 -1 1 1 -1 -1
 -1 
2 2 2 2 2 2
 1 2 
1 -1 1 -1 1 -1
 
2 2 2 2 2 2
 1 -1 1 1 -1 -1 1 -1 
 
2 2 2 2 2 2 2
 1 1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1 
2
The three tables below show data contained in the vectors (13) in order to enable analysis of
the influence of each factor individually and the interaction of these factors on the ME,
strain at break and tensile strength (TS).
Table 9 shows that the three main effects, the factors of polypropylene amount, additive type and
amount of additive reduce the ME. The amount of polypropylene is the major contributing factor
to the reduction of elasticity. The model obtained for the ME is presented in (15).
Average: 1446
Main Effects:
A (Amount of polypropylene) -189
B (Additive type) -93
C (Amount of Additive) -42.5
Interaction between two factors:
AB -7
AC -73.5
BC 25.5
Interaction between three factors:
ABC -48.5
Table 9. Effects calculated for the modulus elasticity.

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Methodology for Optimization of Polymer Blends Composition 53

modulus of elasticity  1446  25.5 * B* C (15)

Figure 3 represents the RS for the ME as a function of B and C. The additive type and
amount of additive increase the ME. Hence, the interaction between type and amount of
additive can improve the interaction between molecules and compatibility of the mixture.

Fig. 3. Response surface for modulus of elasticity as a function of the factors B and C

With respect to the elongation at rupture, observed in Table 10, the main effect, amount of
additive, increases the strain at rupture. The same happens with the interaction of two
factors AC and BC. The obtained ME model appears in (16) and (17).

Average: 4.16
Main Effects:
A (Amount of polypropylene) -0.225
B (Additive type) -0.145
C (Amount of Additive) 0.435
Interaction between two factors:
AB -0.110
AC 0.260
BC 0.130
Interaction between three factors:
ABC -0.185
Table 10. Effects calculated for elongation at rupture

elongation at rupture  4.16  0.435 * C  0.268 * A * C (16)

elongation at rupture  4.16  0.435 * C  0.13* B* C (17)

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54 Principal Component Analysis – Engineering Applications

Figure 4 represents the graphic of the response surface elongation at rupture as a function of
the factors A and C. Note that the additive type and amount of additive increases the
elongation at rupture, fact already observed in Table 10. Figure 4 show that this factor has a
significant effect on elongation at rupture. It is evident in the Figures (4) and (5) that the
amount of additive is more significant than the types of additive analyzed.

Fig. 4. Response surface for elongation at rupture as a function of the factors A and C

Fig. 5. Response surface for elongation at rupture as a function of the factors B and C

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Methodology for Optimization of Polymer Blends Composition 55

In Table 11, the main effect C has no significant value for TS, since the main effects A and B
show a reduction. Interaction BC shows an increase in TS, while the interaction between the
three factors (ABC) reduces TS. The model obtained for the modulus of TS is presented in (17).

Average: 42.75
Main Effects:
A (Amount of polypropylene) -8
B (Additive type) -3
C (Amount of Additive) 0
Interaction between two factors:
AB -0.5
AC -0.5
BC 2.5
Interaction between three factors:
ABC -2
Table 11. Effects calculated for tensile strength

Figure 6 represents the graphic of the response surface for TS as a function of the factors B
and C. Note that the additive type and amount of additive increases the TS.

tensile strenght  42.75  2.5 * B* C (18)

Fig. 6. Response surface for tensile strength as a function of the factors B and C

4.1 Geometrical interpretation of effects

The eight trials of each of the three planning matrices correspond to the vertices of the cube.
The effects can be identified by examining the coefficients of contrast. Figure 5 reveals that

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56 Principal Component Analysis – Engineering Applications

the tests are all negative on one side of the cube, which is perpendicular to the axis of factor
1 (amount of polypropylene) and is located on the lower level of this factor. The other essays
are on the opposite side, which corresponds to the upper level. The effect of factor 1 can be
considered, therefore, as the contrast between these two faces of the cube. The effects, 2 and
3, also are contrasts between healthy opposite sides and perpendicular to the axis of the
corresponding variable. The interaction between two factors, appear as contrasts between
two diagonal planes. These planes are perpendicular to a third plane, defined by the axes of
the two variables involved in the interaction.
Figure 7 presents the geometric interpretation of the effects. For instance, vertex 1 has the
following coordinates: 5% polypropylene and 1% additive, which is acrylic acid.

7 8

Maleic 3 4
Anhydride

Additive
Type
5 6 5%

Acrylic 1 2 1% Amount of
Acid Additive

5% 25%
Amount of
Polypropylene

Fig. 7. Geometric interpretation of the effects

5. Model-based DOE (PCA-based DOE)

Nowadays, design, monitoring and optimization of applications by means of mathematical
models are very advantageous in process control. Nevertheless, a trustworthy model that
complies with operation constraints is as a rule difficult to develop not trivial. According to
Asprey & Macchietto (2000), a wide-ranging modeling method comprises:


An initial analysis and structure modeling of the system based on process knowledge;


Designing optimal experiments according to the planned model;


Perform experiments; and
Using experimental information to estimate model parameters and accomplish model
validation by probing available estimated parameters and existing data.
This chapter deals with experiments designed for a specific algebraic equations (AE) system
called model-based DOE (MBDOE) while factorial analysis based on DOE uses empirical
models. Numerical models are often nonlinear algebraic equations (NAE), dynamic
algebraic equations (DAE), or partial differential equations (PDE). MBDOE is done before
any real in order to describe structure selection, to model parameter estimation, and so
forth. Pragmatically speaking, MBDOE sets up a DOE objective function.

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Methodology for Optimization of Polymer Blends Composition 57

From an algorithmic point of view, DOE has been combined with AE systems for a long
time and applied to DAE systems by Zullo (1991) and Asprey & Macchietto (2002). Several
optimal design criteria (ODC) have been suggested and considered by different case studies;
Walter & Pronzato (1990) gave a detailed discussion of available ODC and their geometrical
interpretations. Lately, Atkinson (2003) used DOE for non-constant measurement variance
cases and Galvanin et al. (2007) extended the DOE territory to parallel experiment designs.
This work focuses on a DOE global methodology relying on PCA, so that a large system can
separated into small pieces and a sequence of experiments can be designed to avoid
numerical problems. Moreover, the problem can be transformed into familiar ODC under
certain assumptions and a subset of model parameters can be chosen to boost estimation
precision without changing the objective function form.

5.1 Parameter estimation

Parameter estimation can be generalized into the following optimization problem:

 
z  mim  y m ,i , j  fj  t, xi , , u  ,
q 2
n
(19)

i 1 j1

subject to:

Hx  fj  t, xi , , u 

u mim  u  u max

t 0  t  tf

x mim  x  x max

 mim     max

where n is the number of experiments, q is the number of equations, respectively, y stands

for measured variables and subscript m indicates a measurement. x is the state variables of
the DAE system. For simplicity, the variables x are assumed to be measurable, thus y=x.f

equations (the corresponding rows for AEs are zero).  stands for the model parameters and
represents the DAE equations and H is used to discriminate algebraic and dynamic

interval [t0, tf]. In parameter estimation, the only unknown in integrating f is  and normally
u has the controlled variables. Assume the control profile u is known over a predefined time

the boundary of  is defined according to the nature of the process to be modeled. The
measurement noises is considered a multivariate normal distribution (N(0,Vm)), otherwise
Eq. (19) needs to be rebuilt from MLE according to the specific noise distribution function.

classical optimal control problem in which the objective function usually is Z  min x(t f ) .
In most cases, normally distributed noise is a safe assumption. Eq. (19) is similar to the

This dynamic system optimization problem can be solved by sequential and simultaneous
methods.

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58 Principal Component Analysis – Engineering Applications

In sequential approaches, only the unknown variables (e.g.,  for parameter estimation, u for
optimal control) are discretized and manipulated directly by the non-linear programming
(NLP) solver. After the unknown variables are updated, the DAE is integrated given the
initial condition x0 and integration interval [t0, tf].
For simultaneous methods, the entries of x are discretized along t and approximated by
polynomials between two neighboring discretization grids. Thus, the integration step is
avoided and both state and unknown variables are changed by NLP directly with certain
constraints. A review of these methods can be found in Espie & Macchietto (1989). After the
NLP solver converges, the corresponding  is our best estimate ( ) based on the
^

measurements at hand. To evaluate the accuracy of the estimation, the posterior covariance
matrix (parameter covariance matrix) is defined by:

V( , )    r  1  s  1 vm 1 
1

,rs J r J s  V0
1
 
^ q q
, (20)

where  is the design vector which typically contains the time, initial state condition, control
variables, etc. vm,rs is the r-th term in V that can be estimated by:

y  fr (x i , ))  (y ri  fr (x i , ))
n ^ ^

vm ,rs  i 1
ri

n1
(21)

For AEs, the sensitivity matrix is J r   f r /   , evaluated at n experimental points

^

(sampling times). For DAEs, V can be treated as a sequential experimental design result
according to Zullo (1991). With Eq. (20) kept the same, Jr contains the sensitivity coefficient
of output yr with respect to the parameter vector  evaluated at different sampling times ts:
^

y r  1 y r  2  y r  m   At sampling time t1

y  y r  2  y r  m   At sampling time t2
Jr  
  
r 1

 
   
y r  1 y r  2  y r  m   At sampling time tn

The diagonal terms of V lead to the following estimation of the confidence region:

  F( , n,m)  diag(V 1 2 ) (22)


^

F (, n, m) represents a probability distribution with confidence level  with n and m

degrees of freedom. The smaller  is the better estimate  turns out to be. Moreover,  is
^

closely related to V as in Eq. (22) which paves the way to the following m×m Fisher
information matrix M (where m is the number of model parameters):

M( , )   vrs1 J r J s
q q
(23)
r 1 s 1

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Methodology for Optimization of Polymer Blends Composition 59

In MBDOE, M helps designing a series of experiments based on the model structure. By

accuracy. The unknown design vector  contains measured time, initial conditions, control
carrying out these experiments, the model parameters can be estimated with the best

respect to . For a single parameter model, J is nx1 and V is a scalar. Parameter estimation
variables, and so on. Minimizing V, corresponds to maximizing the absolute value of M with

and DOE rely on the maximization of M(,) with respect to  while and  correspondingly.
The smallest amount of experiments amounts to the best model. It corresponds to the
objective function suggested by Espie & Macchietto (1989).

F  max    T  , t  dt
t f NM N M

(24)
 
t0 i  1 j  i  1
i,j

where

 
Ti , j  (fi ( ,i , t)  fj ( , j , t))T  fi ( ,i , t)  fj ( , j , t) , and

integration is replaced by Σtk. Eq. (24) gives the  that maximizes the differences among
NM is the number of candidate model structures. As continuous sampling is not feasible, the

models fi. Thus, after getting the real experiment profile ym, the best candidate model
predicts ym most truthfully.
MBDOE has still some drawbacks that require further study:
1. Now and then, it fails to find out the optimal experiment for medium and large scale
DAE systems and it generally takes a long time even for small scale systems;
2. There is no trivial/automatic way to classify model parameters sensibly;
3. All criteria depend on optimizing the prediction error variance and V of M in some
sense. When M is ill-conditioned, V cannot be numerically calculated, because M cannot
be inverted. A possible solution is working with M instead of V;
4. It is difficult to handle models for DAE systems.

5.2 Principal Component Analysis (PCA)

PCA decomposes the data matrix from experiments X by the following expression:

X  T TP  E , (25)
according to Coelho et al. (2009), where Xm×n, with scores Tn×npc , loadings Pm×npc,
residual E and npc is the number of principal components (PCs). Nice PCA features are:
1. If bi is the ith eigenvalue of the covariance matrix (XT X/n-1) in descending order, then
the columns ti of T are orthonormal and explain the relationship between each row:

B  diag(b1 , b2 ,..., bm ) .
TTP
n1
(26)

2. The columns pi of P are orthonormal (I=PTP), and capture the relationship between
each column of X. Because XT X is symmetric, its eigenvalues and eigenvectors
are real.

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60 Principal Component Analysis – Engineering Applications

The first few columns of T and P explain most of the variance in X. When npc=min(m,n), E=0.
The Cumulative Percent Variance (CPV) is one such method of obtaining the optimal npc
that separates useful information and from noise and the threshold for this method can be
set to 90% (Qin & Dunia, 1998; Zhang & Edgar, 2007).

 npc 
  bj 
 j 1 
CPV (npc )   m 


 bj 
(27)


 j 1 

The relationship between PCA and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) can be explained
by the next equations:

X T X  WLC T
1
n1
SVD : (28)

1
   TP   n 1 1 P  T T   P  PBT T
T

n1
PCA : TPT T T T
(29)

Since XTX is a real symmetric matrix, W(mxm) contains the left eigenvectors, C(mxm) has the
right eigenvectors and P=C=W. The related eigenvalues are in L(mxm)=B.

5.3 PCA and Information matrix combined criterion for DOE (P-optimality)
For the sake of simplicity, assume there is only one measured output (q=1) and the
measurement error is vm,rs=1, such that Eq. (20) becomes:

V ( , )  [ J T J ]1  M 1 (30)

The sensitivity matrix J can be viewed as X in the above PCA equations, and M is

the eigenvalue and eigenvector matrices of M are  and P, respectively. Inserting Eqs. (25),
proportional to V (the scaling factor (1/n-1) in the covariance is contained in vm,rs). Assume

and (29) into Eq. (30) yields:


M  J T J  TPT   TP   P..P
T
T T
, and (31)

V  M 1  ( P..PT )1  P T . 1 .P 1 (32)

Since PT.P=I=P-1.P, and PT=P-1, then V(,)=P-T.-1.P-1=P.-1.PT. From PCA analysis, V comes
from M, by means of SVD or NIPALS. If the smallest eigenvalue in M is m, then  m -1 will be
the largest eigenvalue of V, which indicates the largest variance in the prediction error
covariance matrix. The corresponding eigenvector Pm gives the direction of the largest
variance in the m parameter space m.
Figure 8 shows the covariance matrix of a two-parameter system. Two eigenvectors p2, p1
indicate the direction of largest and second largest direction of variance. The projection of

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Methodology for Optimization of Polymer Blends Composition 61

long axis (p2 direction) on 1 and short axis (p1 direction) on 2 is proportional to the
coincidence region of 1 and 2, respectively. In Figure 8, when 1 is much larger than 2, the
ellipsoid will degenerate into a line and it is reasonable to look at 2 alone. Instead, when 2
is well known, one can only focus on shrinking the projection of both ellipsoid axes on 1
direction: min(| p1 1 || p2 2 |) . In order to eliminate the absolute value and take
advantage of the unit length of pi, we use the following expression:
 p (1)2 p2 (1)2   1   2 
Q  min  1    max  2 

  2    2 

 1  p1 (1)   p2 (1) 

2

p1/1 p2/2

Fig. 8. Geometric interpretation of PCA combined DOE criteria

It is reasonable to reformulate the objective function as follows:

 
F  min   bi  Pji2  ,
m

i  m  npc  1  
(33)

 j 

where bi are eigenvalues of V in ascending order (bi=1/i) and i is in descending order) and
P is the corresponding eigenvector matrix. The advantage of storing eigenvalues of V in
ascending order is that P can be used directly without transformation; otherwise, P for V
needs to be transformed by:

0  1 
PV  PM      
 1  0 

j corresponds to the parameters selected to increase estimation accuracy. To improve the

precision of all parameters (j=1:m) all the PCs are retained and Eq. (33) becomes:

m  
F  min   bi  Pji2  , with  Pji2  1
m

 i  1  
 j  j 1

When only the largest eigenvalues of V are used by PCA (i=m) and all parameters are to be
estimated, Eq. (33) turns out to be

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62 Principal Component Analysis – Engineering Applications

 
F  min  bm  Pjm 
  
2

 
(34)
j

When all the PCs are to be used with specific parameters to be estimated (e.g., the first s),
Eq. (33) becomes

m  
F  min   bi  Pji2 
s

  i  1  
 j 1 
(35)

After obtaining the eigenvalues of the V matrix (bi), a series of experiments are designed to
minimize b1, b2,…,bm respectively. In general, by minimizing some eigenvalues, the
estimation of certain parameters will improve.
When calculating npc,, the eigenvalues of either M or V can be chosen. If V is used, then the
last npc eigenvalues (kept in ascending order such that P does not need to be transformed)
and the corresponding eigenvectors should be used to characterize the objective function.
When using M, if the first k eigenvalues sum to 90%, then the remaining m-k eigenvalues
npc=m-k and eigenvectors are used in Eq. (30). In general, for most model parameters a single
eigenvalue cannot comprise information for most parameters (some elements in pi are close
to zero), thus retaining more eigenvalues in the objective function for the first few runs is
better. Commonly speaking, the new criterion has the following advantages:
For medium and large-scale DAE systems, it is easier to shrink the scale of the DOE problem
by choosing certain parameters out of the entire set to be the focus. By introducing PCA to
carry out both eigenvalue calculation and selecting the optimal number of eigenvalues to
evaluate, the ill-conditioning of M is avoided. PCA automatically chooses the optimal
number of eigenvalues to be investigated, and reduces the problem scale. P gives a clue on
grouping the estimated parameters, so it is easy to design an experiment for improving
specific parameter estimation, compared with conventional methods.

6. Summary
It is noticed that the factorial design does not determine the optimal values in a single step,
but this procedure suitably indicates the path to reach a nice experimental design.
Main effects and the interaction effect are calculated using all the observed responses. Half
of the observations belong to one mean, while the remaining half appears in other mean.
There is not, therefore, idle information’s in the planning. This is an important characteristic
of factorial design two-level.
Using factorial design, the calculation of the effects becomes an easy task. The formulation
can be extended to any two-level factorial design. The system generated can be solved with
the aid of a computer program for solving linear systems.
Modeling focuses on mathematic equations that try to reproduce the real-world behavior
accurately over a wide range. Still, regardless of modeling approach chosen, the resulting
mathematical models are frequently nonlinear algebraic equations (AE), dynamic algebraic
equations (DAE), or partial differential equations (PDE). AE and DAE systems are the most
frequently used modeling techniques. Model parameters are in general used to describe

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Methodology for Optimization of Polymer Blends Composition 63

special properties such as reaction orders, adsorption kinetics, etc. Hence factorial designs
may not be satisfactory for intricate systems.
As a rule, model parameters are not known a priori and have to be estimated from
measurements. Moreover, disturbing the system under study very often leads to repetitive
measurements and does not produce new data. This leads to the problem of designing
experiments prudently to maximize information for specific modeling purposes. An
alternative to DOE relying on the previous assumptions is MBDOE.
This work introduces a PCA-based optimal criterion (P-optimal) for model-based DOE that
combines PCA with information matrix analysis proposed by Zhang et al. (2007). The main
advantages of P-optimal DOE include ease of reducing the scale of optimization problem by
choosing parameter subsets to increase estimation accuracy of specific parameters and avoid
an ill-conditioned information matrix.
Countless products are produced from the investigation of a large amount of sensors to
mine data for analysis. In such cases, the available data maybe correlated, and PCA in
addition to other multivariate methods are normally used. PCA is a multivariate technique
in which a large number of related variables is transformed into a smaller number of
uncorrelated variables (dimensionality reduction).

7. References
Asprey, S.P. & Macchietto, S. (2000) Statistical tools for optimal dynamic model building.
Computers and Chemical Engineering, 24:1261-1267.
Asprey, S.P. & Macchietto, S. (2002) Designing robust optimal dynamic experiments. Journal
of Process Control, 12:545−556.
ASTM D 638 (2010). Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics, Annual book of
American Society for Testing of Material (ASTM), U.S.A., Vol. 08.01.
Atkinson, A.C. (2003) Nonconstant variance and the design of experiments for chemical
kinetic models. S. P. Asprey and S. Macchietto, editors, Dynamic Model
Development, volume 16. Elsevier.
Box, G.E.P. & Draper, N.R. (1987), Empirical model buiding and response surfaces. New
York: J. Wiley, 669p.
Carvalho, G.; Silva, M.P.R.; Machado, J.M.P. (2003). Computer Modelling for optimization
polimeric blends, Brazilian Meeting SBPMat, 2003, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Coelho, A., Estrela, V. V. & de Assis, J. (2009). Error concealment by means of clustered
blockwise PCA. IEEE. Picture Coding Symposium. Chicago, IL, USA.
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