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Design of Experiments (DoE)

Prof. Sverre Steen
TMR7 Experimental Methods in Marine Hydrodynamics
Lecture week 37

Objective of todays lectures

To learn how to design an experiment
Design of the experiment means things like:

Defining the problem the research hypothesis

Defining what to test
Selection of laboratory facility
Type and scale of model
Test setup
What we need to measure
The required accuracy
The types of analyses to make

Contents of todays lectures

Introduction
Discussion of issues to consider in the design of experiments

Issues of particular importance (covered in detail):

Uncertainty analysis
Error sources
Scale effects

Issues to consider
Objective(s) of tests
What do you need to determine from the tests?

Resources available

Budget (money)
Time
Available test facilities (laboratories)
Available instrumentation
Possibility to make models or use existing models
Human resources (you probably need someone to help you )

Objective(s) of the tests

Consider what you want to really need to know
from the experiment
Is it a value?
Example: the resistance of a ship
How accurately do you need to know this value?
Is the experiment really necessary, or is a computation sufficient?

Do you want to explore a phenomenon?

Example: Vortex-induced vibrations (VIV)
Observations and flow visualization might be more important than
measurements
Less requirements for accuracy?

Do you want to verify computations?

Remember that the test should have the same idealizations and
simplifications as the computations

Do you want to validate computations?

The test should be a realistic representation of the reality the
computations shall be valid for

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Define the objective(s) of the tests
Objective

Type of test

Test setup

Identify error
sources

Select the type(s) of test(s) to perform

Select laboratory

Choose/design the test set-up

Identify what to measure and how to measure it
Select sensors

Scale effects
Blockage and other effects of finite size of laboratory
Etc.

Perform a preliminary uncertainty analysis

No
Sufficient
accuracy?

Uncertainty

Yes
Perform
tests

Evaluate

Calibrate sensors and setup

Perform measurements

Perform uncertainty analysis

Did the tests fulfil the objective?
Did it answer the question asked?

If
not

Identify why
Go back to the planning stage and re-design
Perform modified experiment

Example 1 Ship resistance

Define the objective(s) of the tests

Determine the ship resistance!

Objective

Type of test

Test setup

Select the type(s) of test(s) to perform

Select laboratory

Choose/design the test set-up

Identify what to measure and how to measure it
Select sensors

Scale effects
Blockage and other effects of finite size of laboratory
Identify error
Etc.
sources

Perform a preliminary uncertainty analysis

Uncertainty

Towing test in a towing tank

Alternatives:
Full scale towing test
Use a flume or ocean basin instead of towing tank

The set-up is standard.

Measure resistance and speed
Use the standard resistance dyn.
The size of the tank determines the
scale and/or the amount of blockage
effect. Selecting model scale is an
important question to consider!
Since it is a standard test the
common knowledge of accuracy of
resistance tests might be sufficient

Example 2 Powering prediction

Define the objective(s) of the tests
Objective

Type of test

Test setup

Select the type(s) of test(s) to perform

Select laboratory

Resistance test, open water test and

propulsion test in a large towing tank
Alternatives?

Choose/design the test set-up

Identify what to measure and how to measure it
Select sensors

Scale effects
Blockage and other effects of finite size of laboratory
Identify error
Etc.
sources

Perform a preliminary uncertainty analysis

Uncertainty

Determine the power required to

reach a certain speed in full scale!

The set-up is standard.

The size of the tank determines the

scale and/or the amount of blockage
effect.
The size of propeller is important for
scale effect and often determines
models size!
Since it is a standard test the
common knowledge of accuracy of
resistance, propulsion and open water
tests might be sufficient

Example 3 Verification test of a

semi-sub for oil exploration at 2500
m water depth in Gulf of Mexico
Define the objective(s) of the tests
Objective

Type of test

Select the type(s) of test(s) to perform

Select laboratory

Test setup

Choose/design the test set-up

Identify what to measure and how to measure it
Select sensors

Identify error
sources

Scale effects
Blockage and other effects of finite size of laboratory
Etc.

Perform a preliminary uncertainty analysis

Uncertainty

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Define the objective(s) of the tests

Objective

Type of test

Select the type(s) of test(s) to perform

Select laboratory

Test setup

Choose/design the test set-up

Identify what to measure and how to measure it
Select sensors

Identify error
sources

Scale effects
Blockage and other effects of finite size of laboratory
Etc.

Perform a preliminary uncertainty analysis

Uncertainty

Covered in other parts of

this course

For the rest of the lecture,

focus on:
Uncertainty analysis
Error sources