Proposition for analysis of elastic deformation in ceramic tiles using multilevel factorial design

The production of ceramic tiles requires specific technical properties to allow a wide application, including covering floors and walls, building furniture, and decorative items. Current methods of measuring the dimensions of large ceramic tiles seem inadequate for products that exhibit elastic deformation due to their weight affecting the accuracy and precision of measurements. This paper aims to analyze the influence of format, thickness, and typology variables on the elastic deformation of ceramic tiles. Additionally, this study provides an analysis about which products can be measured by the traditional measurement system without compromising the quality of the results. Tests to determine warpage under different support conditions were performed using a laser-equipped coordinate measuring machine. This technology provided typology, thickness and size, and elastic deformation outcomes. In addition, a multilevel factorial design was carried out using analysis of variance (ANOVA) to investigate the influence of the selected variables. The results suggest that all the studied variables affect the elastic deformation due to the weight of ceramic tiles. The effect of interactions between predictor variables is significant mainly for the largest tiles sizes. The results also show that the current measurement method is indicated for tiles smaller than 30 × 30 cm. Further studies will be conducted to develop a new compatible and reliable method to determine the dimensional characteristics of larger ceramic tiles.