Optimal Projective Three-Level Designs for Factor Screening and Interaction Detection

Orthogonal arrays (OAs) are widely used in industrial experiments for factor screening. Suppose that only a few of the factors in the experiments turn out to be important. An OA can be used not only for screening factors, but also for detecting interactions among a subset of active factors. In this article a set of optimality criteria is proposed to assess the performance of designs for factor screening, projection, and interaction detection, and a three-step approach is proposed to search for optimal designs. Combinatorial and algorithmic construction methods are proposed for generating new designs. Permutations of levels are used for improving the eligibility and estimation efficiency of the projected designs. The techniques are then applied to search for best three-level designs with 18 and 27 runs. Many new, efficient, and practically useful nonregular designs are found and their properties are discussed.