Design Of Experiments 

- 3352
Dr. Jaime Sanchez

Group 1 
Samer Qasem  
Leslie Rodriguez  
Ivan Delgado  
Carlos Ortega 
Leonardo Robles 
Introduction 
 
Design of experiments (DOE) is a systematic and structured approach used to determine
the relationship between variables in an experiment. The aim of DOE is to identify the key
factors that influence the outcome of an experiment and to determine the optimal settings for
these factors to achieve the desired outcome. In this report, we will present the results of an
experiment involving the design and testing of a paper helicopter. The experiment was designed
using DOE principles to investigate the effect of several factors on the performance of the paper
helicopter. 

Methodology: As a part of the methodology, the team decided to test the helicopter design
based on the following factors:
 Paper Weight: Light Weight Paper (LWP), Medium Weight Paper (MWP) & Heavy
(carton) Weight Paper (HWL).
 Paper clip: Y & N.
 Body Size: Small (2 x 1 in) // Medium (2.5 x 1.25 in) // Large (3 x 1.5 in).
 Blades Size: Short (3 x 1 in) // Medium (4 x 1.5 in) // Long (5 x 2 in).

Here are the steps to make a paper helicopter from an 8.5 x 11 paper sheet: 
 
1. Take an 8.5 x 11 paper sheet and fold it in half lengthwise. Crease the fold well and then
unfold the paper. 
 
2. Fold the paper in half again, but this time widthwise. Crease the fold well and then unfold
the paper. 
 
3. Cut along the lengthwise fold line to the center of the paper. 
 
4. Fold the paper in half along the widthwise fold line so that the two cut edges are aligned.
Crease the fold well. 
 
5. Fold the top corners of the paper down to the center crease to create a point at the top of
the paper. 
 
6. Fold the point down towards the bottom of the paper, leaving a small gap between the
bottom of the point and the bottom edge of the paper. 
 
7. Fold the two sides of the paper up towards the center crease, creating two small wings on
either side of the paper. 
 
8. Fold the wings down at a 90-degree angle to the rest of the paper, with the tips of the
wings pointing towards the bottom of the paper. 
 
9. Fold the tips of the wings up to create a small fold. 
 
10. Fold the paper in half along the center crease, making sure that the wings are on top of
the folded paper. 
 
11. Hold the helicopter by the top point and drop it from a height. Watch it spin as it falls to
the ground. 
Some picture of the helicopter: 
  

Experimental Design:
The paper helicopter was designed to have a simple structure with a main body with a
rotor attached to the top. The rotor was made of paper and was designed to rotate when the
helicopter was dropped from a height. The factors investigated in the experiment included the
shape of the rotor, the size of the rotor, the weight of the helicopter, and the length of the rotor
blades. The rotor's shape was designed with two blades, the length of the two blades being short
3 inches each. Also, the helicopter was small in order to make it lightweight.
The shape of the rotor was varied by designing rotors with different numbers of blades.
Three different rotor and blade sizes were tested. The size of the rotor was varied by changing
the length and width of the rotor. Three different sizes were tested, including small, medium, and
large. The weight of the helicopter was varied by adding weights of different masses to the main
body. Three different weights were tested, including light, medium, and heavy. Finally, the
length of the rotor blades was varied by designing blades of different lengths. Three different
blade lengths were tested, including short, medium, and long. The experiment was designed
using a full factorial design, which involved testing all combinations of the levels of the four
factors. This resulted in different experimental conditions. It was tested six times to obtain an
average value for the helicopter's performance. 
Experimental Procedure To conduct the experiment, a test rig was set up to drop the
paper helicopter from a height of 12 ft. The test rig consisted of a wooden frame with a clamp to
hold the helicopter in place at the top. The helicopter was released from the clamp and allowed to
fall to the ground. The time taken for the helicopter to reach the ground was recorded using a
stopwatch. The performance of the helicopter was measured as the time taken  
for the helicopter to reach the ground. 

Results:
The results of the experiment are presented in Table 1. The table shows the average time
taken for the helicopter to reach the ground for each of the experimental conditions. The results
are also presented graphically in Figure 1, which shows the effect of each factor on the
performance of the helicopter. 
Table 1: Results of the Paper Helicopter Experiment.

Factor Helicopter 1 Helicopter 2 Helicopter 3

Shape 2 blades 2 blades 2 blades

Body size Small (2 x 1 inches) Medium (2.5 x 1.25 in) Large (3 x 1.5 in)

Weight Light (paper clip) Medium (no paper clip) Heavy (paper clip)

Blades size Short (3 x 1 in) Medium (4 x 1.5 in) Long (5 x 2 in)

Time (s) 3.35 4.39 3.26

Time (s) 3.38 4.22 3.18

Time (s) 3.51 4.15 3.11

Time (s) 3.47 4.33 3.25

Time (s) 3.31 4.23 3.18

Time (s) 3.46 4.11 3.08

Time (s) 3.40 4.42 3.05

3.43 4.40 3.20

Time (s)
  

Conclusion: 
 The experiment involving the design and testing of a paper helicopter was successful in
determining the effect of several factors on the performance of the helicopter. The experiment
was designed using DOE principles, which allowed for a systematic and structured approach to
investigating the key factors influencing the performance of the paper helicopter. The
experiment's full factorial design resulted from the helicopter's weight, gravity, and elevation,
which provided a full understanding of each factor's effect on its performance. 
The results of the experiment showed that the shape and size of the rotor, the weight of
the helicopter, and the length of the rotor blades all had a significant effect on the performance of
the helicopter. Specifically, a heavy-weight helicopter 3, and long rotor blades resulted in the
best performance of the paper helicopter. These findings can be used to improve the design of
paper helicopters and other similar devices and guide further research in this field. 
Overall, the design of experiments provided a powerful and efficient approach to
investigating the factors affecting the performance of the paper helicopter. By using DOE
principles, we conducted a comprehensive and rigorous experiment that provided valuable
insights into the design and optimization of paper helicopters.