| Coloration of protein fibers is a very complex domain. There are many variables that can affect the outcome of dyeings. Indeed it is quite complicated to get the right color in the first dyeing attempt. Determining the root causes of a given problem is even more challenging. In the era of energy saving, water saving and eco-friendly processing it is tough to maintain the high expected quality of products and reduce the cost of the process. While quality requirements become increasingly rigorous in the textile industry, human expertise in the specialized area of coloration is becoming more and more limited.;The aim of this research is to develop a knowledge-based expert system in the domain of troubleshooting problems in the coloration of protein fibers. The emphasis of this research is to provide a detailed view of troubleshooting by using the knowledge of human experts as well as the knowledge from published literatures. This research was accomplished in the following two main phases; Phase I: Knowledge Acquisition and Coding, and Phase II: Testing and Evaluation. Several hundred sources have been used in the development of the knowledge base. A Windows based version of C Language Integrated Production System (wxFuzzyCLIPS: ver. 1.64) was selected as the development shell. After the knowledge base of the system was developed, it was verified, validated and evaluated using human experts. The validation and verification process involved debugging, testing and evaluation of various modules. Assessments were based on the comparative performance of human experts and the expert system through several faulty dyed samples.;Results of testing the system show good performance when compared to human experts, potential value, and utility of the system in the dyeing of protein fibers. The developed diagnostic expert system for the dyeing of protein fibers (Dexpert-PT) has been designed to assist dyeing trainees, supervisors, managers as well as the top management personnel, to isolate possible causes of coloration problems, to resolve issues, and avoid potential sources of error in future applications. The system allows users to conveniently interrogate a computer program as if it were a human expert. It is also a great help to novice dyers to provide them with supplemental experience in dyeing and should facilitate a better understanding of the causes of the problems, and when making decisions for necessary actions. This system is a powerful tool to diagnose issues related to the dyeing of protein fibers, which can save time, cost, and resources. |
