A Fuzzy Synthesis Approach for Hierarchical Decision Analysis to Select Optimum Repair Technique

Abstract

Selecting the best remanufacturing or repair strategy for engineering equipment/component is a complex task, partly due to the many factors affecting the decision as well as the high uncertainty associated with these factors. The challenge facing decision makers is to find an effective and reliable approach that supports their decisions regarding the best remanufacturing or repair technique that extends the service life of an equipment and keep it in operation from failures. This paper presents an innovative fuzzy-based approach for modelling the selection of optimum remanufacturing/repair technique for engineering equipment. The proposed fuzzy synthesis approach allows analysing hierarchical multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problems using a simplified and effective method for supporting the elicitation and processing of expert judgements. This approach is tested in a case study of selecting the optimum repair techniques for aero engine component and obtained good model performance in comparison with other alternative MCDM model, which shows the plausibility of applying the approach to domains that are based on human expertise.