Selection of industrial robots using compromise ranking and outranking methods

Selection of a robot for a specific industrial application is one of the most challenging problems in real time manufacturing environment. It has become more and more complicated due to increase in complexity, advanced features and facilities that are continuously being incorporated into the robots by different manufacturers. At present, different types of industrial robots with diverse capabilities, features, facilities and specifications are available in the market. Manufacturing environment, product design, production system and cost involved are some of the most influencing factors that directly affect the robot selection decision. The decision maker needs to identify and select the best suited robot in order to achieve the desired output with minimum cost and specific application ability. This paper attempts to solve the robot selection problem using two most appropriate multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods and compares their relative performance for a given industrial application. The first MCDM approach is ‘VIsekriterijumsko KOmpromisno Rangiranje’ (VIKOR), a compromise ranking method and the other one is ‘ELimination and Et Choice Translating REality’ (ELECTRE), an outranking method. Two real time examples are cited in order to demonstrate and validate the applicability and potentiality of both these MCDM methods. It is observed that the relative rankings of the alternative robots as obtained using these two MCDM methods match quite well with those as derived by the past researchers.     

金属矿床评价计算模型的综合比较与选优

评估体系是实现企业开发决策及其科学生产的主要手段。本文通过对综合评价法、TOPSIS法和ELECTRE法的分析与比较,将三种算法相济运用;在三种算法所得结果不一致时,得出用社会选择方法来判定那个方法的评价结果可信度更高的结论。     

A non-compensatory compromised solution for material selection of bipolar plates for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) using ELECTRE IV

A non-compensatory compromised approach in decision analysis is described within the context of the material selection of the bipolar plate of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell. ELECTRE IV, using embedded outranking relations, has been applied to determine the best compromised possible candidate material, considering all the performance indices including the cost criterion. This study also investigates the effect of replacing components of the selection parameters (i.e. design parameters) with performance indices to solve the same problem. The individual effect of the components of the performance indices on the ranking change in each possible candidate material is studied. It was shown that the ELECTRE IV lists candidate materials from best to worst, taking into account all the material selection criteria. The obtained results show good agreement with available reported results.     

Group decision and distributed technical support

A group of 45 decision‐makers (local authorities and representatives from the communities) worked together for 16 months, with a facilitator group, to identify relevant criteria to analyze the consequences of a plant location. Two multi‐criteria models, one for an incinerator and the other for a waste disposal plant, were elaborated and an ELECTRE method was used to compare sites and rank them, with the aim of selecting the best sites for which an environmental impact assessment procedure will be activated. A virtual team, from different organizations, supported this work from a technical point of view. This kind of ‘distributed support’ to a multi‐criteria decision required actions of coordination and knowledge filtering and interpreting. The paper proposes an analysis of this participatory decision process and synthesizes the difficulties and results of the multi‐criteria decision aid intervention.     

基于ELECTREⅠ法的装备修理过程质量评价研究

将修理过程拆分为4个主要修理工序,构建影响修理过程质量的评价指标体系.以我军4家同级别修理工厂的装备修理过程为例,运用ELECTREⅠ理论,建立装备修理过程质量的综合评价模型.通过提出净优势度的概念,很好地解决了ELECTRE Ⅰ理论评价结果不完全排序的问题,也进一步验证了评价模型的科学性和实用性.     

工程建设项目评标决策ELECTRE 优选模型及其应用研究

工程建设项目评标决策是一个多目标决策问题,其质量直接影响项目实现的程度,为进一步提高工程建设项目评标的科学性和准确性,将排除选择法（ELECTRE）引入到工程项目评标决策中,建立了基于ELECTRE 的工程项目优选模型。该优选模型首先将相关信息转换成决策矩阵,并通过净优势值和净劣势值两个变量构造“级别高于关系”,进而对各投标单位的优劣进行排序。实例应用结果表明,该优选模型能够降低指标间的互补性,有良好的交互性并且计算相对简单,可为业主择优选择投标单位提供定量决策依据。     

Selection of materials using compromise ranking and outranking methods

Selection of proper materials for different components is one of the most challenging tasks in the design and development of products for diverse engineering applications. Materials play a crucial and important role during the entire design and manufacturing process. Wrong selection of material often leads to huge cost involvement and ultimately drives towards premature component or product failure. So the designers need to identify and select proper materials with specific functionalities in order to obtain the desired output with minimum cost involvement and specific applicability. This paper attempts to solve the materials selection problem using two most potential multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approaches and compares their relative performance for a given material selection application. The first MCDM approach is ‘Vlse Kriterijumska Optimizacija Kompromisno Resenje’ (VIKOR), a compromise ranking method and the other one is ‘ELimination and Et Choice Translating REality’ (ELECTRE), an outranking method. These two methods are used to rank the alternative materials, for which several requirements are considered simultaneously. Two examples are cited in order to demonstrate and validate the effectiveness and flexibility of these two MCDM approaches. In each example, a list of all the possible choices from the best to the worst suitable materials is obtained taking into account different material selection criteria. The rankings of the selected materials almost corroborate with those as obtained by the past researchers.     

基于ELECTRE法的云服务选择

越来越多的云服务为消费者提供了广泛的选择,使云服务选择成为一个具有挑战性的决策问题,这需要使用恰当的决策方法,协助决策者选择最好的服务以满足用户的需求.本文提出一个云服务选择方法,给出了云服务的服务质量（Quality of Service,QoS）的描述形式.引入了ELECTRE的排序方法,该方法通过建立一致性矩阵和矛盾性矩阵来获得各个服务的的优先级别关系.最后,通过实例验证了该算法的有效性.     

犹豫模糊语言后悔理论和ELECTRE决策方法及应用

针对决策信息为犹豫模糊语言元素形式、属性权重完全未知的多属性决策问题,提出了一种基于后悔理论和ELECTRE III的多属性决策方法。利用灰色关联分析和极大熵原理确定属性权重。确定犹豫模糊语言信息的后悔-欣喜函数,凭借该函数确定方案对的后悔-欣喜和谐指数与不和谐指数,进而确定方案对的可信度指数。通过方案对的可信度指数确定各方案的净可信度,依此对方案进行排序。通过算例说明了所提方法的可行性和有效性。由于该方法同时考虑了决策者的心理行为和属性间的部分可补偿性,因此决策结果更加贴近现实且更为合理。对后悔规避系数[μ]的灵敏度分析表明了所提方法的稳定性,与其他两种方法的对比分析展示了所提方法的优势。     

Development of optimal water supply plan using integrated fuzzy Delphi and fuzzy ELECTRE III methods—Case study of the Gamasiab basin

This paper presents a novel method for the development of an optimal water supply plan showcased using data from the Gamasiab basin, located in Kermanshah province, Iran, concerning new dams that are being constructed in this semi-arid region. In this paper, a new group multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) plan is proposed by combining two MCDM methods based on the fuzzy Delphi and fuzzy ELECTRE III methods that convert the experts' opinions to triangular fuzzy numbers based on the level of uncertainty associated with various quantitative and qualitative criteria. Considering the opinions of four non-stakeholder experts and data analysis using the fuzzy Delphi method, the criteria were evaluated. Then, by analysing the results using the fuzzy ELECTRE III method, the final ranking of scenarios is obtained. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the effect of uncertainty on the performance of the decision-making system in scenarios ranking. The total expense, flood control, reservoir capacity and diversion and water transfer played a significant role in selecting the optimal scenario. Additionally, a hydrologic model was developed to evaluate the performance of the optimal scenario in terms of qualitative criteria. The data indicated that there was a good agreement between the results obtained from the hydrological model and the scenario ranking by the employed method. Altogether, a comparison of the proposed method with other MCDM methods, including fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy technique for order preference by simulation of ideal solution, indicated that the results of the employed method matched more closely to the local experts' opinion.