Fuzzy Cognitive Map Methodology For Evaluating Material Selection Criteria

Material selection is a challenging procedure in engineering and design because of requiring to take into account many criteria from different dimensions. Being able to select proper materials and succeed to match the requirements in the production process is significant. The purpose of material selection process is to constitute optimum product that gives maximum performance and minimum cost. Material selection can be viewed as a complicated multicriteria decision making (MCDM) problem, which requires the consideration of multiple conflicting criteria. This paper investigates the detailed evaluation of material selection factors by analyzing relationships and strength of them. Fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) methodology is employed to identify the most important factors in material selection. The application is illustrated through a case study of washing liquid material selection procedure.