FUZZY TOPSIS Application in Materials Analysis for Economic Production of Cashew Juice Extractor

Abstract

In this paper, a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) tool which combines Fuzzy Set Theory (FST) with TOPSIS (Fuzzy TOPSIS) is presented for selecting optimal material for the different components of the cashew juice extractor. The technique proposed utilise a broad multiple criteria methodology in finding optimal material from among alternative materials. The alternative materials are mild steel, stainless steel, galvanised steel, and alloy steel. To illustrate the applicability of the technique, a case study of the Auger material selection problem was used. The Auger was applied for the demonstration of the proposed method because it is the most critical component of the cashew juice extractor. The result of the analysis indicated that galvanised steel is the optimal material for the Auger. To validate the FUZZY TOPSIS method, the results obtained from it were compared with results obtained from FUZZY MOORA and FUZZY SAW methods. The comparative analysis indicated that FUZZY TOPSIS produces completely same result with the FUZZY SAW method and very similar results with the FUZZY MOORA method. This is an indication of the suitability of the proposed technique in resolving the material selection problem of the cashew juice extractor.