Material selection using PROMETHEE combined with analytic network process under hybrid environment

Material selection involves a great number of attributes, including quantitative and qualitative ones, among which there exist dependences of various degrees, and so belongs to multi-attribute decision making problem (MADM) under hybrid environment in the presence of interdependences. The method of preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluations (PROMETHEE) combined with analytic network process (ANP) is presented to select the best material for a given application, where ANP is used to identify weights, and PROMETHEE to rank alternatives. Taking the material selection for a journal bearing as example, the decision-making procedure is enunciated, first determining the attributes according to the failure analysis and the requirements of customers, then screening out the feasible solutions, and last fixing the optimal solution, Aluminum bronze, which is in conformity with practice test. Finally, the method of expediting the calculation process is presented developing graphical user interface-based (GUI-based) related software. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.