Wear Parameter Optimization of Ceramic Coating Using the Fuzzy Integrated PSI-CODAS Decision-Making Framework

Studies on the incorporation of MCDM techniques to analyze wear parameters of ceramic coatings are limited. In this work, we consider Cr2O3/TiAlN coating for tooling in metal forming applications. A full factorial DOE consisting of 45 experimental runs with varying combinations of wear parameters (applied load, sliding velocity, and counterbody) to evaluate the wear characteristics (friction coefficient, surface roughness, wear mass loss, and hardness) of Cr2O3/TiAlN-coated surface was considered to ensure the robustness of the model. A novel methodology namely fuzzy integrated PSI (Preference selection index)-CODAS (Combinative Distance-based Assessment) method was proposed to analyze and rank the alternatives (or experiments). The results are further analyzed using comprehensive sensitivity analysis. A total of thirty scenarios are developed by changing the weight of each criteria using the fuzzy-PSI method to examine the effect of change in criteria weight on the ranking of alternatives. In addition to this, four different normalization methods and two criteria weight calculation methods are used to evaluate their effect on the ranking of the alternative. It is observed that alternative 42 (or E-42 having a load and sliding velocity, value of 10 N, 0.3 m/s, respectively, against steel ball counterbody) remains the best alternative for optimal wear responses in Cr2O3/TiAlN coating. The obtained result is also compared with the result obtained from five different fuzzy integrated MCDM methods.

Automated summary

Studies on MCDM techniques for analyzing wear parameters of ceramic coatings are limited. This study proposes a novel fuzzy integrated PSI-CODAS method to analyze and rank alternative wear parameters for Cr2O3/TiAlN coating. A full factorial DOE is conducted to evaluate the wear characteristics of the coating, and sensitivity analysis is performed to examine the effect of criteria weight on the ranking of alternatives. Results show that alternative 42 remains the best choice for optimal wear responses in Cr2O3/TiAlN coating. The method is compared with five other fuzzy integrated MCDM methods.