Improving the Visual Interactive Analysis Method for Automation and Control of the Decision-Making Process in Multi-Criteria Design of Complex Mechanical Systems

Abstract

For multi-criteria design problems of complex mechanical systems with a large number of control parameters, technical constraints, and quality criteria, the search for Pareto solution domain takes quite a lot of time varying from hours to days. In fact, the decision-maker (DM) desires to examine a small number of reasonable Pareto optimal solutions in order to understand the problem itself and control the decisionmaking in a simple manner. This paper presents the improvement of a visual interaction analysis method or VIAM developed by the authors with the aim of providing a tool for DM to define the optimal and mutually-agreed solutions in the multi-criteria decision making (MCDM). Indeed, VIAM allows for evaluating the distribution domain of the Pareto optimal solutions defined by the genetic algorithm, which supports the DM to set additional thresholds for the objectives to filter the desired solutions and suggest to shrink or expand the threshold to control the search. In case of mutually-agreed solution non-existence, VIAM allows for providing instruction to reestablish the multi-objective problem that new Pareto solution domains can be found as desired by the DM. Based on VIAM, a visual interaction analysis tool or VIAT was developed by means of Matlab. VIAT was then used for the multi-criteria design of slider-crank mechanism for an innovative fruit vegetable washer with three objectives. Comparative study on the obtained results from VIAT with the existing design option and the obtained solution from the traditional method "concession by priority" has shown the effectiveness of the method proposed in this paper. VIAT is actually a very user-friendly tool that makes the multi-criteria design more practical especially for the mechanical system.