Multicriteria Evaluation of Structural Composite Lumber Products

Abstract

In this study, laminated veneer lumber, parallel strand lumber, and laminated strand lumber were evaluated via multicriteria decision-making methods. Within the model, nine evaluation criteria were defined: moisture content, density, bending strength, modulus of elasticity, compression strength parallel to grain, dynamic bending strength, tensile strength parallel to surface, tensile strength perpendicular to surface, and screw holding capacity. The weights of the criteria were computed using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP). The evaluation based on distance from an average solution (EDAS) and the technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) were employed to determine the ranking of the alternatives. After the borda count method was used, an integrated ranking was obtained. According to the results, the first three important subcriteria were density, bending strength, and modulus of elasticity. Furthermore, laminated veneer lumber was determined as the best alternative. Consequently, this study can present a road map to evaluate wooden materials.