Sustainable material selection with crisp and ambiguous data using single-valued neutrosophic-MEREC-MARCOS framework

Abstract

Many industries around the globe are opting for environment-friendly and intelligent solutions. In this regard, the materials and manufacturing sectors have also evolved beyond the fundamental requirements for industrial applications by incorporating sustainable practices into their operations. To promote carbon-neutral growth for sustainable production, green materials that can be reused and recycled have gained significant importance. Previous work on material selection has relied on parameters that either take crisp or ambiguous inputs. However, criteria based on the core concept of sustainability, such as environmental considerations, require uncertain or indeterminate expert assessments solved using single-valued neutrosophic sets (SVNSs). For this reason, sustainable material selection necessitates the development of a unique framework to evaluate both crisp and ambiguous data concurrently without losing any information. In this work, a novel integrated framework combining method based on the removal effects of criteria (MEREC) and measurement alternatives and ranking based on compromise solution (MARCOS) under the SVNSs environment is developed to assist designers in solving real-time engineering problems, taking inputs from three decision-makers. To demonstrate the applicability of the proposed framework, a case study for the material selection of a lightweight aircraft wing spar is considered. The criteria assessment factors used for the material selection are economic, structural, damage-tolerance, manufacturing, and environmental impact. To underline the advantages of the proposed methodology, a comparative analysis is carried out with distinct integrated frameworks. Furthermore, the findings of sensitivity analysis indicate that the suggested technique is an effective, efficient, and practical decision-making tool. The excellent correlation of the Spearman coefficient of the proposed approach with interactive and multiple attribute decision making (TODIM) and complex proportional assessment (COPRAS) under SVNSs shows the legitimacy of the obtained ranking. The material selection tool is practical because it is developed using MATLAB and may be adapted to other applications with more criteria and alternatives.