Multi-Criteria Decision-Making for Material Selection

Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) for material selection addresses the challenge of choosing among competitive materials for engineering and design objectives. It integrates diverse criteria—mechanical performance, cost, environmental impact and manufacturability—into formalised decision frameworks. By weighting and comparing alternatives, MCDM methods enable designers and engineers to balance conflicting requirements and identify optimal materials suited to specific applications. Classical approaches, such as the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), structure decision problems hierarchically or by distance from ideal solutions. Hybrid models often combine complementary tools—grey relational analysis, network processes and fuzzy logic—to cope with uncertainty, interdependent criteria and data scarcity. Recent advances emphasise the development of novel algorithms for robust ranking, scenario-based analyses that accommodate incomplete information and enhanced aggregation operators that capture indeterminacy in material attributes. These efforts have broadened the application scope of MCDM, spanning aerospace alloys, polymeric components, energy storage media and biomedical implants. The global imperative for sustainability has further stimulated integration of environmental and social dimensions, while digital transformation in manufacturing has driven the adoption of decision support systems embedding MCDM engines.

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Research from all publishers

In response to limitations in traditional ranking techniques, a novel MCDM method known as MUTRISS introduces multiple-triangle scenarios to evaluate material alternatives under varying information completeness. By mapping options into high-dimensional geometric forms, this approach enhances robustness and offers improved sensitivity analysis in case studies including aerospace alloys and automotive steels. Comparative studies have demonstrated its reliability against established methods through statistical measures of closeness and compromise ranking coefficients.

A hybrid multi-criteria framework has been formulated for the selection of polymeric materials in flexible pulsating heat pipe manufacturing. This model integrates Analytic Hierarchy Process with grey relational analysis, VIKOR and CoCoSo variants to rank twelve polymers across fourteen performance criteria. The study identifies polytetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene and polypropylene as top candidates, underscoring the value of cross-method consistency checks via Spearman’s rank correlation to reinforce confidence in material choice.

In biomedical engineering, a multi-criteria decision model has been applied to femoral component material selection for knee implants. Combining weighted sum and product methods with TOPSIS, WASPAS and evaluation based on distance from average solution, the methodology accommodates conflicting clinical and mechanical criteria such as wear resistance, biocompatibility and cost. Sensitivity analyses validate the stability of rankings under varying weight assignments, providing clinicians and designers with transparent guidance on optimal alloy and polymeric options.

Multi-Criteria Decision-Making for Material Selection publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in multi-criteria decision-making for material selection across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

MCDM: A set of quantitative and qualitative tools for evaluating and ranking alternatives against multiple, often conflicting criteria.

Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP): A structured technique that decomposes decision problems into a hierarchy of criteria and subcriteria, applying pairwise comparisons to derive relative weights.

TOPSIS: A method that ranks alternatives based on their geometric distance from an ideal positive solution and a nadir negative solution.

Grey Relational Analysis (GRA): A technique for analysing systems with incomplete or uncertain information by measuring the closeness of sequences in grey relational space.

Fuzzy set theory: A mathematical framework allowing partial membership of elements to sets, used to model uncertainty and imprecision in decision criteria.

References

1. MUTRISS: A new method for material selection problems using MUltiple-TRIangles scenarios. Expert Systems with Applications (2023).
2. Polymeric Materials Selection for Flexible Pulsating Heat Pipe Manufacturing Using a Comparative Hybrid MCDM Approach. Polymers (2023).
3. Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making and Sensitivity Analysis for Selection of Materials for Knee Implant Femoral Component. Materials (2021).
4. Single-valued neutrosophic Einstein interactive aggregation operators with applications for material selection in engineering design: case study of cryogenic storage tank. Complex & Intelligent Systems (2022).